Darjeeling (city)

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Darjeeling
Darjeeling (city) (India)
Red pog.svg
State : IndiaIndia India
State : West Bengal
District : Darjeeling
Sub-district : Darjeeling Sadar
Location : 27 ° 3 '  N , 88 ° 16'  E Coordinates: 27 ° 3 '  N , 88 ° 16'  E
Height : 2185 m

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Darjeeling (also: Darjiling ; Bengali দার্জিলিং IAST Dārjiliṃ , Nepali दार्जिलिंग IAST Dārjiling , Tibetan རྡོ་ རྗེ་ གླིང་ rdo-rje gling "Land of Dorje ") is a place in the Front Himalayas in the Indian state of West Bengal between Nepal and Bhutan . It is located at 2185  m , has around 120,000 inhabitants (2011 census) and is the administrative seat of the Darjeeling district . Due to its location, the place has a high degree of ethnic diversity . In addition to the West Bengali official language and English, the predominant languages ​​are especially Nepali and Tibetan .

Climate and environmental situation

During the British colonial rule, Darjeeling served as a "hill station" (resort) for British colonial officials and officers because of its mild climate. They moved from Calcutta to Darjeeling every year during the hot spell. During the monsoons , Darjeeling receives significant amounts of rain.

Today Darjeeling is characterized by a high level of air pollution due to a dramatic increase in motorization.

Darjeeling, West Bengal
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
14th
 
9
3
 
 
30th
 
11
4th
 
 
48
 
15th
8th
 
 
105
 
18th
11
 
 
245
 
19th
13
 
 
614
 
19th
15th
 
 
836
 
19th
15th
 
 
675
 
20th
15th
 
 
480
 
20th
15th
 
 
137
 
19th
12
 
 
21st
 
15th
7th
 
 
6.9
 
12
4th
Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: wetter.com ; wetterkontor.de
Monthly average temperatures and rainfall for Darjeeling, West Bengal
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 9.3 11.1 14.8 18.0 18.6 19.3 19.3 19.8 19.9 18.6 15.3 11.9 O 16.3
Min. Temperature (° C) 3.0 4.3 7.7 10.8 12.9 14.7 15.4 15.4 14.6 11.5 7.4 4.4 O 10.2
Precipitation ( mm ) 13.5 30.2 47.8 105.2 244.6 614.2 836.2 674.6 480.1 137.4 20.6 6.9 Σ 3,211.3
Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 5.4 5.0 4.7 4.9 4.9 2.4 2.5 3.3 3.2 5.4 6.3 6.1 O 4.5
Rainy days ( d ) 2 2 4th 10 18th 21st 26th 24 19th 7th 2 1 Σ 136
Humidity ( % ) 82 76 71 72 85 93 95 94 92 84 81 80 O 83.8
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
9.3
3.0
11.1
4.3
14.8
7.7
18.0
10.8
18.6
12.9
19.3
14.7
19.3
15.4
19.8
15.4
19.9
14.6
18.6
11.5
15.3
7.4
11.9
4.4
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		13.5
30.2
47.8
105.2
244.6
614.2
836.2
674.6
480.1
137.4
20.6
6.9
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

history

In the 19th century, the region of Darjeeling belonged politically to what was then the Chogyal kingdom of Sikkim and was shaped by the population groups of the Lepchas and Bhutias . In 1835 the British East India Company leased the site from the Chogyal , formally in return for helping in the conflict with the territorially expanding Nepal . As a result, Darjeeling was developed as a climatic health resort for British colonial officials and officers. Even today, the cityscape of Darjeeling is shaped by the colonial architecture (villas, churches, hotels) of the 19th century.

economy

economic sectors

Shiliguri to Darjeeling Railway (Toy Train)

For centuries Darjeeling lived from the caravan trade between Tibet and India . In the 19th century, the Darjeeling region was developed by the colonial power of England into a center of Bengali tea cultivation. Today Darjeeling enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide for its high-quality Darjeeling tea .

In addition to tea production, tourism is another important economic pillar. It is mainly domestic tourists who come from Calcutta , but also from distant Delhi and Bangalore , spend their holidays in the cool mountain region. Foreign tourists often use the city as a starting point for expeditions to the Himalayan region.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs from Shiliguri to Darjeeling , a 610 mm narrow-gauge railway , which was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 and is one of the main tourist attractions of the region.

Economic situation and political problems

Against the background of economic and social problems (high unemployment ) and a lack of political participation, some of the Nepalese-speaking residents who immigrated to the Darjeeling region founded the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). In the mid-1980s, the GNLF articulated, sometimes militantly, demands for political autonomy for a free " Gorkha State" ( Gorkhaland ) within the state of West Bengal . The political goal of a separate state has not yet been achieved, but the state government in Calcutta made higher financial resources available for the Darjeeling administrative district, which so-called "Hill Councils" should use for economic and social projects.

Nevertheless, the economic situation in Darjeeling has steadily deteriorated in recent years. The high level of youth unemployment is also a significant problem. The population believes that these problems were caused by increasing mismanagement and nepotism by Subash Ghising's GNLF. Out of this resentment, the new party Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) arose in 2007, which again raised the demand for an autonomous Gorkhaland . Their leader Bhimal Gurung, citing Mahatma Gandhi, called for nonviolent resistance and wants to put the West Bengali government under economic pressure: the GJMM's call to stop paying taxes, telephone and electricity bills has been followed for months by the population. The state government in Calcutta seems to be powerless to face this and other boycotts, so that one can assume that the GJMM has in fact gained sovereignty over the Darjeeling district. The situation in Darjeeling escalated in the summer of 2008 when shots were fired from the meeting place by high-ranking GNLF leaders from the conference room into the demonstrating crowd outside and a young supporter of the GJMM was fatally wounded. The leading people of the GNLF were then arrested on suspicion of murder, and their houses were vandalized or even burned down by angry supporters of the GJMM. Ghising himself, who did not take part in the meeting, had to leave the "hill areas". The GJMM managed to calm the situation down again. On September 8, 2008, a trilateral meeting between the Indian federal government, the state government of West Bengal and the GJMM took place in New Delhi, without this meeting having produced any results so far.

Worth seeing

View of Darjeeling
  • Bhanu Bhakta Sarani (circular walk around Observatory Hill at the top of The Mall with a good view of Kangchenjunga )
  • Ghoom Monastery ( Gelugpa Order, 19th century)
  • Thupten Sangha Chöling Large Tibetan monastery ( Drukpa-Kagyü -Linie) in the Dali district, richly decorated prayer hall with monumental statues (built from 1990 to 1993)
  • Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (Museum of the Himalayas and Mountaineering)
  • Lloyds Botanical Garden (Flora of the Himalayas)
  • The Mall (colonial shopping street)
  • Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (including collar bears , snow leopards , red pandas , tigers , yaks )
  • Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (since 1880, operates as a narrow-gauge railway between New Jalpaiguri - or the small train station in Shiliguri - and Darjeeling)
  • Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Center (production of handicrafts)
  • Tiger Hill (2590 m above sea level, viewpoint for Kangchenjunga massif)
  • Windamere Hotel (traditional hotel from colonial times)

sons and daughters of the town

literature

  • Barthi Kirchner: The gardens of Darjeeling: Roman. Blanvalet, Munich, 2005, ISBN 978-3-442-36282-0 .
  • Karl-Heinz Krämer: Integration and independence: the Nepalese population of Darjeeling and their striving for independence. South Asia (Berlin) No. 1/1997, pp. 36-40.
  • Dominique Marny: Darjeeling. Family saga from India: novel. Bastei-Verlag Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 1999, ISBN 978-3-404-14269-9 .
  • Nicole C. Vosseler : The sky over Darjeeling: Roman. Bastei-Verlag Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 2006, ISBN 978-3-7857-2243-5 .
  • Heiko Klein, Sabine Riese: Trekking in Sikkim and Darjeeling: Report on a 4-week trip to the northeast of India. Klein-Riese, Oberursel, 2001, ISBN 978-3-8311-2417-6 .
  • Arend Vollers: Darjeeling: Land of tea on the edge of the world. A. Vollers, Bremen, 1981, DNB 821087770
  • Klaus Imbeck, Raghubir Singh (photos): Darjeeling: Train in the clouds. In: Geo-Magazin , 8/1979, pp. 58–72, ISSN  0342-8311 . Informative experience report: “The British colonial society once took these little trains into the summer resort. But even today the colorful trains lurch up to the Himalayas. "

Web links

Commons : Darjeeling  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ For a clear climate diagram see iten-online.ch
  2. ↑ see the extensive news archive at darjeelingtimes.com with further information and the English Wikipedia