The Darjeeling

Buddha idol in seated posture
(Japanese Temple)

Be it the beginning of a cloudy and crisp morning with a cup of hot tea, be it the hissing shrill of the steam engine emerging out of the greens from nowhere, be it witnessing the rising sun from the 'Tiger Hills' or be it spotting numerous Buddhist monasteries, all of them have one thing in common...

Yes, I'm talking of none other than the magical land of 'Darjeeling'. Situated at an average elevation of  6,710 ft (2,045.2 m), the tea town stands in utter grandeur and majesty with a sea of utter silence, only seldom disturbed by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or the famous toy train and the flowing traffic.

The serpent shaped road to Darjeeling

The journey to the tea town starts from the city of  Siliguri and after undergoing an adventurous journey of 77 km through the National Highway 55 the town that stays obscured behind the clouds becomes visible. From the height of Darjeeling the left behind city of  Siliguri appears tiny and the roads imitate a brisk moving serpent. Besides this the  World Heritage Site by UNESCO or the  Darjeeling Himalayan Railway comes in handy for an awesome journey in the laps of the Himalaya, if time is not a factor or the track is free from landslides.

The first glimpse of Darjeeling

The Himalayan 'Toy Train'

Close to nature- bee collecting nectar

Once in Darjeeling, one develops immense love for the town. The local people display their friendly character evident from the delicate flower pots they exhibit on their gallery. For a tourist nothing is much needed than this!

Here comes the Sun from behind the clouds

The day starts with a glimpse of the rising sun from the 'Tiger Hill' which seems to be a matter of luck! In fact Mr Sun turns a shy one here rarely revealing itself from behind the dark clouds. I was lucky to get a glimpse of Mr Sun.

A trip into the clouds

Then we travel steering through the cloud clad narrow road to the Buddhist Monastery which reminds the rich cultural and spiritual beliefs aptly retained by the people here. Here a giant idol of seated Buddha grabs the limelight! In addition to this the chants of the Buddhist monks bring every people to halt and have a glance to this practice.

War memorial- Batasia loop

Next comes the Batasia Loop. As clear from the name this place is
known for 'Batas' or the breeze blowing through this area. This used to be a part of the Toy Train track, which has now been converted into a war memorial in remembrance of the 'Gorkha' soldiers.

The Japanese Temple

Standing atop a steep hill en-robed within the clouds comes the 'Japanese Temple' or Peace Pagoda, featuring several idols of lord Buddha in various postures all painted in metallic golden color. At this place the phrase NA-MU-MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO becomes prominent with the monks chanting it to the beats of a drum its translation in Indian language being 'Saddharam Pundarik Sutraya'.

Moments of leisure!

Following this the tour approaches its last phase- The Padmaja Naidu
Himalayan Zoological Park and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. The zoo showcases a variety of Fauna commonly prevalent in the region. There are Himalayan wild dogs, bear, barking deer, the Royal Bengal Tiger, cheetah, yak etc. This spot serves as a hot spot for amateur photographers like me!

A climbing rock

Lastly we approach the Tenzing Rock, a steep rocky structure intended for the training of the mountain climbers. Just a fascinating location. A part of it is open to tourists who wish to get an experience in climbing on a ticket of minimal charge.

And what to say about the tea gardens. Initially started by the British planters in 1856, the 'Darjeeling Tea' has taken the world by it like a storm. Not only India, but a host of other countries have come up as great consumers of the tea. The fact that one is in Darjeeling is evident from the large rows of tea trees covering both sides of the roads, kilometres before approaching the town.



Lastly the tour gets its 'The End'. The mind and soul that has become so much attached to the place finds it difficult to leave it. For me if there is a Heaven on Earth, it's Darjeeling. It has attracted many troubled minds for rejuvenation and revival, and will keep on doing so. Still in the laps of nature, seemingly untouched by humans a land full of pines and flowers, the magical land bids a farewell to me and so do I. Goodbye Darjeeling! Stay awesome forever!

The tea gardens
credits: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_Garden_Darjeeling_West_Bengal_India_(3).JPG

N.B.- excluding the last one, all photos are clicked by me