Buxa Fort

Buxa Fort is a ruined hill fort located at 867 metres elevation inside Buxa Tiger Reserve near Buxa Duar in Alipurduar district, West Bengal. Originally built by Bhutanese rulers and later occupied by the British after 1865, it served as a high-security detention camp. Today visitors see stone ruins, barracks and memorials amid dense forest, reached by a 4 km trek from Santalabari, offering history, nature and panoramic Dooars views.

Visitors can expect a 4 km uphill trek from Santalabari through dense forest of Buxa Tiger Reserve to reach the ruined fort at 867m altitude. The site consists of stone walls, ruined barracks, a small museum/memorial and open courtyards with views of the Dooars plains and Bhutan hills. The surroundings are forested with birdlife and butterflies. There are no restored interiors; exploration is on foot over uneven ground and steps. A guide is commonly used and the visit is combined with nature walks and photography.

Buxa Fort was originally built by the rulers of Bhutan to protect the Buxa Duar pass connecting Bhutan and the Dooars. After the Anglo-Bhutan War (1864-1865) and the Treaty of Sinchula in 1865, the British occupied the fort. The British later used it as a high-altitude detention camp, where many Indian freedom movement participants were interned in the 1930s.

The fort is remembered as a symbol of the Indian freedom movement due to its use as a detention camp and is a heritage landmark within the Buxa Tiger Reserve, reflecting the historical Bhutan-Dooars frontier and colonial-era architecture in a forest setting.