Darjeeling Districts in West Bengal

Darjeeling is the northernmost
 district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations (and is often referred to as the Queen of the Hills) and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters. Kalimpong, Kurseong and Siliguri, three other major towns in the district, are the subdivisional headquarters of the district. Mirik, another town of the district, has been developed as a lake resort since the late 1970s.
Geographically, the district can be divided into two broad divisions, the hills and the plains. The entire hilly region of the district comes under the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, a semi-autonomous administrative body under the state government of West Bengal. The council covers the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. The foothill of Darjeeling Himalayas, which comes under the Siliguri subdivision, is known as the Terai. The Terai is bounded on the north by the mountains, on the south by Kishanganj district of Bihar state, on the east by Jalpaiguri district and on the west by Nepal. It has a length from north to south of 18 miles (29 km), and a breadth from east to west of 16 miles (26 km). As of 2011 it is the second least populous district of West Bengal (out of 19), after Dakshin Dinajpur

History of Darjeeling  Districts:


The name Darjeeling comes from the Tibetan words, Dorje (Thunderbolt) and Ling (place or land), meaning the land of the thunderbolt. In 1835, Darjeeling was annexed by the East India Company from Sikkim. Prior to that, Darjeeling formed a part of Sikkim and for a brief period of Nepal.
Previously, Darjeeling formed a part of dominions of the Chugiak of Sikkim, who had been engaged in an unsuccessful warfare against the Gorkha. From 1780, the Gorkha made several attempts to capture the entire region of Darjeeling. By the beginning of 19th century, they had overrun Sikkim as far eastward as the Teesta River and had conquered and annexed the Terai.
In the meantime, the British were engaged in preventing the Gorkha from overrunning the whole of the northern frontier. The Anglo-Gorkha war broke out in 1814, which resulted in the defeat of the Gorkha and subsequently led to the signing of the Sugauli Treaty in 1815. According to the treaty, Nepal had to cede all those territories which the Gorkha had annexed from the Chogyal of Sikkim to the British East India Company (i.e. the area between Mechi River and Teesta river).
Later in 1817, through the Treaty of Titalia, the British East India Company reinstated the Chogyal of Sikkim, restored all the tracts of land between the Mechi River and the Teesta river to the Chogyal of Sikkim and guaranteed his sovereignty.

Darjeeling Tourism Spots:
 The interesting sights in Darjeeling are the Tiger Hill situated at an altitude of 2590 meters (8482 ft.)and 15 km from Darjeeling town. From here you can get a breathtaking view of Mount Everest, the highest mountain and Kanchenjunga range. The Observatory Hill commands a magnificent view it commands. Batasia Loop is a railway loop, about 5 kms from Darjeeling, a marvelous feat of engineering and it is quite a treat to watch the Toy Train pass through this loop. The War memorial is constructed in the memory of the brave sons of Darjeeling who died for the country since Independence in 1947.

Japanese Peace Pagoda is a recent landmark constructed by Japanese Monks and commands an excellent view of the town and the Himalayan Range. Dhirdham Temple is situated just below the Railway station and is structurally a replica of the famous Pashupatinath temple of Kathmandu, Nepal. The Mall and Chowrasta are important landmarks in Darjeeling. The Mall road originates and culminates at the Chowrasta, which is the hub of Darjeeling town. A walk around the Mall gives you a feel of Darjeeling life with the pleasant view of the mountains, valleys with rhododendron trees and old houses. Ava Art Gallery, approximately 10 minutes by taxi from the motor stand, it is just below the main road on the way to Ghoom and it houses fine art and embroidery work of Mrs. Ava Devi.