DARJEELING Queens of Hills

Friends, i have visited Darjeeling many times, i don't even remember
but the thing i remember is the Beauty of Darjeeling that resides in my heart and every time i visit seems to be new and refreshing

DARJEELING earlier called DORJE LING ( the place of thunders) is a small town & Hill station in the Indian 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.

DARJEELING TOWN

The best time to visit DARJEELING is from March-June and September-November.


Places To Visit @ DARJEELING :

• JAPANESE TEMPLE & PEACE PAGODA

Darjeeling is a place well known for its divine beauty and many sacred monasteries and Buddhist temples. Sightseeing in Darjeeling is a beautiful experience for both the local and foreign people. Darjeeling is dotted with a lot of temples and shrines.The Japanese Temple in Darjeeling is one of the beautiful Buddhist temples.

It was built in order to promote peace after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing in 1945. 

THE PEACE PAGODA

LORD BUDDHA

THE JAPANESE TEMPLE

• THE MALL

The MALL is Darjeeling's popular commercial street. It is lined with Tibetans selling hand-knitted sweaters and souvenir shops chock-full of Himalayan artifacts and both real and imitation antiques. Studios carry turn-of-the-century photos as well as specializing in hand painted black and white prints with glowing oil colors.

The MALL leads to the Chaurasta, a square which doubles as a bandstand, a pony riding area for children and a heaven for lovers.

LOCAL PEOPLE DOING GRAFFITI 

MALL ROAD, DARJEELING

• CHOWRASTA

The CHOWRASTA, meaning crossroads, is a hive of commercial activity. The Mall road originates and culminates at the chowrasta. This is the Heart of Darjeeling, here Hotels, restaurants and shops brush against each other. The shops and stalls are paradise  for souvenir collectors. The Bhutanese sellers display their wares. Woollen garments, tribal ornaments, thankas, rosaries, brass statues, masks and Gorkha daggers are kept on display for sale. Foreign goods are also available in some shops. Local handicrafts are much in demand.

• OBSERVATORY HILL

The oldest site in Darjeeling is the Observatory Hill, known locally as "Mahakal-Baba-ko-Thaan" or "Mahakal-Dara".
According to legend, a Red Hat Buddhist Monastery called Dorje Ling, or 'place of thunderbolt', stood at this very place. The Nepalis destroyed it in the 19th century. The Hindus and the Buddhist share the temple that stands there today.

• PADMAJA NAIDU HIMALAYAN ZOOLOGICAL PARK AND HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEERING INSTITUTE

If you are here, its a lucky day for you as you can see two places for the price of one.

• PADMAJA NAIDU ZOOLOGICAL PARK aka "DARJEELING ZOO".
• HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEERING INSTITUTE

DARJEELING ZOO :
Considered as one of the best zoo in the country, PNHZP contains endangered species like the Asian Black Bear, Red Pandas, Siberian Tigers, Snow Leopards, Gorals (Mountain Goats) and a variety of Birds.
This zoological park stands at an altitude of 2,123 meters and is rich in Himalayan Flora and Fauna.

The zoo is famous for its conservation breeding programmes of the Red Panda, Himalayan Salamander, Tibetan Wolf, and Snow Leopard.


HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEERING INSTITUTE :
Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Mount Everest (8848/29,028ft.) along with Edmund Hillary, 1953 provided the desired impetus to mountaineering as an organized sports in India. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister and a visionary wanted to canalize the abundant energy of the youth of nation into a constructive field of mountaineering and hence planned to open a mountaineering institute. HMI was founded in Darjeeling on 4th November by Pandit Nehru himself. Within no time HMI became the renowned mountaineering institute in the world.

Being the home town of Tenzing Norgay and one of the most beautiful place in Himalayas, Darjeeling was selected as the most appropriate place for this institute.
This institute provides Basic mountaineering, Advanced mountaineering and Adventure courses for kids and adults at reasonable prices.








for further details visit: www.himalayanmountaineeringinstitute.com

• TIGER HILL :

Tiger Hill is the summit of Ghoom, the highest railway station on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for spectacular sunrise view over the Himalayas. Leveling out at 8,500 ft (2,600 m), Tiger Hill is the highest hill in the immediate surroundings.
It is 11 km from the town of Darjeeling. The first rays of the sun shoot ahead and shed light upon the twin peaks of Kangchenjunga painting it pink and then bathing it in a beautiful orange colour.

OBSERVATION DECK

PANORAMIC VIEW OF KANCHENJUNGA FROM TIGER HILL,DARJEELING

• BATASIA LOOP AND GORKHA WAR MEMORIAL :

The Batasia Loop is the railway loop in which the Toy train takes a unique turn of 360°. From the Batasia Loop one can get a panoramic view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other snowy mountains in the back-drop.
It has a beautiful garden and a studio where tourists can wear the traditional Nepali dress and capture the moment for lifetime
It also has a war memorial for the patriotic Gorkha soldiers of Indian Army who sacrificed their lives for the country.

BATASIA LOOP

GORKHA WAR MEMORIAL

KIDS WEARING TRADITIONAL NEPALI DRESS