In this article, we provide comprehensive information about the geography, history, population, and top tourist destinations of Darjeeling. Darjeeling is a beautiful hill station located in the northeastern region of India, within the state of West Bengal. Renowned for its stunning views of Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world, Darjeeling showcases a delightful mix of colonial architecture, tea plantations, and rich Tibetan culture. The town is particularly famous for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which meanders through scenic landscapes, providing a nostalgic journey through misty forests and terraced tea gardens.
| About: | Darjeeling is a city located in the northernmost part of West Bengal, India. Nestled in the Eastern Himalayas, it sits at an average elevation of 2,045 meters (6,709 feet). To the west of Darjeeling is the easternmost province of Nepal, while to the east lies the Kingdom of Bhutan. To the north, you’ll find the Indian state of Sikkim, and further north is the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Bangladesh is situated to the south and southeast, with most of West Bengal located to the south and southwest, connected to Darjeeling by a narrow strip of land. On clear days, the majestic Kangchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world, can be seen rising to the north. In the early 19th century, during East India Company rule in India, Darjeeling was identified as a potential summer retreat for British officials, soldiers and their families. The narrow mountain ridge was leased from the Kingdom of Sikkim, and eventually annexed to British India. The cultivation of tea on the slopes surrounding Darjeeling proved to be very successful. Thousands of laborers, primarily from Nepal, were brought in to clear forests, construct European-style cottages, and work in the tea plantations. This widespread deforestation led to the displacement of indigenous communities. Residential schools were set up in and around Darjeeling to educate the children of British residents in India. By the late 19th century, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a narrow-gauge mountain railway, was transporting summer visitors to the town and exporting tea around the world. After India gained independence in 1947 and the British departed from Darjeeling, many of the cottages were bought by affluent Indians from the plains, while the tea plantations were acquired by Indian business owners and conglomerates from outside the region. |
| History: | The name ‘Darjeeling’came from the Tibetan words,’dorje’meaning thunderbolt (originally the scepter of Indra) and ‘ling’a place or land, hence ‘the land of the thunderbolt’. A land-mark year in the History of Darjeeling was 1835, but it would be appropriate to trace its History before that. Prior to its acquisition by the East India Co. in 1835, Darjeeling formed a part of Sikkim and for a brief period of Nepal. However neither the history of Sikkim, nor the history of Nepal furnish any account of its early history. Previously Darjeeling formed a part of dominions of the Raja of Sikkim, who had been engaged in an unsuccessful warfare against the Gorkhas.From 1780 the Gorkhas constantly made inroads into Sikkim and by the beginning of 19th Century, they had overrun Sikkim as far eastward as the Teesta and had conquered and annexed the Terai. E.C.Dozey in his ‘Darjeeling Past and Present’, writes, ‘Prior to the year 1816, the whole the territory known as British Sikkim. |
| Country : | India |
| State: | West Bengal |
| District: | Darjeeling |
| Language: | Bengali and Nepali |
| Population: | 118,805 (2011) |
| Literacy rate: | Average literacy rate of Darjiling (Darjeeling) district is 79.56 percent. |
| Major Attractions to Visit: | Tiger Hill Batasia Loop Rock Garden & Ganga Maya Park Chowrasta (Mall Road) Peace Pagoda Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy Train) Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) Happy Valley Tea Estate Tukvar Tea Estate Ghoom Monastery (Yiga Choeling) Dali Monastery (Druk Thupten Sangag Choling Monastery) Sandakphu Trek Kalimpong Lepchajagat |
