Rajpaat, Cooch Behar

A visit to Rajpat, Cooch Behar

A glance at the plateau from atop itself

I recently enjoyed a very pleasant trip to Rajpaat, a simple yet fascinating (yeah, I know it sounds a bit erratic, but be with me on that) tourist spot in Cooch Behar, North Bengal. It is one of the major attractions in the localities, and boasts a charming sight-seeing experience.

Rajpaat is about 13 kilimetres from Dinhata, one of the sub-division headquarters under the district of Cooch Behar. You can reach it via Cooch Behar-Dinhata main road, without having to rely on the GPS. People of the localities are quite charming, and would gladly share with you the route if asked politely, at least as per my experience. It is actually a massive plateau that arises practically out of nowhere as we head into the destination. The actual place being around 50 ft high, we can either take the hard way traking onto the top while enjoying the experience, or just make use of the nicely crafted stairs that lead us to the same destination.

The pond

The history of the place is charming to listen to. Once it had been the seat of power of the Kamtapuri kings, and used to be their royal residence. With the savage attacks of time, the entire place practically lost its momentum and gave in to erosion. The Archeological Survey of India has been in charge of the project of restructuring the royal palace, parts of which can be seen accomplished. As we enter the main site, we're greeted with a number of boards erected by the Survey, to help us learn about the place.



As per belief, this used to be the main fort and served as the capital of Kamtapura. Once erected by the famous Khen kings of north Bengal, now the mound holds a wealth of historical objects including coins, statuettes of animals and people, figures and figurines of Gods and Goddesses, iron tools etc. A common saying goes on as “Dig anywhere around Rajpaat, and you'll get something of archaeological importance”, but I would strongly suggest anyone to restrain from that.

There are remains of a central gateway system, using which we can estimate the actual height of the once-existent fort. A pond runs longitudinally across one end of the plateau  while surrounding lowlands can be quite photogenic from the top of the mound. A central well, now dried up totally, used to be the main source of water in the citadel. Picnicking is not allowed on the top, and that's a good thing I guess. The plateau is surprisingly clean, and the view of the sky is just superb. It was quite cloudy when we went to the place, but I guess a sunlit afternoon can equally, if not more, convince anyone of the beauty of the place.

Rocky remains of the once celebrated citadel

The fresh, slightly moist air all around contains the green aroma of mother nature herself. A long, single breath can easily rid the mind of tensions and worries of day to day life, evangelizing our soul with the very essence of purity. Clean, clear and confident, Rajpaat has a lot to offer, and has something in stock for anyone of any age, from any part of the country. Irrespective of whether you are a student of history eager to learn more about excavation or just a casual tourist seeking respite from the constant din and materialism of the city, you'll enjoy here.

The central wale, now all dry

The entire mound is practically a seat of serenity. Grass and grasshoppers decorate the terrain ubiquitously, while herds of cows and goats can be seen grazing peacefully on the north-western side of the elevation. The naturally developed step-like layers around the mound can give us a natural advantage at shooting quality photos in and around the region. Overall, I personally believe the place can serve you one of the most delicious pieces of experience of your life.