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In & Around Darjeeling |
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Darjeeling, the enchanting town, also known
as the “Queen of Hills” lies nestled in the
grandeur of the snow-capped mountains and
lush green tea gardens. A holiday resort
during the British rule, this town still
exudes its past grandeur, charm and majesty,
attracting a lot of visitors. Tucked away in
the Himalayas, south of the state of Sikkim,
Darjeeling at an altitude of almost 7000ft
is situated in West Bengal, sharing its
border with Sikkim in the north, Nepal in
the west and Bhutan in the east. Darjeeling
derives its name from the local Tibetan name
‘Dorjee-ling’, meaning ‘Place of the
Thunderbolt’. |
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Kalimpong is a small sleepy hill
resort at an altitude of about 4000
ft and is cradled on a saddle
between the Durpin Hill and Deolo
Hill. Kalimpong meaning ‘Fort of the
King’s Minister’ was once the hub of
the trade of India with Tibet, but
now attracts a lot of visitors
looking for a quiet holiday. |
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Darjeeling internationally acclaimed
as one of the best hill resorts is
also a paradise for trekkers and
adventure seekers. Trekking in
Darjeeling is an experience which no
lover of nature should miss. It
takes one to places where nature is
yet in her premival majesty. It
brings one face to face with sublime
grandeur of the Himalayas. |
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The region abounds in rhododendrons,
magnolias, primulas, orchids and
ferns of numerous varieties. About
six hundred different species of
birds inhabit the green forest on
the slopes of the mountains. |
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 Dhoom
Gompa, Darjeeling
About 8 kms from Darjeeling is the
Dhoom Gompa. Here a very beautiful
statue of the Maitrayie Buddha is
established. The Monastery has also
preserved some of the rare
handwritten Buddhist manuscripts.
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 The
Mall
The Mall is Darjeeling's popular
commercial street. It is lined with
Tibetans selling hand-knitted
sweaters and souvenir shops
chock-full of Himalayan artifacts
and both real and imitation
antiques. Photo shops carry
turn-of-the-century photos as well
as specialising in hand-painted
black and white prints with glowing
oil colours. The Mall leads to
Chaurasta, a square, which doubles
as a bandstand, a pony riding arena
for children and a haven for lovers.
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 Chowrasta
The Chowrasta, meaning crossroad, is
a hive of commercial activity. The
Mall Road originates and culminates
at the Chowrasta. This is the heart
of Victorian Darjeeling. Here
hotels, restaurants and shops brush
against each other. The shops and
stalls are a veritable paradise for
souvenir collectors. The Bhutanese
sellers display their wares. Woollen
garments, tribal ornaments, Thankas,
rosaries, brass statuettes and
Gorkha daggers are kept on display
for sale. Foreign goods are also
available in some shops. Local
handicrafts are much in demand. |
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Obeservatory Hill
The oldest site in Darjeeling is
Observatory Hill, known locally as “Makal-Babu-Ko-Thaan”.
According to legend, a Red Hat
Buddhist Monastery called Dorje
Ling, or 'place of the Thunderbolt',
stood at this very spot. The Nepalis
destroyed it in the 19th century.
The Shivas and Buddhists share the
temple that stands there today. |
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 Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute
A spot not to be missed is the
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
created by the late Tenzing Norgay,
the Sherpa who conquered Mt Everest
with Sir Edmund Hillary on 29 May
1953. A display of equipment used on
the climb is one of the highlights.
A zoological garden nearby has an
assortment of wildlife such as yaks,
Siberian tigers and red pandas who
call the region their home. |
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 Darjeeling
Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway
At North Point about 3-km from the
town, this is the first passenger
ropeway in India. For reservation of
ropeway seats please contact -
officer in-charge, Darjeeling
Rangeet Valley Ropeway Station,
North Point, Darjeeling. Regular
share taxi service is available from
Market Motor and Taxi Stand is to
the Ropeway Station. |
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 Tibetan
Refuge Camp
The area in and around Darjeeling is
a treasure chest of interesting
destinations. The Tibetan Refugee
self-help scheme produces
traditional artifacts, jewellery and
carpets for tourist consumption. |
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 Lloyd's
Botanical Garden
Lloyd's Botanical Garden displays a
fine collection of Himalayan fauna
for those with an interest, and for
punters there is horseracing at
Lebong, the smallest and highest
racecourse in the world. |
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 Tiger
Hill
Situated at an altitude of 2,590m
(8,482 ft.) and 13-km from the town,
this spot has earned international
fame for the magnificent view of the
sunrise over "Kanchenjunga" and the
great Eastern Himalayan Mountains.
Even Mount Everest, the world's
highest peak, is visible from here.
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 Phalut
& Sandakphu
A week's smallest-trip of Phalut and
Sandakphu will get one within reach
of the high peaks; for the onlooker
it affords a more spectacular
panorama than at Tiger Hill. Giant
flowering Rhododendron trees, a
pointillism of reds pinks and whites
Dwarfs comprise of the en route
trail. On attaining heights of over
3,048m, one is surrounded by
skeletal trees devoid of leaves and
branches, which are especially eerie
when the clouds roll in and envelop
the area. |
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Pashupati
Further afield, in Pashupati on the
Nepal border, one can purchase
foreign goods at reasonable prices,
view wildlife such as the endangered
one-horned Rhino, Deer, Gaur, and
wild boar while seated atop an
Elephant's back at Jaldapara Game
Park; learn of the Lepcha legend at
the confluence of the Teesta and
Ranjeet Rivers; relive Kalimpong's
past glory as a trading post by
visiting the market filled with
traditional Tibetan medicine,
spices, musk, wool and silk; or for
the truly adventurous-hire some
ponies and a crew and take to the
hills. |
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 Kurseong
Kurseong is mid-way between Siliguri
and Darjeeling. The way from
Darjeeling to Kurseong is generally
open through out the year. So, the
toy train is not coming to Siliguri
then one can come up to Kurseong.
This place is equally beautiful and
is full of natural splendour. |
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 Mirik
Mirik is 52-km from Siliguri and
55-km from the nearest Airfield of
Bagdogra. Mirik is being developed
as a new hill station in the
mountains. Tea estates, orange
orchards and cardamom plantations
surround Mirik. It has all the
facilities to fulfill the needs of a
tourist. |
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 Batasia
Loop, Darjeeling
This railway loop is an interesting
example of engineering. At this loop
the toy train takes a very unique
turn. This loop is just five
kilometer from the main town of
Darjeeling. This place also has a
very good market where you can buy
the purses, bags and other
decorative items made by the local
women at very reasonable price. |
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Natural History Museum,
Darjeeling
A great place to be at, for all
those who have great interest in
knowing about the history.The museum
has a collection of over 4300
specimen . Established in 1903, this
natural history museum packs in its
folds a rich collection of fauna
found in the Himalayas and in
Bengal. Among the attractions are
included the estuarine crocodiles.
This unique museum also has a good
collection of butterflies. The
mineral forms of various stones are
displayed in a very attractive
manner in the museum. |
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 Kanchenjunga
View, Darjeeling
From Darjeeling one can have the
best, uninterrupted view of the
worlds third highest peak. Bhan
Bhakta Sarani provides one of the
enthralling views of these snow
capped peaks. The Chowrasta also
gives you a good sight to the
Kanchenjunga peak. |
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 Darjeeling
Zoological Gardens
The zoo is situated two kms form the
main town. This zoological garden of
Darjeeling houses some of the rare
species of animals and birds. This
is the only zoo in India having the
Siberian Tigers. Apart from these
the rare Red Panda is also there.
The Snow Leopards, Great Grey Birds,
Snow Yaks are some the animals which
are attracting tourist in great
numbers. |
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Observatory Hills
This point provides one of the
breathtaking views of Kanchenjunga
peaks. This place is also very
sacred for the Hindus and the
Buddhists as there are temples and
monasteries at this place. The Kali
temple is decorated with the
colorful flags. Be aware of the
monkey groups as some them are very
aggressive. |
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 Bhutia
Busty Monasteries
Founded in 1879, this monastery
follows the Vajrayana school of both
Kargyud and Nijingmapa order, known
as red hat. |
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Samten Choling Monasteries
This Monasteries belongs to the
Gelukpa sect of Vajrayana Buddhism,
also known as the yellow hat. This
is the seat of ven. Dromo Geshe
rinpoche, the second. A 26 ft. tall
stupa has been built recently in
memory of Lama Anagarika Govinda, a
great scholar from Germany well
known for his book on Buddhism.
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