DARJEELING

– A FIERCE BEAUTY

Darjeeling is a cozy little town and a pretty hill station lying peacefully amidst the even more serene Himalayas. The world knows Darjeeling for its world famous aromatic tea and lovely toy train, Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR). This place is also known as the “Queen of Hills” because of her poetic beauty. The cool breeze on your face, the lovely view of the hills and mountains especially of the ever glowing and enchanting Mt. Kanchenjunga and the clear blue sky meeting them somewhere at a distant horizon and of course the friendly people here will definitely make your vacation worthwhile. This is not the end yet there is much more that this small yet most sorted hill station has to offer her beloved visitors. Darjeeling is aggrandized not only with mesmerizing beauty but also with thick and dense forests with rocky rugged lands, hills covered with varieties of flora and fauna, long stretches of their world famous tea plantation, rivers Teesta and Rangeet that gushes down the mountains with full bam creates white foams in the water which flows further down with varying speeds giving the travelers an excellent opportunity to explore this fiercely beautiful in the way that satisfies them the best. The adventure seekers may get their treat of thrill and excitement through plenty of activities like, Paragliding, White Water Rafting, Trekking, Camping, Rafting, Rock Climbing, Motor Biking, Mountain Biking, cycling and Kayaking.

History

Darjeeling derived its name from a monastery called Dorje Ling built by Denzongpas, the local tribals in 1765. Dorje" means thunderbolt and "Ling" means place. It was originally believed to be a part of Sikkim with Lepchas as its inhabitant but in1790s it was invaded by the Gorkhas but they could not keep this beautiful piece of heaven for long as the British took over soon. It was them who started tea estates in Darjeeling. In 1841 Dr.Campbell brought some Chinese tea seeds from the Kumaon region and experimented and started growing tea. Tea estates continued to flourish and Darjeeling gradually started getting famous which attracted many Sikkimese too. The Scottish constructed many educational institutions and welfare centers during its rule some of which are, Loreto Convent which was built in 1847, St. Paul's School in 1864, Planters' Club in 1868, Lloyd's Botanical Garden in 1878, St. Joseph's School in 1888, Railway Station in 1891, Town Hall which is at present a Municipality Building in 1921 and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1881. In 1947, after India, became independent. Darjeeling was merged with the state of West Bengal and a separate district of Darjeeling was established which consisted of the hilly towns of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and the Terai areas of Siliguri. Darjeeling was actually designed in such a manner that it could sustain only 10000 people but the population grew in leaps and bounds. This gave rise to socio-economic problems. The diverse ethnic population started demanding for separate states of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur popular in the 1980s. The intensity of the problem had relatively cooled down with the establishment of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council under the chairmanship of Subhash Ghisingh. But the issue is back on with a new political party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Culture & Tradition

Darjeeling has a very rich and diverse culture and traditions. People of different caste and religion live here in harmony but most of all are Nepalese and Tibetans, Lepchas and Bhutias from Sikkim. So the most followed religion there are Hinduism and Buddhism. There are other religions as well like Christianity and Muslims. Pretty much all of the major festivals are celebrated here in a grand manner. The town lights up during the festive seasons. People are warm and friendly and very respectful especially towards the elders and the old people. They have a custom of using both hands while receiving or giving things as a sign of respect. Their cuisine is superb. The local food of Darjeeling is rice and noodle. Potatoes seem to be playing some part in most of their dishes, the famous potato dish being “Aludum”. The all time favorite snack of Darjeeling is Momos, served with clear soup and achar. Some of their traditional foods are kinema, Churpee, Shaphalay, soybean, bamboo shoots, milk and Sel roti. Butter tea is another popular delicacy invented by the Tibetans. People indulge themselves with alcoholic beverages like Tongba, Jaard and Chhaang, usually while they are merry making. All the other cuisines are available as well in some of the fine restaurants of Darjeeling.

Places to Visit

Tiger Hill :

This is a famous hilltop which is best known for a good trekking spot too. This hilltop is to be visited early in the morning before sunrise, because sunrise is another thing that this hill is famous for. The sight is so impressive; it will be one of the things that you will take with you to your grave. You will also get the eye soothing view of the beautiful Mt.Kanchenjunga and the mighty Mt. Everest.

Batasia Loop :

The toy train will give you a 360 degrees view of Darjeeling while taking that sharp turn around the loop.

Happy Valley Tea Estate :

This estate was established in 1854 by an Englishman and is one of the major tourist attractions in Darjeeling. It homes one of the highest tea factories in the world.