Darjeeling India Travel Guide

Darjeeling History

In the beginning of the 18th century, the whole area from the borders of Sikkim and Bengal belonged to the Kings of Sikkim. But the kings were not too strong and they were often overpowered by the Bhutanese and the fierce Gurkha warriors of Nepal. The constant annexation attempts by the Gurkha warriors caught the attention of the British East India Company, which was trying to establish its own dominance over the region. After a series of wars, the company won and pushed back the Gurkhas, regaining the territory that the Gurkhas had captured from Sikkim. The British returned these lands to the King of Sikkim. In return, the King agreed to allow the British to mediate any future disputes between Sikkim and Nepal. It wasn’t long before just such a dispute occurred, and in 1828 two officers of the British army were dispatched to resolve the situation. Captain C.A. Lloyd and Mr. J.W Grant arrived in the area and quickly foresaw the area as a perfect sanatorium for the British Army. The two officers were able to convince the King to give Darjeeling over to the British, who took control and rapidly developed the area. After Independence in 1947, Darjeeling was annexed by the Republic of India.

Darjeeling Things to do and Attractions

Darjeeling is a beautiful hill station with a lot of places to visit and a lot of activities, including the tea plantations that serve some of the best tea in the world. Observatory Hill is the hill that once had the monastery built by the Lama, but it now houses a deity of Lord Shiva. The hill is a holy place for both the Hindus and Buddhists of the city. Tiger Hill, another hill in Darjeeling, is the highest point of the city. Standing tall at a height of almost two-thousand-six-hundred meters, visiting the hill is a popular Darjeeling thing to do among visitors, as it offers a perfect view of Kanchenjunga, which is the third highest peak in the world. The Natural History Museum, which has all sorts of Himalayan animals on display, is another Darjeeling attraction that draws tourists and locals alike. Along with the animal exhibits, it home to more than six-hundred species of butterflies. Darjeeling also has the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which is one of the most respected mountaineering institutes in the world. Apart from trekking, Darjeeling also has offers water rafting along it rivers, for those looking to pump up their adrenalin.

Darjeeling Excursions

About eighty-two kilometers from Darjeeling is the town of Silliguri. The town has picturesque beauty, and a very famous toy train that offers rides all the way to Darjeeling. The train travels at a slow speed, giving travellers the perfect opportunity to take in the surrounding beauty. One-hundred kilometers from Darjeeling is a relatively new hill station known as Mirik Lake. It is famous for its highly dense forests and green valleys, as well as its awe-inspiring lake. The Ghoom Buddhist monastery, which is located ten kilometers from the city, is another popular Darjeeling thing to do among visitors. Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim and another adventurous city of India, is not very far from Darjeeling either.

Darjeeling Shopping

This hill station is not exactly a shopper’s paradise, but has some specialities of its own to be sold. The most common souvenir travellers take from Darjeeling is its tea. There are a lot of shops on Chowrasta and Nehru road, which have good quality Tibetan carpets at the, handicrafts, bronze statutes, and woollen garments at fairly reasonable prices.

Darjeeling Restaurants

Being a popular hill station, Darjeeling has many multi-cuisine restaurants available for the tourists that come from all over the world, though the city doesn’t have much of a cuisine of its own.

Darjeeling Nightlife

The hill station has a small number of lounge bars, with most of them located in the star rated hotels in the city. Rates for alcohol are pretty reasonable here.

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