Darjeeling Tourism - Facts you might not know

Darjeeling Tourism – Know about Darjeeling
Darjeeling lovingly called “queen of hill stations” is situated in the state of West Bengal, India.

What you might know about Darjeeling
The pristine air of the hill is bliss for the people who visit the place. The nature is at its best. The spectacular sunrise and sunsets are unforgettable sights at Darjeeling India. The hill resort has attracted botanists, ornithologists, trekkers, photographers and holidaymakers alike. Darjeeling is famous for the magnificent mountains of Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu. This place has attracted them all. Apart from the climate and serene sights history of Darjeeling is very interesting.

What you might not know about Darjeeling: History of Darjeeling
1.Darjeeling Marketplace: Dorje-ling as pronounced by the British visitors was developed as a hill station by the Raj. Establishing the hill station was a tough task for them. The reason being there was no market, and no organized place from where food and the other necessities of life could be procured. The creation of the Darjeeling marketplace was therefore central to the development of Darjeeling. People of different origins used to live there such as Lepchas, Nepalese, Tibetans, Sherpas, Bhutanese, and Sikkimese. The parade ground which was used by British raj is now used as market place called “Market square”.
2.Health and holiday resort of the Raj: As the health and holiday resort of the Raj in the days when Calcutta was the "second city of the British Empire", Darjeeling had a permanent European population. Missionaries from all over the world used to come there and live.
3.Some great schools and colleges in Darjeeling: British, Irish, American and Belgian educators ran excellent English language schools which still exist today. Schools like Mt. Hermon, North Point, St. Paul's, Victoria, Goethals, Dow Hill, St. Helens, and the Loreto Convent, built either in the 19th century or at the beginning of the 20th century, were among the elite institutions of the British Empire
4.Centre of Indo-Tibetan commercial relations: Darjeeling was at the centre of Indo-Tibetan commercial relations, between Calcutta and Lhasa, when trade flourished between the two countries. Europeans indulged in commerce of all kinds in Darjeeling: there were British tea planters; haberdashers and tailors; department store managers; business agents, dealers and distributors; beauticians and book retailers. To these we may add Czech shoe makers, Austrian and Italian confectioners, French auto engineers and American dentists.
5.Windamere Hotel:Darjeeling visit is incomplete with out visiting a place called Windamere Hotel. It is a 19th century Heritage hotel. It is also ranked among 10 top colonial hotels in Asia Pacific.It is also called “one of the three jewels of the raj”. It was established in 19th century as a boarding house for bachelor English and Scottish tea planters; it was converted into a hotel just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Well known to sophisticated travelers. The Windamere is famous for its unique ambience and charm, and has been the subject of many leading stories in the international media. It was awarded as the Heritage Hotel of India by Prime minister in the first National award ceremony for outstanding hotels in India.

Origin of the name Darjeeling:
The name Darjeeling comes from the word Dorje-ling,in which Dorje means “thunder” and Ling means “place” ,ie. “the place of thunderbolt”. It is also said that the word Darjeeling comes from “Dorjé-rinzing”, it is a name of a lama who founded the monastery which once stood on Observatory Hill.
Facts about Darjeeling:
1. Population: 109,200
2. Time Zones: GMT/UTC +5.5
3. Currency: Indian Rupee or Rs
4. Languages Spoken: Nepali, Hindi, Tibetan, Bengali and English
5. Electrical Voltage: 230-240V 50Hz
6. Country Dialing Code: +91
7. Weights & Measures: Metric
8. Area Dialing Code: 0354. This number is prefixed to the local number when calling from outside of the Darjeeling area. International calls to Darjeeling do not usually need the prefix 0. Please check with your country’s telecom company.