Darjeeling

For other uses, see Darjeeling (disambiguation).

Darjeeling (Nepali: , Bangla: দার্জিলিং) is a hill station (a hill town) in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, situated in the Shiwalik Hills (or Lower Himalaya) at an average elevation of 2,134 m above sea level. Once ruled by the Kingdom of Sikkim, the Darjeeling region was converted into a hill station by the British East India Company in the 1800s, and came to be known as the "Queen of the Hills." It remained as a part of the state of West Bengal in independent India. The name Darjeeling is a composition of two Tibetan words – Dorje ("thunderbolt") and ling ("place"). Hence, darjeeling translates as "Land of the thunderbolt".

Darjeeling is famous for its tea industry, which produces blends considered among the world's finest. Once used as a sanitarium for British troops and administrators, the town is now a popular tourist destination. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connecting the town with the plains was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Darjeeling is noted for several western-style public schools attracting students from all over India and neighbouring countries. The town was a major centre of Gorkhaland separatism in the 1980s, resulting in a decrease in tourism-related commerce. Darjeeling has continued to grow in the recent years and the region's fragile ecology is threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources stemming from growing tourist traffic and poorly planned urbanisation.

History

Till early nineteenth century, the area around Darjeeling was part of the kingdom of Sikkim. In 1814, the British East India Company intervened in a skirmish between Sikkim and Nepal, following which Sikkim, including the Darjeeling area, became a buffer state between Nepal and Bhutan. In 1828, a dispute occurred between Nepal and Sikkim. Company representatives were sent from Malda to help resolve the dispute.They found the Darjeeling region very suitable as a sanitarium for British troops. So the company negotiated with the king of Sikkim to lease the area. In 1835, Dr. Campbell, a member of the Indian Medical Service and Lieutenant Napier (later Lord Napier of Magdala) were given the responsibility to found a hill station there.

By 1849, the population grew to 10,000. Following discord between Sikkim and the Company, the Company annexed the Darjeeling region to the British Indian Empire. Soon, the British established experimental tea plantations; these eventually gave rise to a successful commercial tea industry around 1856. Tea estates developed all around Darjeeling in the second half of the 19th century. During this time immigrants, mainly from Nepal, flooded in to work in construction sites, tea gardens, and other agriculture related projects. The arrival of Scottish missionaries saw the construction of schools and welfare centres for the British. In 1864, St. Paul's School was established in Jalapahar area. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway opened in 1881, facilitating rapid communication between the town and the plains below. In 1898, Darjeeling experienced an earthquake that came to be known as the "Darjeeling disaster". Around this time, Darjeeling assumed a unique political status when a Summer Secretariat of the Bengal Government was built there.

The Darjeeling area was a Non-Regulation district; thus acts and regulations did not automatically come into force in the district in line with rest of the country unless they were extended to it. After the 1905 Partition of Bengal, the area came under the jurisdiction of Rajshahi division. In the 1900s, the non-British elites of Kolkata also began visiting Darjeeling. The town continued to grow as a tourist destination, becoming known as the "Queen of the Hills". Darjeeling's elite were either the British ruling class of the time, who visited Darjeeling every summer, affluent Indians who maintained properties there like Maharajas and land-owning Zamindars or some well-known Barristers of the Calcutta High Court. The population slowly rose — 19,000 in 1911 grew to 27,000 by 1941. The town lacked any major contribution to the freedom struggle of India probably due to the moderate political climate prevailing in the region. However, the revolutionaries attempted to assassinate Sir John Anderson, the Governor of Bengal in Darjeeling.

After the independence of India in 1947, Darjeeling became a part of the state of West Bengal. A separate district of Darjeeling was established consisting of the hilly towns of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and some parts of the Terai region. After the People's Republic of China annexed Tibet in 1959, thousands of Tibetans fled to India, migrating to several places in the district, including Darjeeling town. Between 1986 and 1988, the demand for the creation of the separate states of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur along ethnic lines grew strong. Matters came to a head after a forty-day strike called by the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) during which rioting occurred. The town was virtually under siege, causing the state government to call in the Indian army to maintain law and order. The movement ended with the establishment of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) under the Chairmanship of Subash Gishing. DGHC was given semi-autonomous powers to govern the district. Later the name of DGHC was changed to Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (DGAHC). Though Darjeeling is now peaceful, the issue on a separate state still lingers.

Geography

Mount Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill

The town of Darjeeling is located in the Darjeeling district of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal at an average elevation of 6,982 ft. or 2,134 m. Located in Darjeeling Himalayan hill region of West Bengal, Darjeeling is just east of Nepal, just south of Sikkim, and south-west of Bhutan. Darjeeling town is situated on the Darjeeling-Jalapahar range that originates from Ghum (south of Darjeeling). The range is shaped like the English letter 'Y', the base resting at Katapahar and Jalapahar while two arms diverge just north of Observatory Hill. The arm towards the north-east dips suddenly and ends in the Lebong spur, the other arm running north-west passes through the St. Joseph's College and finally ends in the valley near Tukver Tea Estate.

Darjeeling is the main town of the Sadar subdivision of the district of Darjeeling and also the headquarters of the district. Most of the Darjeeling district, including the town of Darjeeling, lies in the Shiwalik Hills (or Lower Himalaya). The soil is chiefly composed of sandstone and conglomerate formations which are the solidified and upheaved detritus of the great range of Himalaya in their rear. However, the soil is often poorly consolidated. The permeable sediments and poorly-developed soils of the region do not retain water between rains and is usually considered not suitable for agriculture. The area has steep slopes and soft, loose topsoil, leading to frequent landslides in the monsoon season. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone-IV, (in a scale of I to V, in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) near the convergent boundary of the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates. The hills are nestled within higher peaks and the snow-clad Himalayan ranges tower over the town in the distance. Mount Kanchenjunga (8,591 m or 28,185 feet) – the world's third tallest peak – looming over the town is a famous sight. In clear days, Mount Everest (8,850 m) is also visible.

Flora around Darjeeling includes temperate, deciduous forests of poplar, birch, oak, and elm, as well as evergreen, coniferous trees of wet alpine. Densely forested regions of these evergreens lie around the town. A wide variety of rare orchids are also found in the surrounding forests. The Lloyd's Botanical Garden showcases and preserves common and rare species of flora, while the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is the only specialised zoo in the country conserving and breeding endangered Himalayan species.

Climate

The area has temperate climate and has five distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter, and the monsoons. Summers (lasting from May to June) are mild, with maximum temperatures barely crossing 25 °C (77 °F). The monsoon season (June to September) are characterised by torrential monsoon rains that lash the town. The monsoons are severe, often causing landslides that block Darjeeling's land access to the rest of the country. Winters (December to February) see temperature averaging 5–7 °C (41–44 °F). Occasionally the temperature may drop below freezing, inducing rare snowfall. During the monsoon and winter seasons, Darjeeling is often shrouded in mist and fog. The annual mean temperature is 12 °C (53 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 5–17 °C (41–62 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in the district was 26.7 °C (80.1 °F) on 23 August 1957. The lowest ever recorded was −5 °C (23 °F) on 11 February 1905. The average annual precipitation is 281.8 cm (110.9 in), with the highest average precipitation occurring in July (75.3 cm or 29.6 in). The town of Darjeeling and surrounding region continues to face deforestation (due to increasing demand for fuelwood and timber) as well as air pollution (from an increasing vehicular traffic).

Economy

A view of Darjeeling town from the Happy Valley Tea Estate

The two most significant contributors to Darjeeling's economy are tourism and the tea industry. The summer and spring seasons are the most popular with tourists, keeping many of Darjeeling's residents employed directly and indirectly. Some residents own hotels and restaurants. Many people earn living as drivers of the tourist vehicles; vendors of souvenirs and handicrafts; tourist-guides etc. Darjeeling being the district headquarter, many are employed in government offices also. Darjeeling tea is regarded as the best of black teas, especially in the UK and the countries comprising the former British Empire. However, the tea industry is facing stiff competition from tea produced in other parts of India as well as neighbouring countries. Also, there are concerns about labour disputes, workers layoff, closing of estates and several other problems. Some tea estates are being run on a workers' cooperative model, while others are being planned for turning into tourist resorts. More than 60% of workers in the tea gardens are women.The remuneration of workers are often half in cash and half in other benefits like accommodation, subsidised ration, free medical benefits etc.

The district's forests and other natural wealth have been adversely affected by an ever-growing population, now estimated at around 1,200,000. The years since independence have seen substantial advances in the area's education, communication, and agriculture, the latter including cash crops like potato, cardamom, ginger, and oranges. Farming on terraced slopes is a major source of livelihood for the rural populace around the town and it supplies the town with fruits and vegetables. Small contributions to the economy come by the way of the sale of traditional arts and crafts of Sikkim and Tibet.

Government and Politics

File:DarjeelingGorkhaRally.jpg

A political rally taking place in Chowk Bazar,Darjeeling

The Darjeeling Municipality, established in 1850, maintains the civic administration of Darjeeling town, an area of 10.57 km². The municipality is a separate entity from the Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (previously "Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council"— DGHC). The municipality refers to the board of Councilors, with one councilor being elected from each of the 32 wards of Darjeeling town and also some non-elected members who are nominated by the state government. The Board of Councilors elects a Chairman from among its elected members. Darjeeling municipality is run by the Chairman-in-Council system of governance, and consists of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and seven other members of the board of councillors. The Chairman is the executive head of the Municipality and the municipal administration is under his control. The Chairman nominates Chairman-in-Council and distributes the business of the Municipality. Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) at present holds power in the municipality.

On the other hand, The Gorkha-dominated hill areas of the whole Darjeeling district is under the jurisdiction of the Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (previously DGHC) since its formation in 1988. The DGHC's elected Councilors are authorized to manage certain affairs of the hills, including education, health, and tourism. The DGHC was formed after large-scale unrest among the Nepali-speaking Gorkha people, in which the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) had sought to carve a separate state out of West Bengal for Nepali speakers.

Darjeeling is a part of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha (India's Lower House) constituency. The town elects one member to the West Bengal state Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). Indian National Congress won the Lok Sabha seat in Indian general elections, 2004 while the state assembly seat was won by GNLF in West Bengal state assembly election, 2006. Unlike many other Indian cities, Darjeeling does not have its own police commissioner. Instead, it comes under the jurisdiction of the district police (which is a part of the state police); a Deputy Superintendent of Police oversees the town. Darjeeling Municipality area has two police stations at Darjeeling and Jorebungalow.

Utility services

File:DarjeelingSewageNew.jpg

A sewage running behind houses. Such channels lead the sewage to central septic tanks

Natural springs provide the major part of Darjeeling's water supply; water collected from them is routed to Senchal Lake (10 km southeast of town) from which water is piped to users. During the dry season when water supplied by springs is not sufficient, water is pumped from the Khong Khola, a nearby small perennial creek. However, there is a widening gap between water supply and demand: just over 50% of the town's households are connected to the municipal water supply system..

The town has an underground sewage system that collects the domestic waste from residences and about fifty community toilets; waste is then conveyed to six central septic tanks and ultimately disposed of in natural jhoras (waterways); roadside drains also collect sewage and storm water. Municipal Darjeeling produces about 50 tonnes of solid wastes every day, most of which is collected by the municipality and dumped above the Hindu Burial Ground. The remaining garbage continue to accumulate in the town on a daily basis.

Electricity is supplied by the West Bengal State Electricity Board; the West Bengal Fire Service provides fire services for the town. The electrical supply voltage is unstable, making voltage stabilisers necessary. Almost all of the primary schools are now maintained by Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (DGAHC). The total length of all types of roads — including stepped paths within the municipality — is around 90 km; these are maintained by the municipality.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Darjeeling

The "Toy Train" approaching Darjeeling

The town of Darjeeling can be reached by the 80 km long Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (nicknamed the "Toy Train") from Siliguri, or by the Hill Cart Road (National Highway 55) that follows the railway line. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a 60 cm (2 feet) narrow-gauge railway. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway, after the Semmering Railway in Austria, to have this honour. Regular bus services and hired vehicles connect Darjeeling with Siliguri and the neighbouring towns of Kurseong, Kalimpong and Gangtok. Four wheel drives, including Land Rovers, are the most popular means of transport, as they can easily navigate the steep slopes in the region. The nearest airport is in Bagdogra (IXB), near Siliguri, which is a three hour (approx. 90 km) drive from Darjeeling. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan are the three major carriers that fly to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati. The closest railway station is New Jalpaiguri (NJP). Trains connect NJP with almost all the major cities of the country.

Intra-town transport is mostly by hired taxis. However, walking remains the most widely used method for locomotion in this small hilly town. Two-wheelers are also popular amongst the residents. Communication often gets disrupted in the monsoons due to landslides.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Darjeeling

File:Darjeelinghillhouses.jpg

Modern houses and shanty buildings in the town

As per the 2001 census, the Darjeeling urban agglomeration (which includes Pattabong Tea Garden), with an area of 12.77 km², has a population of 109,163. Also, the town has an additional average diurnal floating population of 20500 - 30000, mainly comprising of the tourists and visitors. The population density is 8548 per km². The sex ratio is 1017 females per 1000 males – which is higher than the national average. The women make a notable contribution as earning members of the family, which is higher than the national average. The town houses about 31% of its population in the slums. This is the result of the unprecedented urban growth due to the unsustainable migration in the area (mainly in the lower class wage earner category) for better opportunity. The major religion is Hinduism, followed by Buddhism. Christians and Muslims are in minority. The majority of the populace is ethnic Nepali, having migrated to Darjeeling in search of jobs while it was under British rule. Indigenous ethnic groups include the Lepchas, Bhutias, Sherpas, Rais, Yamloos, Damais, Kamais, Newars and the Limbus. The other non-native communities are the Bengalis, Marwaris, Anglo-Indians, Chinese, Biharis and Tibetans (who escaped to the area after fleeing the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet). Languages spoken in Darjeeling include Gorkhali (Nepali), which is the predominant language, Hindi, English and Bengali.

The town of Darjeeling has seen a growth in its population during the last century. However, growth in population has been more rapid from the 1970s onwards exceeding the growth rates at the district level. The growth rate has touched the sky high level of about 45% in the 1990s and thus is far above the national, state, and district average. The colonial town of Darjeeling was designed for a mere population of 10,000. So the population spurt has made the town more prone to the environmental problems in recent decades as the region is geologically relatively new with a host of environmental problems and hence unstable in nature. Environmental degradation has adversely affected Darjeeling's appeal to prospective tourists.

Culture and people

Colourful flags with Buddhist text around a Hindu temple. Such flags are believed to ward off evil spirits

The most popular snack in Darjeeling is the momo, a steamed dumpling containing pork, beef, or vegetable filling cooked in a doughy wrapping and served with watery soup. Wai-Wai is a packaged snack comprising of noodles which are eaten either dry or in soup form. Churpee, a kind of hard cheese made from cow's or yak's milk is sometimes chewed. A form of noodle called thukpa, served in soup form is also popular in Darjeeling. There are a large number of restaurants which offer a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from the traditional Indian ones to continental, to cater to the tourists. Tea is the most popular beverage, procured from the famed Darjeeling tea gardens. Chhang is a local beer made from millet.

The Nepali cultural consists of various sects with their own dialects apart from the main Nepali language. Owing to the diverse ethnic populace of Darjeeling, festivals are very frequent. Apart from the major religious festivals of Diwali, Christmas, Dussera, Holi etc., there are several local festivals. The Lepchas and Bhutiyas celebrate new year in January, while Tibetans celebrate the new year (Losar) with 'Devil Dance' in February-March. The Maghe sankranti, Ram Navami, Chotrul Duchen, Buddha Jayanti, birthday of His Holiness Dalai Lama, Tendong Lho Rumfaat etc are some other festivals.

There is still much colonial architecture in Darjeeling, with mock Tudor residences, Gothic churches, the Raj Bhawan (Governor House), Planters' Club and the various educational institutions. There are small monasteries which showcase the Buddhist pagoda style architectures. Darjeeling is traditionally known as a breeding place of musicians. Almost every other person, old or young, sings and plays some instrument or the other. Darjeeling Carnival is being organised from the year 2003 where several cultural aspects of the multitude of ethnic variety of the region are represented. Western music is also popular especially among the younger generation and Darjeeling is a major centre of Nepali rock music. Cricket and football (soccer) are the most popular sports in Darjeeling. An improvised form of ball made of rubber garters is often used for playing in the steep streets.

Darjeeling has a thriving tourism industry, with attractions including the 'Tiger Hill' sunrise, the zoo, the monastery and the tea gardens. The town has long been used as a base by trekkers in the Himalayas and Sikkim, and served as the starting point for many attempts on Indian and Nepali peaks in the 20th century. Tenzing Norgay, one of the two men to first climb Mount Everest, spent most of his adult life in the Sherpa community in Darjeeling. His Everest ascent provided the impetus to establish the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling in 1954. In the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center, Tibetan crafts like carpets, wood and leather work are displayed. Several monasteries like Ghoom Monastery (8 km from the town), Bhutia Busty monastery, Mag-Dhog Yolmowa preserve ancient Buddhist scripts.

Education

Darjeeling's schools are either run by the state government or by private (often religious) organisations. Schools mainly use English and Nepali as the medium of instruction, though Hindi and Bengali may also be used. The schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Under the 10+2+3 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in a 2 year junior college (also known as a pre-university) or in schools with a higher secondary facility. Students usually choose from one of three streams — liberal arts, commerce, or science. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enroll in general or professional degree programs.

Darjeeling is home to several public schools operating on the British model. A summer retreat for the British in India, Darjeeling soon became the place of choice for the establishment of public schools on the model of Eton, Harrow and Rugby, allowing the children of British administrators to obtain a British education without returning to Britain. It helped that the weather in Darjeeling is cool and in some ways, similar to that in the UK. Institutions such as St. Paul's School, Loreto Convent, St. Joseph's School and Mount Hermon School (the only school in the area to be modelled on the American educational system) attract students from all over India and South Asia. Even post-independence, these institutions, some over a hundred years old, still adhere to the traditions that are a part of any public school. Darjeeling also hosts three colleges — St. Joseph's College, Loreto College and Darjeeling Government College, all affiliated to University of North Bengal in Siliguri, that attract students who have completed their 12th standard exam from all over the region.

Media

Darjeeling receives almost all the television channels that are received by the rest of the country. Besides state owned terrestrial Doordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes in the town, while satellite television is more common in the outlying areas. Besides mainstream Indian channels, the town also receives local Nepali language channels. Newspapers in Darjeeling include English language dailies, The Statesman and The Telegraph, which are printed in Siliguri, and The Hindustan Times and the Times of India which are printed in Kolkata (Calcutta), and are received after a day's delay. In addition to these one can also find a few Nepali, Hindi and Bengali language newspapers.

Internet cafés are well established in the main market area, mostly served through dialup lines. BSNL provides a limited form of broadband connectivity of up to 128 kbit/s with DIAS (Direct Internet Access System) connections. The public radio station, All India Radio is the only radio channel received in Darjeeling. The area is well serviced by local cellular companies such as BSNL, Reliance Infocomm, Hutch and Airtel.

References

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External links

• Template:Wikitravel
• Darjeelingnews
• Discussion Forum for Darjeeling
• Map of Darjeeling
• Nepal and Darjeeling Travel Guide for Tourists
• Darjeeling Police
• Darjeeling: Queen of the Himalayas
• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - UNESCO World Heritage List
• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society
• Darjeeling in Hill stations in India
• Mountain Forum: A global network for mountain communities, environments and sustainable development.
• Darjeeling Pictures