Darjeeling is a world famous hill station of West Bengal. Gifted to the British East India Company in 1817, Darjeeling is one of India's most famous hill resorts at an altitude of 2134 m or 7000ft above sea level. In 1835, Darjeeling was given to the East India Company by the King of Sikkim. It became a popular resort for the British who wanted to escape from the sweltering heat of the plains.

The real fun in coming to Darjeeling is on the toy train. It takes six to seven hours to cover a distance of 82 kms and the slow speed gives you enough time to watch and appreciate the beauty which nature has provided it. This train passes through the Forests, waterfalls, over deepvalleys and through the mountains and tunnels.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a 60 cm narrow-gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling , run by the Indian Railways. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and is about 86 km long. The elevation level is from about 100 m in Siliguri to about 2200 m in Darjeeling. It is still to this day powered by a steam engine. Since 1999 the train has been a World Heritage Site as listed by UNESCO.

PLACES TO SEE

Darjeeling has plenty of tourist spots in and around the city. Some of the most important are listed here.


  • The Japanese peace pagoda depicts the various stages of the Buddha's life.Another attraction is the nation's oldest passenger ropeway which connects North Point to Singla Bazar.
  • A visit to the Tiger Hills before dawn is a must for all Darjeeling visitors who want to see sunrise over the Mt Kanchenjungha. Tiger Hill is 2590 m above sea level and 11 kms from town (45 min).
  • Two kilometers from Darjeeling is the town of Ghoom which is the highest railway station in the world. It also has a monastery.
  • The Batasia loop (5 kms from Darjeeling) on the Darjeeling Himalayan railway is an engineering marvel and is another attraction even if someone doesn't want to take the slow train ride.
  • The Tenzing Norgay Himalayan Mountaineering Institute trains mountaineers. It has a small museum as well. Adjacent to it is the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park.
  • The Lloyd's botanical gardens is another attraction.
  • The two popular view points are Jawahar Parbat and the Observatory Hill which offer views of the Himalayan ranges.
  • Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park : Located adjacent to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. It is a high altitude wild life park and a new home for the Siberian Tiger, Himalayan Black Deer, Deer Panda, Llama and birds. It is open from 8 am to 4 PM
  • The Dhirdham Temple, built in the style of Katmandu's Pashupatinath temple adds to the varied religious architectural styles of Darjeeling. It is near the railway station.


HOW TO REACH
From Calcutta (665 km)

By Road : Darjeeling is connected to Siliguri the main city in the plains by the Tenzing Norgay Road (formerly Hill Cart Road).

By Bus: Bus services between Darjeeling and Siliguri are frequent. Private taxis, landrovers are also available. From Siliguri by bus/taxi/trekker to Darjeeling (80 km), about 4 hours.

By Rail: You can take the famous toy train, which is a meter gauge train operating over breath taking scenery. The journey takes approximately seven and half hours.

New Jalpaiguri/Siliguri Junction stations at the base of the Darjeeling Hill areas have direct railway connections with Calcutta, Mumbai, Guwahati, Madras, Lucknow, and Delhi.

By Air: By air to Bagdogra (Siliguri) - flight duration is about 45 minutes. Indian Airlines as well as private airlines operate on this route. Bagdogra, the airport for Darjeeling hill areas has direct air connections with New Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati.


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Edited by Nazish (09/21/06 01:08 AM)