Draped over a steep mountain ridge, surrounded by tea plantations and backed by a splendid Himalayan panorama, the archetypal hill station of Darjeeling is rightly West Bengal’s premier draw card. When you aren’t gazing at Khanchanjunga (8598m), you can explore colonial mansions and churches, Buddhist and Hindu temples, botanical gardens and a zoo for Himalayan fauna. The steep narrow streets are crowded with colorful souvenir and handicraft shops, and a good steaming brew and excellent Indian and Tibetan fare are never far away.
For the adventurous there are superb treks which trace ancient trade routes and provide magnificent viewpoints. Most tourists visit after the monsoon (October and November) and during spring (mid-March to the end of May) when skies are dry, panoramas are clear and temperatures are pleasant.
Draped over a steep mountain ridge, surrounded by tea plantations and backed by a splendid Himalayan panorama, the archetypal hill station of Darjeeling is rightly West Bengal’s premier draw card. When you aren’t gazing at Khanchanjunga (8598m), you can explore colonial mansions and churches, Buddhist and Hindu temples, botanical gardens and a zoo for Himalayan fauna. The steep narrow streets are crowded with colorful souvenir and handicraft shops, and a good steaming brew and excellent Indian and Tibetan fare are never far away.
For the adventurous there are superb treks which trace ancient trade routes and provide magnificent viewpoints. Most tourists visit after the monsoon (October and November) and during spring (mid-March to the end of May) when skies are dry, panoramas are clear and temperatures are pleasant.
Yiga Choling Monastery:
This famous Buddhist monastery, founded in 1875 is atop a hill at Ghoom, 8 km away. It is famous for it’s statue of the Maitreya or the coming Buddha. He is depicted in a sitting position with blue eyes. It is currently undergoing renovation.
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (H.M.I.):
Established in 1954, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first person to climb Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, was closely associated with this Institute till the time of his death. The Institute conducts basic and advance courses in mountaineering and has a field training center in the West Sikkim Himalayas where the advance course students climb small peaks. The Everest museum, which is attached to the Institute, has on display rare photographs, objects and artifacts. Tenzing’s monument is also located here.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park:
Situated alongside the H.M.I., the zoo houses many exotic animals and birds of the Eastern Himalayas. The pride of the zoo is Red Panda Project, and a Snow Leopard breeding center, aimed at saving these endangered species.
Tea Gardens:Introduced by the British in 1840 as an experiment, Darjeeling’s “Orthodox” tea is now famous the world over. Darjeeling tea is produced by the orthodox method as opposed to the “Curling, Crushing and Tearing” (CTC) method adopted in other places in India. The most convenient tea garden to visit is Happy Valley which is only 2 km away from town.
Toy Train:
This small but sturdy steam engine train, introduced by the British over a hundred years ago, is as much a part of Darjeeling as the Tea Gardens and Kanchenjunga. Running on a track measuring a mere 2 ft., and running from the plains of Siliguri to Darjeeling is considered a marvel of engineering. The joy ride to Ghoom takes about an hour passing through the famous Batasia Loop.
Samdrup Darjyay Choling Tibetian Monastery:The monastery is situated in Sonada, 15 km away from Darjeeling and belongs to the Khagyu sect of Tibetian Buddhism. It was headed by his eminence Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche, who lived here till his death on 10th May 1989. His reincarnation, Yangse Rinpoche, born on 17th September 1990, was formally enthroned by his holiness the Dalai Lama on February 25th. 1993.
This monastery is famous for the protection and propagation of Buddhist teachings of all traditions, and particularly the teachings of Karma Khagyu and Sangpa Khagyu traditions associated with Kalu Rinpoche.
For those interested in studying and staying at the monastery, there is a 15 rooms guest house inside the complex. The guests can take part in all the prayers, rituals and daily chores and eating from the common kitchen. Teachers and translators can also be arranged for special classes. However one has to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of the monastery.
Druk Thubten Sangay Choling Monastery:
This monastery, situated on the out skirts of Darjeeling, belongs to the Drukpa Kargyud school of Tibetain Buddhism headed by the 12th. Gyalwang Drukchen His Holiness Tenzing Jigdral Lodro, who is the supreme head of the Drukpa Kargyud order. This order is a sub-sect of the Khagyu sect of the Tibetain Buddhism.
Interested persons are allowed to visit the monastery and take part in all the activities during the day. There are no provisions to stay in the monastery, but accommodations can be arranged at a Resort adjoining the monastery. Guests can have their meals with the Lamas. Translators and teachers are available on request. The monastery houses an excellent library with a large collection of books on Buddhism in Tibetan and translated into English.
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Altitude: 2134m (7053 ft)
Area: Darjeeling town covers an area of 11.44 sq. kms.
Population: About 100,000
Languages: English, Nepali, Hindi, Tibetan and Bengal
Climate: Almost every year Darjeeling's temperature drops below freezing during the Winter season, from November to February. In Summer, Darjeeling is delightfully cool with the maximum temperature reaching about 20°C.
Rainfall: Rain falls mostly during months from June to September. The annual recorded rainfall in Darjeeling is 320 cms.
Clothing: Light woolen for summer and heavy woolens for winter.
Best season: March to mid-June and September to mid-December.
The town and hill station of Darjeeling lies in northern West Bengal, India. Darjeeling district lies between 26° 31' and 27° 13' north latitude and between 87° 59' and 88° 53' east longitude.
