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i c t u r e s que l y

nestled in the

foothills of the

Bhutan Himalayas,

Paneery Tea Estate lies

between the Nonoi

river on the west and

the Kalsi river on the

east. The estate at

present has 438 hectares under tea and produces

approximately 9.5 lakhs made tea annually.

There are two interesting theories as to how the estate got its

name. The word ‘Paneery’ is the amalgamation of two

Assamese words : ‘Pan’, meaning ‘betel leaf ’ and ‘Eri’, which

is a traditional fabric woven in Assam. In the days of yore, it

is said that the Bhutanese people would come down from the

hills to barter ‘pan’ leaves for ‘eri’ and hence the place where

this exchange took place, came to be known as Paneery.

Another story narrated by the local inhabitants states that

when a war broke out between two indigenous tribes at a

place called Harisinga a long time back, the soldiers of one

tribe had camped in this area. Subsequently, there was an

outbreak of black fever and they had to flee (eri) from this

place in order to save their lives (pran).

It is not known when exactly Paneery was planted out, but

it’s likely to have been in the early 1900s. The garden once

had dense patches of forests and a huge bamboo ‘bari’, home

to the wild animals found there, particularly elephants, before

the management decided to undertake expansion of tea

planted areas.

Bishnu Tanti, a retired Sardar, recalls how in the 1950s when

huge tracts of land were being cleared of thatch and jungle, a

massive tusker charged at the workers. Even today, the

elephants are seen foraging in the paddy fields during the

harvest months, sheltering in the garden by day and venturing

out for ripe paddy by night.The estate is Rainforest Alliance

certified and has recently acquired the ISO 22000

certification. Conservation and preservation of natural

resources and the local flora and fauna is widely encouraged.

To this effect, a number of water bodies have been dug at

strategic places for the benefit of the wild animals. Hunting,

a favourite sport in bygone days, is now strictly banned.

A landmark here are two huge twin

ponds known as ‘Bhutia Pukhuri’,

which were apparently dug by the

Bhutanese people in honour of their king and

queen. And thereby unfolds a tale narrated by Bishnu and

Pradeep, both retired workers of the estate. As legend goes,

anyone having a marriage ceremony in their homes would

perform a ‘puja’ near the ‘pukhuri’ and make a wish for the

utensils required during the celebration. A gold boat would

then appear with the relevant items which the person would

have to return to the boat once the ceremony was over.

– Rupa Saikia

Aerial View of Paneery T.E.

July 2014 39

38 July 2014

Paneery, situated in the Mangaldai district of lower

Assam, is an interesting place, and the Central Hospital

for all our estates in that area is located there.

Taxiing towards the Bhutan Hills

Visitors from the Wild

Water Body

Bhutia Pukhuri