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.

দার্জিলিং,Darjeeling District

Darjeeling  is a Himalayan city in theIndian state of West Bengal. It is internationally renowned as a tourist destination, along with its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is "hill town headquarters" of Darjeeling district with a partially autonomous status within the state of West Bengal. The town is located in the Mahabharat Range orLesser Himalaya at an average elevation of 6,710 ft (2,050 m).

The development of the town dates back to the mid-19th century, when the British set up a sanatorium and a military depot. Subsequently, extensive tea plantation was done in the region, and tea growers developed distinctive hybrids of black tea and created new fermenting techniques. The resultant distinctive Darjeeling tea is internationally recognised and ranks among the most popular of the black teas. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connects the town with the plains and has one of the few steam locomotives still in service in India. Darjeeling also has several British-style public schools, which attract students from throughout India and neighbouring countries. The town, with its neighbouring town of Kalimpong, was a center for the demand of theGorkhaland movement in the 1980s. The present movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland is also centered in Darjeeling town. In recent years, the town's fragile ecology has been threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources, stemming from growing tourist traffic and poorly planned urbanisation.

Culture of Darjeeling

Apart from the major religious festivals of Dashain (Durga puja), Tihar (Diwali) and Christmasthe diverse ethnic populace of the town celebrates several local festivals. The Lepchas and Bhutias celebrate new year in January, while Tibetans celebrate their new year, Losar, in February–March. The birthday of the Lord Buddha is celebrated in mid-June with processions.Darjeeling Carnival, initiated by a civil society movement known as The Darjeeling Initiative, is a ten day carnival held every year during the winter with portrayal of the Darjeeling Hill's musical and cultural heritage as its central theme.

A popular food in Darjeeling is the Tibetan momo, a steamed dumpling containing meat cooked in a doughy wrapping and served with clear soup and achar. A form of Tibetan noodle called thukpa, served in soup form is also popular. Other commonly eaten dishes include alu dum, a potato preparation, and shaphalay, Tibetan bread stuffed with meat. Fermented foods and beverages are consumed by a large percentage of the population. Fermented foods include preparations of soyabean, bamboo shoots, milk and Sel roti, which is made from rice. Tea is the most popular beverage, the Tibetan version is also drunk.Alcoholic beverages include Tongba, Jnaard and Chhaang, variations of a local beer made from fermenting finger millet.

Education of Darjeeling

There are 52 primary schools, 21 high schools and 4 colleges in the town. Darjeeling's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. Schools mainly use English and Nepali as their media of instruction, although there is the option to learn the national language Hindi and the official state language Bengali. The schools are either affiliated with the ICSE, the CBSE, or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Having been a summer retreat for the British in India, Darjeeling became the place of choice for the establishment of public schools on the model of Eton, Harrow and Rugby, allowing the children of British officials to obtain an exclusive education. Institutions such as Mount Hermon School, St. Robert's H.S. School St. Joseph's College (School Dept.), Loreto Convent,and St. Paul's School are renowned as centres of educational excellence. Darjeeling has four colleges — St. Joseph's College, Southfield College (earlier known as Loreto College), Darjeeling Government College and Sri Ramakrishna B.T. College — all affiliated to the University of North Bengal in Siliguri.