Darjeeling was justifiably named 'the Queen of Hills' by the British. For ages, Bengalis have been singing laudatory hymn for its beauty & getting awestruck with its opulence. Green Himalayas,the Kanchenjunga,iconic sunrise,rare species of wildlife,world's best tea garden, toy train -- Darjeeling has what not. It'll start mesmerizing you even when you are in Shiliguri, about 80 km.s away! The city offers glimpses of The Himalayas & ignites the wanderlust.
National Highway 31 offers a beautiful journey. One gets busy with scenic beauty & suddenly discovers self on the lap of the Himalayas. From Sevoke surroundings get changed completely. On left, stands tall the Himalayas & on right, flows the Teesta in the profound depth. The slope is stabilised by plants like bamboo,banana etc. Get off the car at any point, take a few careful steps & crane your neck.You'll be treated to a breathtakingly beautiful view of Teesta.
Those who are on their first visit get bewildered. ' am-in-Darjeeling' thought takes time to sink in. Those who visited earlier get nostalgic. I belonged to the first category. After dumping the luggage in hotel room, I rushed to the receptionist & asked him the inevitable question :
Kanchenjunga kotha theke dekha jabe? ( wherefrom can I see the Kanchenjunga?) The man smiled & politely reminded me that monsoon had reached the hills & the mighty Kanchenjunga had given in to the thick clouds.
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TEESTA
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| VILLAGE ON THE LAP OF THE HIMALAYAS |
THE MALL
Mall is like a big, round courtyard with an observatory hill at the centre. Here people shop,chat,sing, strum guitar,read,hold meetings. Some have a seat in a corner & immerse themselves in the beautyof the Himalayas. I was trying to find out the house of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das. When i sought help from a man from the hills, he asked me,
aap Kolkata mein rehte hain? ( Do you live in Kolkata?). When I nodded, came the second question :
Kolkata mein pasina hota hain? ( Does it sweat in Kolkata?) I felt he didn't believe something as wonderful as sweating could happen on earth !
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| HORSE RIDE AT THE MALL |
On the right hand side of the Mall a path descended that led to
Chittaranjan Das' house. I couldn't enter as it was getting renovated then. I came back to Mall. Next destination was
National history museum. It's a must-visit place for zoology students. It houses stuffed specimens, tusks,insects etc.
When came back to Mall from the museum, my family members & friends joined me. All of the gang but my parents & me went to a nearby park. We chose to walk down the
dhupi-lined Mall road. This species of plant was brought from Japan. It adapted to Indian climate so well that it became one of the dominant members of Darjeeling's vegetation.
Dhupi plays major role in soil conservation.
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| DHUPI & MALL ROAD |
We went past the
Raj Bhawan & halted at
Kanchenjunga view point. We three occupied a bench & kept looking on the thick blanket of clouds. We knew what we awaited was not going to happen. Still we enjoyed sitting there. It was like staring at a veiled beauty.
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| FROM KANCHENJUNGA VIEW POINT |
TIGER HILL
Next morning my parents did what the parents all over the world do to their children : they woke us up early. Early means at 4 in the cloudy morning in a hill station ! We were like "not now ... plz!" But, deep inside someone was telling us, "wake up. It's Tiger hill."
Kanchenjunga is visible from many places in West Bengal & Sikkim. But Tiger hill offers you the best view of the mountain & most beautiful sunrise in West Bengal. First rays of the sun paint the the five peaks of Kanchenjunga brick red. Then it's riot of colours. The peaks turn red, orange,golden & at last, pristine white. Bengalis grow up with such descriptions of Tiger hill & these didn't let us remain under the blanket.
The doze still remaining in us was washed away by the adrenalin-rush during the journey. The spiral road takes so many sharp bends known as hairpin loop. When the car moves from one arm of the pin to other, it takes almost a V-turn & the centrifugal force acts on you to the fullest ! Before you regain your disposition, comes the next hairpin.
At last, we reached Tiger hill crowded with heartbroken people like us. There were clouds all over. We waited,in vain. The sun was visible when it rose high above the peaks.
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| THIS IS WHAT TIGER HILL TREATED US TO |
On our way back to town we visited
Batasia loop &
Ghum monastery. Batasia is a park where the track of
Toy train enters & forms a loop that looks like number
8. There is a
War memorial to pay homage to the Gorkha soldiers of the country. Batasia treats us to the view of both Kanchenjunga & Darjeeling town.
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| ORCHID & DARJEELING |
Ghum monastery is pensive in the lush green of eastern Himalayas. The architecture & the larger-than-life statues of Lord Buddha & other deities are awe-inspiring. Young lamas are trained in the monastery.
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| GHUM MONASTERY |
At around 10 we went to
Mahakal mandir atop the observatory hill in the Mall. This is the highest-altitude temple in West Bengal. This is situated at the height of approx. 7000 ft from sea level. At this place was a monastery which had been relocated & the temple of Lord Shiva came up. There are still influences of Buddhism. Mahakal temple furnishes the example of peaceful co-existence of religions.
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| ENTRANCE , MAHAKAL TEMPLE |
In the afternoon we went to Darjeeling zoo garden which is named after Ms. Padmaja Naidu. The zoo garden is meant for conservation of Himalayan wild life. Red panda was the biggest attraction. This mammalian species with reddish fur looks cute. At present their existence is in danger due to massive deforestation. The herbivore animal's staple food is bamboo leaves. There was Indian Salamander. This Amphibian species is too shy to come out in noisy environment. Darjeeling is the only place in India where Indian Salamander is found.
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| RED PANDA |
Next morning we left Darjeeling. We were regretting because so many things remained unseen. The hurricane tour has become memorable for a number of reasons. For the first time I touched cloud. I witnessed a different West Bengal. And, realised the importance of proper planning for a tour ...
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| TEA GARDEN |
