The beautiful Himalayan town in the Shivalik Ranges of Indian state West Bengal is an internationally renowned hill station of India. Situated at an elevation of 2,134 m above the sea level it is also referred as the “Queen of Hills” is famous for its tea industries, and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. For the past few years Darjeeling has developed as a as a sanatorium and health resort which is quite famous among its visitors. Darjeeling tour is a very enriching experience for its visitors as the town is decked with some exotic tourist attractions. Summer time is the best time for Darjeeling tours. The best time to visit is from May-June and September –November. Some of the major tourist attractions that the visitors can enjoy on Darjeeling tours include:
Sight Seeing in Darjeeling
Darjeeling is an ideal place as a hill station from the heat and dust of the city life. The tourist attractions of the hill station of Darjeeling are plenty to keep the tourists occupied all through their vacations.
Kanchenjunga: Kanchenjunga is the pride of Darjeeling and is the third highest peak of the world. Bhan Bhakta Sarani provides one of the enthralling views of these snow capped peaks. The Chowrasta also gives you a good sight to the Kanchenjunga peak.
The Tiger Hill: Situated at a distance of 11 km from Darjeeling , Tiger Hill station is one of the most popular vantage Point in Darjeeling. It is a must visit place for all the tourists as it offers magnificent view of the sunrise over the Kanchenjunga. Senchal Lake is near the Tiger Hill and is called the 'Lake of Damp Mist'. The lake fulfills the domestic water requirements of Darjeeling.
Observatory Hill: It offers a splendid views of Kanchenjunga Peaks. This place is also very sacred for Hindus and Buddhists due to temples and Buddhist shrines. One can visit the place for the Mahakal Temple and Kali Temple and various Buddhist monasteries at this place.
Ghoom Monastery: About 8 km from the town, is the most famous monastery of Darjeeling the Ghoom Monasterry. It has a beautiful image of Maitreya Buddha. Yiga-Choiling Monastery is located just below the Ghoom Monastery which belongs to Gelugpa Sect and has a 15 ft tall statue of Maitreya Buddha. The Monastery has also preserved some of the rare handwritten Buddhist manuscripts.
Dhirdham Temple: is a prominent Hindu temple in Darjeeling built on the model of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva and was constructed by Rail Saheb Puran Bahadur Pradhan in 1939.
The Natural History Museum: Established in 1903 the museum has a rare collection of 4300 specimen or rich collection of fauna found in the Himalayan region. It also has a unique collection of butterflies and mineral forms of various stones.
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute & Museums: The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is on the West Jawahar road. The institute was inaugurated by India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Lal Nehru. The institute runs courses for training mountaineers as well as has the very good collection of mountaineering equipments which have been used in various mountaineering expeditions and other wise. The institute also screens short films on mountaineering. You can also view the Himalayan peaks through the Zeiss Telescope given to the Nepalese Maharaja by Hitler. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was the Director of this institute for many years and he was cremated near the institute after his death in 1986. Near the institute is Srabri which gives a very good view of the Single valley and the Kanchenjunga range. One can sit at Srabri and feel the cool breeze from the valley.
How to Reach
By Air: The nearest airport from Darjeeling is at Bagdogra, which is about 90 km away.
By Rail: Siliguri at a distance of 80 km and New Jalpaiguri junction are the nearest stations to Darjeeling. These stations are well connected with the major cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai and Varanasi.
By Road: NH-31 connects Darjeeling with other parts of India. There are fast and frequent bus services between Calcutta and Siliguri with connections to Darjeeling. West Bengal STC Bus has regular services on this route.
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