About Darjeeling
Once, the summer capital of the British empire, Darjeeling, gets its name from the Tibetan words, “ “Dorje” meaning “ Thunderbolt” (The scepter of Lord Indra) and “ Ling” which means “ Land or Place”. Hence, Darjeeling is also known as the land of the thunderbolt.
With an altitude of 6710 ft and covering an area of 3,149 sq km, this “ Queen of the hills” provides a much-needed retreat to the travelers and rejuvenates them from the hectic schedule of today’s world. Darjeeling comes as a gateway for the nature lovers with the Mt Kanchendzonga as its Alma Mata Mark Twain famously has said, “ The one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once – by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the show of the rest of the world combined”.
Darjeeling is renowned worldwide for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) also known as the “ Toy Train”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British used it as their summer capital and subsequently found the soil extremely suitable for the cultivation of tea. Dr. Campbell brought the first Chinese seed for cultivation followed by several other British officials after a successful plantation. Now, Darjeeling tea is internationally acclaimed and ranks amongst the most popular black teas from around the world.
It is a part of the great Eastern Himalayas and has a diverse flora including a wide variety of rare orchids, oaks, sal, etc. The fauna found includes species of ducks, gulls, civet cats, mongoose, etc. The one-horned rhino, elephant, tigers & leopards are found in the Jaldapara National Park. There is a Red Panda conservation center at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park situated at the Birch Hill, Darjeeling.
The people of Darjeeling mainly consist of the Gorkhas, Bhutias, Lepchas, Biharis, Marwaris & the Muslim Community. Nepali is the lingua franca of Darjeeling through English & Hindi is spoken & understood by most people. The main religions are Hinduism & Buddhism although Christianity & Islam also prevail. Dasai, Tihar, Christmas & Losar are celebrated with great pomp & show.
Darjeeling has always been a center of education since British rule. They have built great institutions of learning which are being run by missionaries until this day. Some of the good institutions in Darjeeling are St Joseph’s College (Scholl Deptt.), St Paul’s, Mount Hermon, Loreto Convent, St Roberts HS, St Teresa’s, etc. The schools still attract a lot of foreign students from far and away.
Apart from Tea, Tourism is the major industry as the source of income for the local people. Darjeeling is a brand name and serves as a prominent tourist center and clubs the vacation of the tourist with its neighbor, Sikkim.
Darjeeling enjoys an autonomous status with the Indian state of West Bengal. The nearest airport is the Bagdogra Airport and the nearest railway station is the New Jalpaiguri Station (NJ
Once, the summer capital of the British empire, Darjeeling, gets its name from the Tibetan words, “ “Dorje” meaning “ Thunderbolt” (The scepter of Lord Indra) and “ Ling” which means “ Land or Place”. Hence, Darjeeling is also known as the land of the thunderbolt.
With an altitude of 6710 ft and covering an area of 3,149 sq km, this “ Queen of the hills” provides a much-needed retreat to the travelers and rejuvenates them from the hectic schedule of today’s world. Darjeeling comes as a gateway for the nature lovers with the Mt Kanchendzonga as its Alma Mata Mark Twain famously has said, “ The one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once – by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the show of the rest of the world combined”.
Darjeeling is renowned worldwide for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) also known as the “ Toy Train”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British used it as their summer capital and subsequently found the soil extremely suitable for the cultivation of tea. Dr. Campbell brought the first Chinese seed for cultivation followed by several other British officials after a successful plantation. Now, Darjeeling tea is internationally acclaimed and ranks amongst the most popular black teas from around the world.
It is a part of the great Eastern Himalayas and has a diverse flora including a wide variety of rare orchids, oaks, sal, etc. The fauna found includes species of ducks, gulls, civet cats, mongoose, etc. The one-horned rhino, elephant, tigers & leopards are found in the Jaldapara National Park. There is a Red Panda conservation center at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park situated at the Birch Hill, Darjeeling.
The people of Darjeeling mainly consist of the Gorkhas, Bhutias, Lepchas, Biharis, Marwaris & the Muslim Community. Nepali is the lingua franca of Darjeeling through English & Hindi is spoken & understood by most people. The main religions are Hinduism & Buddhism although Christianity & Islam also prevail. Dasai, Tihar, Christmas & Losar are celebrated with great pomp & show.
Darjeeling has always been a center of education since British rule. They have built great institutions of learning which are being run by missionaries until this day. Some of the good institutions in Darjeeling are St Joseph’s College (Scholl Deptt.), St Paul’s, Mount Hermon, Loreto Convent, St Roberts HS, St Teresa’s, etc. The schools still attract a lot of foreign students from far and away.
Apart from Tea, Tourism is the major industry as the source of income for the local people. Darjeeling is a brand name and serves as a prominent tourist center and clubs the vacation of the tourist with its neighbor, Sikkim.
Darjeeling enjoys an autonomous status with the Indian state of West Bengal. The nearest airport is the Bagdogra Airport and the nearest railway station is the New Jalpaiguri Station (NJ
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