Darjeeling

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Overview		Tourist Attraction		How to Reach

Introduction Darjeeling "Land of the Celestial Thunderbolt," was given to the British as a "gift" from the once-independent kingdom of Sikkim. Lying in the Himalayan foothills and entirely surrounded by snowcapped vistas, Darjeeling soon became the favorite summer resort of the British Raj during the heyday of Calcutta. When Mark Twain visited, he exclaimed it was "the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined." Today, the incredible view of the world's third-highest mountain, Mount Kanchenjunga (8,598m/27,400 ft.), is undoubtedly Darjeeling's best-loved attraction, though the town has also acquired a global reputation for producing the "champagne of teas," and retains some of its haunting Gothic Victorian ambience. Most visitors are here to pick up a permit and get acclimatized for hikes through the mountainous state of Sikkim. It's worth noting that if you want a sleepy colonial hill-station environment, with splendid flower-filled walks, this is not it. Head instead for nearby Kalimpong, which offers a number of charming old-world accommodations. Best Time to travel February to May & September To early December. Castleton Estate, Margaret's Hope, and Happy Valley Tea Estate Darjeeling is known the world over for its fragrant teas, and these tea gardens are definitely worth a visit. Chowrastha Chowrastha is the heart of the town where every visitor is seen taking a stroll and relaxing their weary heads. In the local dialect, Chowrastha means the place where four roads meet. While proceeding towards Chowrastha or the Mall, visitors have to ascend a hill full of curios, studios etc, and suddenly the visitor finds himself on a huge flat platform surrounded by benches for people to sit. The view is exhilarating with the view of the Kanchenjunga standing with all its might. A walk along the Mall Road opens a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and if the time is right then rhododendrons can be seen all around. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park This is the only Zoo in the world to breed Tibetan Wolf in Captivity and the first South Asian Zoo to breed Snow Leopard and Siberian Tiger. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoo is a unique zoo in the country. It is situated at an elevation of 2133.5 meters against the glorious background of the mighty Kanchenjunga. This zoo in Darjeeling is the only specialized zoo in the country and is internationally recognized because of conservation breeding of Snow Leopard and Red Panda. Shrubbery Park This beautiful park situated on the top of a hill is on the way to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. A magnificent view of Kanchenjunga Range and Singla Valley is unforgettable. People are of the opinion that it is shaped like a ship especially "Titanic". Observatory Hill The Hill feature above Chowrastha and a few minutes walk from the Mall Road, on which the Sacred Mahakal temple rests. Mahakal is considered as the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Adjacent to Mahakal temple is a Buddhist Shrine, manifesting the complete harmony that exists between Hinduism and Buddhism. Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway The Darjeeling Ropeway connects Darjeeling with Bijanbari, down in the little Rangeet Valley. A monocable type, with one rope acting both as tractor and carrier, the ropeway travels at a speed of 6.5 km an hour. The 4,620 ft span is the biggest and a record for India. From an elevation of 7,000 ft in Darjeeling's North Point, a bicable passenger ropeway, carrying 6 pax. at a time, in a boxed car, decends to 800 ft. at Singla. This thrilling ride is accompanied with the views of the beautiful tea gardens, which fall far below the cables, and it is a good experience. This bicable passenger-carrying ropeway is the largest of its kind in Asia. Tiger Hill The trip to the summit of the hill is through Ghoom, the highest railway station on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The elevation of Ghoom is 7,407 feet from sea level, while the altitude of the top of this hill exceeds that of Ghoom by 1,100 feet. In the fast receding glimmer of the night, the spectator finds himself standing on the mound bedewed with sparkling frost, plunged in hush and silence and steeped in frigid cold. Ghoom Monastery The monastery is said to be built in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyatso. It is considered to be one of the holiest monasteries as this was personally blessed by the renowned Tomo Geshe Rimpoche of Tibet. It is also said that the monastey keeps rare books on Buddhism . The monastery has a statue of the 'Coming Buddha' known as Maitreye Buddha. Druk Thupten Sangag Choling Monastery (Dali Monastery) This monastery is at Dali , about 4 kms away from Darjeeling town . This is one of the famous monasteries belonging to the Kargyupa sect. The pioneer of this monastery was Thuksay Rimpoche, who died in 1983 and his incarnate was born in 1986 at Ladakh. This monastery forms the headquarters of Drukchen Rimpoche, the XII, the supreme head of the Kargyud lineage. Introduction Darjeeling "Land of the Celestial Thunderbolt," was given to the British as a "gift" from the once-independent kingdom of Sikkim. Lying in the Himalayan foothills and entirely surrounded by snowcapped vistas, Darjeeling soon became the favorite summer resort of the British Raj during the heyday of Calcutta. When Mark Twain visited, he exclaimed it was "the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined." Today, the incredible view of the world's third-highest mountain, Mount Kanchenjunga (8,598m/27,400 ft.), is undoubtedly Darjeeling's best-loved attraction, though the town has also acquired a global reputation for producing the "champagne of teas," and retains some of its haunting Gothic Victorian ambience. Most visitors are here to pick up a permit and get acclimatized for hikes through the mountainous state of Sikkim. It's worth noting that if you want a sleepy colonial hill-station environment, with splendid flower-filled walks, this is not it. Head instead for nearby Kalimpong, which offers a number of charming old-world accommodations. Best Time to travel February to May & September To early December. How To Reach Air The nearest airport is at Bagdogra, 90 km away from Darjeeling. Bagdogra is connected to important cities of the country by domestic airlines. Road There are bus connections to Darjeeling from Siliguri, Bagdogra, Gangtok, Kurseong and Kathmandu. Rail 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.