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Darjeeling 
– The Himalayan Heaven

“Gaye Firdaus Barruye jameen ast
Hameen asto, hameen asto, hameen ast”
(If there is anywhere Heaven on the earth, 
It is here, it is here, it is here.”) 

There is no doubt that Firdaus did not write these eulogizing lines specifically for Darjeeling but these immortal lines are quite apt for Darjeeling, the famous hill station in West Bengal (India) and the glorious home of Sherpa Tenzing who first stepped in 1953 on the highest mountain peak of the world, Mount Everest, with Edmund Hillary.  Mark Twain seems to have visited this Himalayan city and penned down his impression about Darjeeling as the “land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that away for the shows of the rest of the world combined.” 

Such is the beautiful land of Darjeeling. Adjacent to and surrounded by small Asian countries as Burma, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan, this beautiful “Queen of the Himalayan Region” is not only one of the biggest tea producers of India but is also abundantly enriched with natural beauty. Situated on the foothills of the Himalayas at an altitude of some 2000 meters, Darjeeling – which was a territory of Nepal before 1816 - reflects the beauty of the Himalayan peak of Kanchenjunga popularly known as Five Treasures In The Snow and revered by the inhabitants as the abode of the gods. Kanchenjunga, literally meaning ‘the golden thigh’ is quite a scenic mountain peak of the Himalayas and if you want to see its beauty in perfection and that of its underlying Singla valleys, you must get to the Jawahar Parvat behind the Raj Bhawan (Governor House). Such scenery is really heavenly. But .. you will be missing something great if you escaped Tiger Hill. A bit away from Darjeeling town, this world-famous ‘Window of the Sunrise’ is situated at an altitude of 2590 meters. and offers a panoramic view of the Sun rising over Kanchenjunga. One can view from here the beauty of the entire Eastern Himalayan peaks and can observe even Mount Everest if the weather is clear. It is marvelous to see the golden glow of the rising Sun sprinkle its changing shades on the snow.   

The Land of Thunderbolt 

Rains, thunder, roaring rivers, sky-scraping hills, industrious people, charming smiling girls, Buddhist flavor, sensational jungles, and varied wildlife are the quintessence of the life of Darjeeling. Darjeeling traditionally means ‘Dorje Ling’, that is, the ‘Land of the Thunderbolt’. This is also believed to be the ‘Abode of Lord Shiva’ in the guise of ‘Mahakaal’, the Supreme Ordainer. Rains are quite unpredicted in Darjeeling and wise travelers must always carry an umbrella with them. Heavy rainfalls also cause landslides making internal traveling very difficult. The local people, however, are accustomed to such a difficult life and they are hard-working, courageous and sturdy. So are the women. 

Equality of men and women, which is a yet a dream for the rest of India, is a striking reality in Darjeeling. Women work out in the field, pluck tea-leaves, sell home-made items in the market, join hands with their male counterparts in all the work and are cheerful and vigorous. In a total estimated population around 1,200,000, Buddhists form the largest religious minority group in Darjeeling district with a population of some 14% while Christians and Muslims comprise some 8% of the total population. The majority of the inhabitants are Hindus. Gorkhas, Bhutias, Lepchas, Sherpas. Yolmos are some of the native tribes. They speak mainly Nepali but also understand Hindi, Bengali and English. Even though Hindus form the majority of the population, one can see a number of Buddhist monasteries, churches and mosques in Darjeeling and the people reflect exemplary religious harmony which is yet another remarkable thing about this Himalayan area. Though politically Darjeeling is a part of West Bengal but from the cultural point of view it is akin to Nepali culture than to Bengali. This fact led to the formation of Gorkha Hill Council in 1988. The Council has elected Councilors who wield a limited autonomous authority in managing certain affairs of this Himalayan region such as education, health etc. Tea Plantation is still the backbone of Darjeeling’s economy and Darjeeling tea has its own flavor. Tea is produced in a traditional way distinctive from the ways adopted by other tea producers in India. Evergreen tea estates perfect the natural scenery of Darjeeling and for one who wishes to visit a tea estate, Happy Valley is the nearest destination.  

Beautiful Places to Visit  

Darjeeling is packed with wonderful aesthetic points as well as interesting places for people of varied taste. Lofty mountain terrains and cascading rivers offer adventurous sports like trekking, mountaineering and rafting. Adventurous people from all over the world come to Darjeeling to enjoy trekking. Sandakphu, situated at an altitude of 11,929 ft. and 57 kilometers from Darjeeling, is a wonderful trekking place surrounded by bewitching scenery along winding roads. Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is a center of its own kind dedicated to training in mountaineering. Whether parks or museums, resorts or gardens, art galleries or hillsides, sanctum sanctorum or market complexes, Darjeeling reflects a life which is full of colors. Tiger Hill is a must for those who come to Darjeeling but if you are the one who loves animals and their natural traits the Himalayan Zoological Park is the right place to step in. It is a high altitude wild life park and a new home for the Siberian Tiger, Himalayan Black Deer, Panda, Llama and birds like Monal, Emerald Dove, maroon Oriole, etc. Though the whole of Darjeeling seems evergreen and attractive with spruce, chestnut, magnolia, oak, and silver fir trees, Lloyds Botanical Garden is a special place for plant-lovers and has a rare collection of various Himalayan plants and flowers. Rock Garden is yet another beautiful spot which attracts the tourists. 

– Continued Next Page

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