Lepchakha

Where Heaven Came Down to Meet Us

At Buxa Sadar bazaar, the night was cloudy and dark. Nothing much could be seen from the balcony of Rovers’ Inn. So after a little chat all of us went to bed around 12 O clock to wake up before the sun the next morning. The next day was even cloudy and it rained heavily since late night. As we had plan to reach Lepchkha anyhow, we didn’t waste much time at Buxa and prepared ourselves for the 2 km uphill trek in rain. With light breakfast we charged up ourselves and left for Lepchakha by 9 am. Just a 15 minute’s walk took us to the famous Buxa Fort which served as the place of imprisonment for the Indian freedom fighters during the British period. A quick round at the rain drenched fort gave us an indescribable pleasure. The rain washed trees and the bushes here and there gave an impression of a jungle imprisoned inside the lofty walls of the fort.

The walk ahead was bit tough for the first time trekkers, but easy at all goes for the regular hill-toers. Continuous rain left the whole path slippery and the leeches made the walk funnier to us as every now and then we had to check our shoes and trousers for hidden leeches. The beauty of the rain drenched jungle and hill along with beautiful brown leeches captured our minds such way that we just for those moments forgot where we belong to, where we head for and what we be for? It seemed like walking through those narrow hilly paths was the only work that we were born for. The sights of the valley down the hills, the peaks peeping over the lofty trees, the tiny colourful blossoms spread all over the slopes in plenty tailor-made the heaven for us.

On the way we met with a small flow probably existed only in rainy season. The little urchin flow caught us to play with it for some time and needless to mention we couldn’t ignore its call. The cool water refreshed us as soon as we dipped our feet into the flow, the splash of water over our shoulders let us feel heavenly once again

An hour’s walk with more than usual number of halts took us to the landing of heaven, Lepchakha, from where I feel the stairs to heaven ascends. From the lush green meadow just a few steps ahead the entry point of the village we got a picturesque view of the plain of North Bengal embracing numerous small to big rivers which lied like silver ribbons amongst the misty green patches of land or jungles. After having our place of stay negotiated, we all sat on the wooden cot provided at the edge of the meadow for enjoying the lusty beauty of North Bengal. It was cloudy the day long and we dared to walk through the whole path in rain. The goddess of rain probably was bit annoyed with us and tried her heart and soul to scare us even after we reached to the peaceful and safe shelter of Lepchakha and its warm at heart people. By The afternoon, the cloud tried to engulf us and within an hour we were completely detached from the outer world. Visibility came as low as 5 feet only. The environment become all ghostly, we couldn’t see each others’ faces and couldn’t have any idea what others were thinking for everybody of us were silent, not because we ran short of words, but it was the moment’s magic that we forgot to make sound and left ourselves to be engulfed by the mist. But we were quite sure at one point that nobody among us was upset for being in such an environment which comes once in a lifetime and only fools do choose to spare the heavenly enjoyment! We were as if blotting the moments with our ability of feelings. Though the sharp line that differs one afternoon from an evening was all merged by then, we perceived an evening’s arrival by the increasing darkness. The villagers put up the lights at their huts one by one, only we had no urge to be enlightened. The country liquor called CHANG accompanied us since the afternoon and made us feel even better, as the essence of utmost silence and loneliness even being in crowd is enjoyable only when your blood carries poison. Chang isn’t a poison for sure; it’s rather a heavenly drink without which the magical mist wouldn’t have dared to play such tricks to overwhelm us by its presence only!

Lepchakha is a place where silence extends its own magic and loneliness finds its true definition. The clam nature of the village dwellers adds so much to the environment that one can make a hands-on will for spending her/his rest of the life there. Lepchakha is also, probably the only place in North Bengal from where the sky can be seen at its greatest expansion on fogless nights.

The night was, as if, spent in a boat in the ocean of mystic sub consciousness. We were accompanied by the cute leeches even in our sleep, not in dream though. Then another cloudy but rainless morning gave us a second welcome, but alas! we were close to depart from our heaven on earth. We spent the last few moments at the hanging veranda of the wooden cottage we were allowed to stay and left there some heartfelt togetherness before we finally said goodbye to Lepchakha, the haven of quietness and solitude.

Visited in August 2010