Home :: India City Destination :: Darjeeling

Darjeeling - a picture perfect hill station sitting atop a ridge at 2134m is replete with Buddhist monasteries, trekking trails and awesome mountain views. People flock here to escape the heat and humidity of the plains and beat the stress of city life. The panoramic views of the snow clad peaks of the Himalayas are straight out of a postcard and provide a welcome relief from the dust and soot of urban India.

History
Darjeeling originally belonged to the independent state of Sikkim. Later in the eighteenth century, it was taken over by the Bhutanese and the Gurkhas. The British East India Company in its many annexes finally gained control of the town and developed its potential as a sanatorium, and a "rest and recreation" centre for the troops and a pass to Nepal and Tibet. Even today, the place is full of Sherpas, Gurkhas, Bhutias and Nepalis.

Places to See
Tiger Hill
It is the highest point in Darjeeling. From here one can see the peaks of the Kanchenjunga and on a clear day the Everest looms into view.

Senchal Lake
at a height of 2448 m is the Senchal Lake, which is a popular picnic spot. The Observatory Hill is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists for there is a Kali temple here and a multitude of prayer flags.

Monasteries
The majestic Kanchenjunga serves as a backdrop for the Bhutia Busty Gompa, a branch of Nyingmapa sect from Sikkim. Its library holds the original copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Yogachoeling Gompa popularly called Ghoom is usually shrouded under a cloud of mist and enshrines an image of the Maitreya Buddha. This is probably one of the best known monastries in Darjeling and is only 8 kms away from the town.

The other monasteries are the Samdenchoeling, Sakyachoeling, PhinSotholing, Aloobari, ThuptenSangachoeling and Sonada Gompas.

The DhirdhamTemple is the most prominent Hindu temple here. The Bengal Natural History Museum has a large collection of Himalayan flora and fauna.

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
The Park was established in 1958 houses rare species like Siberian tigers, red pandas and the Tibetan wolf. It also has a Snow Leopard breeding programme.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI)
The world famous (HMI) is based in Darjeeling The "Samadhi" (memorial) of Tenzing Norgay, who conquered Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, lies in the grounds of the HMI. The HMI is definitely worth a visit, if only to view the mementos from all the Everest expeditions of the past, successful and unsuccessful.

About 3 km north of Darjeeling is India’s oldest passenger ropeway, 5 km in length over the Rangeet River. There is Lloyd Botanical Gardens with an impressive collection of plants, flowers and orchids near the market. One can always take pony rides in Chowrasta.

Excursion
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary
It is roughly located 124km east of Siliguri. The sanctuary was established in 1943 to help protect wildlife against the encroachment of tea cultivation. Consisting of tracts of tall elephant grass on the banks of the River Torsa, and set against the backdrop of forested foothills, it now shelters, around fifty highly endangered greater one-horned rhinoceroses, wild elephants, sambar and hog deer. Jaldapara is open from November to the end of April, with March being the best month to view animals, as they graze on new shoots.

Mirik
45km southwest of Darjeeling near the border with the Nepal, is the region's newest resort, primarily geared up for domestic tourists. There is a large and lively Gelug-pa or "yellow hat" monastery above the picturesque central lake, but most of the tourism is centred around boating on the lake. Surrounded by large tea estates and pine forests, Mirik is a pleasant enough place and can be visited as a long day-trip from Darjeeling or as a stopover on an alternative route down to Siliguri.

Kalimpong
50km east of Darjeeling, has much to offer including an extraordinary profusion of orchids and other flowers, great views of the Kanchenjunga, several monasteries and lots of potential for walks in the surrounding hills. A deep-rooted dissatisfaction has its political voice in the Gurkha Liberation Oragnisation, a shadowy, radical movement committed to the cause of Gaurkhaland and freeing the Darjeeling Hills from the state of West Bengal.

Gangtok
The capital of Sikkim, the overgrown hill town of GANGTOK (1870m), occupies a rising ridge in the southeast of the state, on what to be a busy trade route into Tibet. Although modern Gangtok epitomizes the recent changes in Sikkimese culture and politics, its Buddhist past is the root of its appeal for visitors, evident in the collection at the Institute of Tibetology and the charming Enchey Monastery, as well as the impressive Rumtek Monastery 24km east of town.

Shopping
Shop for Himalayan curios like thangkas, brass statues, jewellery, woodcarvings, woven fabrics, carpets and the famous Darjeeling tea.

Visiting
The best time to visit this hill station is between April and June and September and December. The summer temperature hovers between 14° C and 8° Celsius and the winter temperatures fall to a freezing 6°C to 1° Celsius. So be sure carry woollens when you visit.

Special Event
Every 14 to 20 November, the Teesta Tea and Tourism Festival is held here with cultural performances

How to get there
By Air : The nearest airport is at Bagdogra, 90 km away from Darjeeling. Bagdogra is connected to important cities of the country by domestic airlines.

By Train : Gwalior is on the Central Railway's main Delhi-Bombay and Delhi-Madras lines. Among other major trains, the Taj and Shatabdi Expresses connect Gwalior with Delhi and Agra.

By Road :New Jalpaiguri /Siliguri are the rail head for all trains, except the toy train running to Darjeeling. Siliguri is connected to Calcutta and other parts of the country by train.