The year 1828, two Britishers, Lloyd and Grant, reached a tiny sleepy Himalayan village. They were won over by the snow-capped mountains, the Virgin forests and the uncanny similarity with the British climate reminded them of their homeland far away. The British government, by complying with their wishes, forced the then ruler of Sikkim to give the tiny village of "Darjeeling" as a gift. It became an instant hit with the British who were desperately on the look-out for a place to escape from the heat and illness that plagued the plains. They decked up Darjeeeling with cottages, clubs, hotels and churches. A narrow guage train line was constructed to facilitate communication, since the journey by road was pretty tiresome. By 1840, work was in progress for setting up tree plantations. With laying of railway tracks, the business boomed. After independence, Darjeeling's popularity as a tourist-spot escalated considerably. But the present hill-town poses a sorry picture with unplanned encroachments, water-crisis and the subsequent strain on climate and ecology. But tourists, Indians and foreigners alike, flock in hordes still as they are unable to ignore the magnetic charm of mighty kanchenjunga. The central point is The Mall, from which a circular road goes to the bservatory Hill and back. Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Padmaja Naidu Zoo lie side by side, and can be reached after almost half-an-hour walk from the Mall. It will take about 2 hours to explore the places. Do not miss out the Snow-Leopard Breeding Centre adjacent to the zoo.

For a trip to the rest of the attractions of Darjeeling, reserve at least two days. There is beervatory Hill, Mahakal Temple etc. The roads are decorated with bright red and yellow festoons. A road from the Mall leads to "Step Aside"- the house of the eminent Bengali freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das. Cross the Tibetan Refugee Centre to arrive at the Bhutia Basti Gompha. At the Handicrafts Centre you can buy carpets, woollen goods, richly carved articles made of wood made by the Tibetan refugees. The Natural History Museum (1903), presently at a state of neglect, still houses some local animals, taxidermed, that help you have an idea about the flora-fauna of the locality.

The Lioyd's Botanical Garden (1878), a few steps below the major bus-terminus, boasts of an enviable collection of flowers and orchids. Moreover, there is Alubari gompha, Dheerdham Temple, North Point Passenger Ropeway, Gangamaya Park, Gombu Rock etc.

You have to arrange for a jeep well in advance for a trip to Tiger Hill to see the sunrise. Climb the watch-tower there and wait patiently for the sun to peep in from the horizon.

The 250 km long mountain-range, adorned with peaks like Lotze, Mt. Everest, Makalu, Kokang, Janu, Rahtong, Kabru, Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Simbho and Siniyalchu etc is visible on a clear day from Tiger Hill (2590 metres). But whether a cloudless dky will be there, deepnds on your luck too. On your way back, pay a visit to the town's drinking-water reserve, Lake Sinchal. Permission is given for picnic on the lovely garden lying beside the Lake. Take a toy-train ride or hire a car for a sight-see of Ghum Monastery and Batasia Loop.

A pleasant journey through light forests and lush green tea-gardens will take you to Mirik, 50 km from Darjeeling. You can easily put up there for a day or two. The main attraction here is a huge lake where you can go for boating etc. You can sit and relax and sit in the garden nearby or take a pony-ride. A trip to Gangtok via Kalimpong can also be arranged from Darjeeling.

Did you know?

An employee of Eastern Bengal Railway, Franklin Prestage, drew the plans of the narrow gauge train running from Siliguri to Darjeeling, the official name of which was Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. In 1880's March, the train had its first run between Siliguri and Tindharia. In 1881, it reached Darjeeling for the very first time. It has been accredited the covetable World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1999, the second only train to have achieved such a glory. The railway-line from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling covers a distance of 88 km, and almost crosses the road parallel to it for 177 times. Three loops fall on the way, the largest of which is the Batasia loop.

How to go

Come to Siliguri by a car or a bus from the nearest airport Bagdogra or the nearest rail-head New Jalpaiguri. From there the buses, taxis and jeeps are ready to take you to Darjeeling. During tourist-season, the vehicles are avalible from New Jalpaiguri station itself. Those who will take the route from Gangtok or Kalimpong will get abundant buses, taxis and jeep from 6 a.m to 4 p.m to cover the distance of 51 km from the latter.

Accomodation

There are a good number of hotels. It is wiser to go for advance booking during tourist season to get rooms having good views. WBTDC's Tourist Lodge has 2 parts- main and annexure. Louis Jubilee Complex is run by Darjeeling. Gurkha Hill Council Top-end places include Windmare (ph-54041), Hotel Alice Villa (ph-54181), Hotel New Elgin (ph-54114), Hotel Mohit (ph-54818), Hotel Belle View (ph-54075) etc. Other places for accomodation include Swiss Hotel, Hotel Cozy Home, Pineridge (ph-53912), Hotel (ph-52867), Hotel Chanakya, Hotel Sudarshan, Hotel Shambala (ph-52715), Hotel Lunar (ph-54195), Kundum Hotel (on Rockville Road), Anamika Hotel, Hotel Daffodil, Geetanjali Hotel, La Belle Hotel, Himland Hotel, Kanchenjunga Hotel (on Hill Cast Road), Hotel Kundam (on Tenzing Norgay Road), Hotel Snow View, Hotel Valley View (adjacent to the Mall), Sunrise Hotel (on Jalapahar), Hotel Hilltop etc. Besides, there are a number of holiday homes and guesthouses.

STD Code of Darjeeling : 0354

Best Season

Avoid the monsoons, best time to visit is October-November and from April to June. December to March is cold, no doubt, but not uncomfortable at all.

For more pleasure

Reserve a day or two totally for a trip to the Buddhist monasteries. The evolution pattern is clearly discernable if you compare the older ones with the new, especially in terms of wall-paintings, use of colours, shape and size of the articles worship etc. Not much change, though, has occured in terms of the temple architecture.

Did you know?

North point Passenger Ropeway or Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Ropeway is India's first ropeway.

Note

The timings of train between Darjeeling and Ghum :

The first train starts at 11 a.m from Darjeeling and reaches Ghum in an hour. The same train starts at 12.20 p.m to reach Darjeeling at one o' clock. The second train reaches Ghum after departing at 2 p.m, and starts for Darjeeling 20 minutes afterwards to reach Darjeeling in the afternoon.