Travel & Tourism Guide of Darjeeling

You will enter here like a fireball and shall leave like a thunderbolt; this is the correct explanation for “The Land Of Thunderbolt – Darjeeling”, the name itself is sufficient to describe the place. When you visit Darjeeling, it’s picturesque will blow your mind and the dazzling snow peaks must lure you and will be looking at this fantastic view and finally, your pursuit of happiness will come to an end.

Darjeeling is a town and Hill Station present in the Indian state of West Bengal, in the Himalayan foothills. Darjeeling is known for its beautiful tea gardens on the slopes of hills, the orchids and majestic pines trees, red rhododendrons and the cute Himalayan toy train whistling throughout the mountains. Its marvelous view of the Kanchenjunga peak( the world’s third-highest mountain) can be seen through the hotels of Darjeeling making it the most popular tourist destination for the newly married couples and trekking freaks. Its area is stretched around 10.57 square km. It is also present in the UNESCO world heritage site.

History Associated With Darjeeling

History of Darjeeling started in the early 19th century and is interlinked with that of British India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim. The hilly area around Darjeeling was controlled by the kingdom of Sikkim and against the Gorkhas of Nepal, they Lost The Combat. In the meantime, the British were engaged in preventing the from Gorkhas over-running the whole of the northern frontier. The Anglo-Gorkhas war broke out in 1814, which resulted in their defeat and subsequently led to the signing of the Sugauli Treaty in 1816. According to this Treaty, Nepal has to hand over the area between the Teesta River and Mechi River to the British East India company. Till around 1817, the Raja of Sikkim was along with the East India Company’s support was struggling with these Himalayan states. The country between Teesta and Mechi Rivers was restored through the treaty of Titaliya in 1817.

During the British Raj, Darjeeling’s temperate climate led to its development as a hill station for British residents seeking to escape the summer heat of the plains. In 1839, the roads connecting Darjeeling to the other plains were built, thus establishing its lifeline. Meanwhile, Darjeeling also started growing as an essential trading centre linking Sikkim with Tibet, along with the famous tea plantations. The first road connecting the town with the plains was constructed between 1839 and 1842. The Commercial cultivation of the tea in the district began in 1856 and induced many British planters to settle there. After the Independence and partition, a new state of Sikkim was created in the year 1975.

Also Read: Sunderban National Park, West Bengal

Main Attraction Of Darjeeling

Each year many travellers come here to explore this hill station for sightseeing, some for shopping and some for trekking. Recently this place comes into existence due to the freelance photographers and selfie freaks. Let’s discuss them below.

1. Tiger Hill: If you have to witness the sunrise and scenic beauty of Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga together, then this place is for you only. It is located 11 km away from Darjeeling.

2. Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary: It is situated nearer to tiger hill is known for its artificially human-made lakes and is internationally known for being one of the oldest human-made lakes in Darjeeling district. Senchal Lake, s located 10km to the south-east of Darjeeling, is the main reservoir of potable water for the town of Darjeeling.

3. Observatory Hill: it is also known as the “Holy hill” near to Mall Road. It is the oldest site in Darjeeling.

4. Mahakal temple: At this temple, the Buddist monk and Hindu Priest share a commonplace for Pooja situated at the topmost point of the town.

5. Peace Pagoda: Nipponzan Myohoji, a Japanese Buddhist established Darjeeling Peace Pagoda. It was designed to focus on people belongs to all races and religions to eliminate the difference among people. It also showcases the four avatars of the Buddha.

6. Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park: It is situated around 10 km from the town. It is the most attractive picnic spot with natural waterfalls. This place is great for boating enthusiasts. A wide variety of eateries are present here.

7. Buddist Monestry: This is the most Peaceful Buddhist monastery known for its vibrant, multi-level facade & hilltop views.

8. Ghoom Monastery: It was built by Lama Sherab Gyatso in 1875. The specialty of this monastery is that it contains the statue of the ‘Future Coming Buddha’ known as Maitreya Buddha. The Monastery has also preserved some of the rare handwritten Buddhist manuscripts.

9. Happy Valley Tea Garden: It is located just one kilometre from the main town. The most important thing about this place is its refreshing ambience which distinguishes it from a noisy place.

10. Batasia Loop and the War Memorial: It is situated around 5 km away from the main town. There presents a big railway loop through which a toy train takes a 360° turn which gives you the panoramic view of Kanchenjunga. This war memorial was constructed in the memory of the brave sons who laid down their lives in different wars since the independence of the nation adds to its attraction.

Also Read: Bengali Food – Explore The Traditional Cuisine From West Bengal

Modes Of Reaching Darjeeling

There are two best seasons to visit Darjeeling for tourists. The first one is the spring season, which includes the months of March and April. The other consists of autumn which provide for September and November.

By Airways:

The easiest way to reach Darjeeling is to take a flight to the nearest airport in Bagdogra. The distance between Bagdogra Airport and Darjeeling is 45 km. There are some direct flights from cities like Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati to Darjeeling. It will take almost 3 hours to reach Darjeeling from the airport you can take a cab or taxi according to your ease.

By Railways:

Darjeeling doesn’t have any particular long-distance railway station, but there are many trains from various parts of India passing through NJP (New Jalpaiguri) and Siliguri which are the two cities closest to Darjeeling. Even Gangtok city runs daily buses to Darjeeling.

Hotels Arrangements

For your convenience, we are providing a few hotels near to prime location at a reasonable amount please have a look.

The prices mentioned above may vary according to discounts and availability. At last, we can only say that by visiting Darjeeling you may feel like “just living is not enough when you look deep into nature, then you will understand things better”?