Abounded with breathtaking mountain views, trekking trails and Buddhist monasteries, Darjeeling a dazzling hill station in the East Indian state of West Bengal is also a complete vacation destination. Darjeeling was formerly known as ‘Dorje Ling’ which means a place of thunderbolt. The panoramic views of snow-capped Himalayas and widespread lush green tea estates offer a view that no other hill station does. This is the reason Darjeeling is also called as the ‘Queen of Hills’. Another distinct feature of this land of tea estates is that there are 86 tea estates growing Darjeeling tea which cannot be grown anywhere else in the whole world.
Major tourist attractions
- Tiger Hills – At a small distance from the main city is the highest point Tiger Hills which offers an unparalleled view of sunrise. The splendid view of Kanchenjunga Mountains and its smaller cliffs further enhance the scenic beauty of the spot. This place is flocked by tourists to catch a glimpse of sunrise early in the morning.
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – Another special attraction of Darjeeling is the DHR or more commonly known as Darjeeling Toy Train which is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage. This is a quite narrow train and trails a journey of 83 km from amidst hilly areas and offers awesome views of the beautiful hill station and its surrounding lands.
- Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Zoo – This institute was established by Tenzing Norgay who climbed the majestic Mount Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary. There is a museum in the institute which showcases several mountaineering equipment including those used by Tenzing Norgay. Also there is a zoological park in the campus which is a house to several Himalayan Animals.
- The Peace Pagoda – Situated at a small distance from the main city on the slopes of Jalaphar Hill is the Japanese Peace Pagoda exhibiting the four manifestations of Lord Buddha. Its mission is to proliferate prosperity and peace in the world.
- Tea Plantations – This is a sightseeing surely not to be missed while on a visit to Darjeeling. Visiting the tea estates specialized in plantation of Darjeeling Tea, experiencing their refreshing greenery and tasting their unforgettable flavor is a memorable experience in itself.
Other major crowd pulling attractions of Darjeeling include
- The Ghoom Monastery
- Neora Valley National Park
- Batasia Loop
- The Bhutia Busty Gompa
- Dhirdham and Mahakal Temples
- Mag Dhog Yolmowa Monastery
- Chapra Mari Wildlife Sanctuary etc.
Festivals and Fairs
Locals of Darjeeling celebrate Hindu as well as Buddhist Festivals with great excitement and devotedness. These include Bumchu, Loshar Festival (New Year of Tibetans), Buddha Jayanti, Phang Lhabsol, Diwali, Saga Dawa, Biswa Karma Pooja, Lhabab Dhuechen, Janmashtami and Magh Sakranti are the important festivals celebrated here. Other festivals that Darjeeling hosts in an elaborate manner are:
- Dasain – The ten days long festival celebrated in the month of October signifies the victory of good over the evil. Also known as Durga Pooja, a few most noteworthy of its rituals include Fulpati, Maha Astami and Kala Ratri followed by Vijay Dashmi on the tenth day.
- Tihar – This is another festival unique to Darjeeling. Several animals are honored during these five days long festival in the month of November. These are crows, dogs, cows and bullocks.
- Darjeeling Festival – Held in the month on December or January, this festival includes exhibitions and tasting sessions of tea which the most prime attraction of Darjeeling. The allurement of tea is spread all across Darjeeling during this time.
Best Time to Visit
The month April brings the onset of summers in Darjeeling which is also the ideal time to spend a vacation in the mesmerizing hill station. The weather during these months is very pleasant with temperature mostly ranging between 14degree and 8degree Celsius. Tourists also relish sightseeing and outings the most at this time. The month of July brings monsoons with heavy rainfall. Months of July to September are not good for travelling to this place as it is prone to roadblocks.
A lot of people including couples love to visit Darjeeling during winters, i.e. the months of October to March. The temperature at this time of the year mostly stays around 5 degrees Celsius or below and can even drop to -2degrees on rare occasions.
How To Reach
By Air – Bagdogra Airport is the nearest airport which is at a distance of about 100 km from Darjeeling. It has regular flights to and from Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata. After reaching here, tourists can conveniently hire a private taxi or board a bus to reach Darjeeling in about 3 hours.
By train – Nearest railway station is Jalpaiguri and it has regular trains to and from Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Bangalore, and Bhubaneshwar. From Jalpaiguri, a toy train takes travelers to Darjeeling in about 7 hours. The train takes a halt at Batasia Loop where tourists can enjoy the scenic beauty of the place for a while and also click a few pictures if they wish to.
By Road – Distance by road to Darjeeling is 650km from Kolkata, 100km from Gangtok, and 51km from Kalimpong. There are regular bus services available from Siliguri, Kurseong and Kalimpong. However, it is not very advisable to travel to Darjeeling by road from Kolkata since the roads are not that good. However, if one wants to drive to the city from Kalimpong or other nearby cities, then the roads are very fine and also offer amazing views.
