Mayur Mahal of Chinsurah – where peacocks reign
About 7-8km from Chinsurah, off Delhi Road lies a small hamlet called Rajhat. This is where one gets to find Bengal’s Mayur Mahal. Dozens of peacock, India’s national bird, have found a home in Rajhat and neighbouring villages of Choutara, Gandhigram, Saheb Bagan. Locals have joined hands to protect these birds from getting poached and killed for their plume. In absence of any help from the authorities, villagers of the area have come together to regularly feed these birds. They have their own way of whistling to the birds in the morning and spreading grains under trees and from every nook and corner, one gets to see waves of plumes coming out in a colourful splendour.
Locals have tried hard in their own way to protect these birds that have on and off lost their habitats due to human intervention. But now the authorities need to step in. In fact this region in Chinsurah can be turned into a sanctuary for peacocks and can be a spot of tourist interest too. The place where the peacocks in this region live is also very picturesque, due to the flowing Kunti river behind Rajhat gram panchayat and an equally beautiful stream of Saraswati flowing through neighbouring Debanandapur. It is in the region between the two rivers that the peacocks live. This region indeed can be developed as a great tourist spot. The region has many mango orchards and also bamboo forests. These are ideal places for peacocks to live, as they feed primarily on fruits. However, the villagers complained straydogs at night are hunting the peacocks and even they are dying due to excessive heat and rains. As peacocks cannot fly to a great height and cannot run also very fast, they become easy prey to stray carnivores. Hence, it is an absolute necessity to save these birds immediately and build a sanctuary for them in the area. Locals also believe the forest department should hold regular camps to create awareness in the area.
