Ambootia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ambootia Ambotay
Tea estate village
Ambootia Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Ambootia Location in India Show map of India
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Darjeeling
Lok Sabha constituency	Darjeeling
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Kurseong
Administrative Body	Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
PIN	734203
Telephone/STD code	0354

Ambootia, also known as Ambootay, is a village in India. It's famous for its tea estate, where special tea is grown. You can find it in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. This village is part of the Kurseong subdivision.

Exploring Ambootia's Location

Ambootia is located at coordinates 26.8766° N, 88.2407° E. It sits below the town of Kurseong. This area is in the foothills of the mighty Himalayan Mountains. The main language spoken by people here is Nepali.

Understanding the Area

The map next to this text shows the eastern part of the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. It also includes a small flat area called the terai region. Most people in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision live in rural areas. In the Kurseong subdivision, many people also live in the countryside.

There are about 78 tea gardens in the district. These gardens grow and export Darjeeling tea, which is famous worldwide. Many people in the area work directly or indirectly with tea. Some tea gardens are even considered small towns or villages.

The Ambootia Landslide Event

In October 1968, a big landslide happened in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. Heavy rainfall caused this natural disaster. The Ambootia landslide was active for many years. It only started to become stable in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This happened as new plants grew and helped hold the soil.

Ambootia's Population Facts

The 2011 Census of India counted the people living in Ambootia. The total population was 4,811. About 49% of the people were males, and 51% were females. There were 370 children aged 0 to 6 years old. Most people in Ambootia can read and write. About 73% of the population over 6 years old was literate.

All About Ambootia Tea

Ambootia is one of the most famous tea estates in Darjeeling. It was one of the first tea estates started by British tea planters in the 1850s. Today, it is the second-largest producer of Darjeeling Tea in India. The Darjeeling Tea Company of England first opened Ambootia Tea Garden in 1861.

After India became independent in 1947, Indian business owners took over the garden in 1954. In 1987, the Bansal Tea Group bought the garden. At that time, it was not doing well financially. However, it has since become a successful and environmentally friendly tea garden.

The Ambootia Group once owned 15 tea estates. Twelve of these were in Darjeeling, and two each were in Assam and Dooars. Ambootia was known around the world for its high-quality teas.

In late 2022, the Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd. faced financial difficulties. Because of this, Ambootia and five other gardens were given to Mr. Sushil Kumar Agarwal. His company, Lemongrass Organic Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd. (LOTEPL), now manages these gardens. LOTEPL now manages nine tea estates in the Darjeeling region. It is becoming a very important company for Darjeeling Tea globally.

The Ambootia Tea Garden covers a total area of 790.64 hectares. Tea is grown on 350.48 hectares of this land. The garden has a modern tea factory that works very well. In 1992, Ambootia started growing tea using only organic and bio-dynamic methods. This means they use natural ways to grow tea without harmful chemicals. In 1994, Ambootia also received Fair Trade certification. This means they follow fair rules for workers and the environment.

The garden employs about 800 workers, both full-time and temporary. It also has 84 staff members. Workers receive important food items like wheat, rice, and kerosene at lower prices. They also get coal or firewood, slippers, and umbrellas every year. The garden provides homes for its workers and staff. There are four daycares for the children of female employees. Four primary schools are run by the Gorkha Hill council, and three by the West Bengal government. The garden also has a hospital with 8 beds and a doctor who visits regularly. Workers and their families get free medical care at this hospital.

Tea Estates of the LOTEPL Group

The tea gardens managed by the Lemongrass Organic Tea Estates Private Ltd. include:

• Ambootia
• Chongtong
• Happy Valley
• Monteviot
• Moondakotee
• Mullootar
• Nagri (Mangarjung)
• Sepoydhoorah (Chamling)
• Sivitar

Getting to Ambootia: Transport Options

Famous People from Ambootia

• Hira Devi Waiba
• Navneet Aditya Waiba