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Explore Darjeeling
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Darjeeling Introduction |
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| Part Victorian holiday resort, part major tea-growing centre, DARJEELING (from Dorje Ling, "the place of the thunderbolt") straddles a ridge 2200m up in the Himalayas and almost 600km north of Calcutta.Darjeeling - the name is derived from the Tibetian word 'Dorje' which means the precious stone or ecclesiastical sceptre, which is emblematic of the thunderbolt of Indra, and 'ling' - a place, hence the land of the thunderbolt. The sceptre of Indra is believed to have fallen at a place where now stands the Observatory Hill. The town remains as popular as ever with holiday-makers from tha plains, and promenades such as the Mall and the Chowrasta still burst with life. in North Bengal, is about 650 kms from Calcutta. The Tibetan buddhist monastery, the Ghoom Monastery with a 15 - foot high statue of Maitreya Buddha, is the most famous monastery of the town. The greatest appeal for visitors has to be its stupendous muntain vistas - with Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world dominating the northern horizon. Darjeeling soon became the most popular of all hill resorts, especially after the Hill Cart Road was built in 1839 to link it with Siliguri. | ||||||||||
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Facts and Figures |
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Darjeeling History |
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Part Victorian holiday resort, part major
tea-growing centre, DARJEELING (from Dorje Ling, "the place of the
thunderbolt") straddles a ridge 2200m up in the Himalayas and almost 600km
north of Calcutta. Until the nineteenth century, Darjeeling belonged to
Sikkim. However, in 1817, after a disastrous war with Nepal, Sikkim was
forced to concede the right to use the site as a health sanatorium to the
British, who had helped to broker a peace settlement. Darjeeling soon
became the most popular of all hill resorts, especially after the Hill Cart
Road was built in 1839 to link it with Siliguri. Tea arrived a few
years later, and with it an influx of Neaplese labourers, and the virtual
disappearance of the forests that previously carpeted the hillsides. The
town's growing economic significance led Britain to force a treaty on the
Sikkimese in 1861, thereby annexing Darjeeling and Kalimpong. In the early
1900s, Darjeeling had a reputation for being one of the most glamorous and
far-flung outposts of the British empire, attracting socialities and
adventures in equal numbers. After Independence, the region joined West
Bengal, administered from Calcutta, but calls for autonomy grew, taking
shape in the Gurkhaland movement of the 1980s. The uncertain days of
politically motivated wildcat strikes once more threaten to cripple
Darjeeling, but the boom in tourism looks set to continue. |
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How to Reach Darjeeling |
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Air: The nearest airport is at Bagdogra, 90 km away from Darjeeling.
Bagdogra is connected to important cities of the country by domestic
airlines. Rail: 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. Road: New Jalpaiguri /Siliguri is 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. |
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Best Season to Visit Gwalior |
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Best season to visit Darjeeling is between March
to May and September to November. Bring light woolen
clothing during summer and heavy woolens in winter. |
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