Explorea the unexplored to explore

JANUARY 2016

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January 2016 Volume 1 Issue I

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NEED A “VOICE”

FOR YOUR “EXPERTISE”

FOR YOUR “RISE”WE CAN BE

THE VOICE

REACHING YOUR

TARGET...

An All New Travel & Tour Magazine from Siliguri.

To Reach Out to Everyone that Matters in this Sector.

CONTACT US FOR OUR ATTRATIVE AD RATES

Head O�ce : Inspiria Knowledge Campus Himachal Vihar, Phase-II, Matigara, Siliguri - 734010, West Bengal, India.

Peroidicity: QuarterlyNumber of pages: 100 pages

Print: Digital: Golssy: ColourContact Us : [email protected] 0353-2571111, +91-8900755550

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NEED A “VOICE”

FOR YOUR “EXPERTISE”

FOR YOUR “RISE”WE CAN BE

THE VOICE

REACHING YOUR

TARGET...

An All New Travel & Tour Magazine from Siliguri.

To Reach Out to Everyone that Matters in this Sector.

CONTACT US FOR OUR ATTRATIVE AD RATES

Head O�ce : Inspiria Knowledge Campus Himachal Vihar, Phase-II, Matigara, Siliguri - 734010, West Bengal, India.

Peroidicity: QuarterlyNumber of pages: 100 pages

Print: Digital: Golssy: ColourContact Us : [email protected] 0353-2571111, +91-8900755550

Explorea… a venture to accustom the unexplored

andunidentified

places inNorth Bengal

and North-eastIndia.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Extraordinary but untravelled.

“The whole idea behind this launch is to swim against the flow and bring the unidentified places across North Ben-gal and North-East India.to the forefront. The motive is to break-through the common trend of visiting common places and encourage travellers to explore the hidden beau-ty of the region. An initiative to develop tourism for little known and unmapped places in and across this region.

An astonishing result is seen on a comparative study done by our team on the places most visited and paces un-reached. Unexplored places are found to be equally beau-tiful but yet facing identity crisis. Our team is inspired and forced to take the lead to work on their recognition and importance.

Thus, ‘Explorea’ is an initiative to make the unexplored at par with the explored. This will definitely boost the tour-ism and will benefit the local natives of the region. It is important to bring these place to the limelight to justify their existence. Hope this launch and initiative will be help in the exposer of the places unexplored.

Atul Gupta Editor-in–chief

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• Cover story

• Places most visited1. CHOWRASTA

• St Andrews Church• Gorkha rang Manch• Mall Road

2. BATASIA LOOP

• Yiga Choeling Monastry• Druk Sngag Choeling Monastry

3. TIGER HILL • Sinchel Lake• Mata Mandir

CONTENTS

page 14

page 20

DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY

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• Places yet unexplored

• Tea Garden

• Places most-visited vs unexplored

1. TEESTA VALLEY 2. DHOTRE

VS

page 36

page 46

page 42

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• Diversity- Flora & fauna1. FLORA

• PLANTS• FLOWERS

2. FAUNA

• ANIMALS• BIRDS

page 52

• Place of interest

1. MIRIK LAKE

3. KURSEONG - EC

5 .LAMAHATTA

2. KALIMPONG - DEOLO

4. SONADA - GROTO

page 56

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• Beautiful Landscapes page 62

• Sports and adventure

ROPE WAY

page 76

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“The Himalayan Paradise”

EXPLORING...

DARJEELING

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Darjeeling is synonymous with three things – the majestic sight of the snow-capped Kanchenjunga, The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway popularly known as the toy train and its famous tea gardens. Who can think of visiting this enchanting hill station and not take a ride in the historic toy train? Few people reflect on the fact that the toy train has been around long before motor cars came to existence and was the only means of transport to Darjeeling. Today, of course,

COVER STORYDarjeeling- The Beautiful Himalayan heaven

it functions for sight seeing and joy rides and also for its immense heritage value.Indeed, the toy trains feature in exquisite-ly framed photos on the walls of drawing rooms and hotel lobbies as well in Bollywood popular films. After a massive landslide dis-rupted its service for nearly five years, the toy train is back in its track again from the 2nd of this month (December 2015).Today, of course, it functions for sight seeing and joy rides and also for its immense heri-tage value.Indeed, the toy trains feature in exquisite-ly framed photos on the walls of drawing rooms and hotel lobbies as well in Bollywood popular films. After a massive landslide dis-rupted its service for nearly five years, the toy train is back in its track again from the 2nd of this month (December 2015).

DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY

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The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) remains as one of the most outstanding feats in hill train transport. Inaugurated in 1881, it is an example of an ingenious technolog-ical solution to fulfill the challenge of es-tablishing a rail service in the mountainous terrain of the Darjeeling hills. It is still fully operational and retains most of its original features intact. The DHR is a result of the ini-tiative taken by Franklin Prestage, the agent of Eastern Bengal Railway (EBR), a private company who in 1858 received the contract for construction and management of rail-way lines along the Hooghly River towards the Eastern and Northern part of Bengal, in-cluding a track to Darjeeling. However, the company directors did not wish to construct the line to Darjeeling for two reasons. One, they thought it would not be profitable and two, the daunting task of constructing a rail track up the formidable terrain of the Dar-jeeling hills.However, Franklin Prestage took up this challenge in his individual capacity. He de-cided on a two feet rail gauge and formed the Darjeeling Steam Tramway Co., re-named as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Co. on September 15, 1881.

Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. supervised the financial, legal and purchasing interests of DHR and of other small railways from its Calcutta office. A manager and engineer were posted at Kurseong and a mechanical superintendent was at Tindharia.The DHR began services in 1880, beginning first with a Siliguri to Kurseong route. Ser-vices from Sonada to Ghoom on April 5, 1881, Ghoom (Jorebunglow) to Darjeeling on July 4, 1881, and Kurseong to Sonada be-gan on August 1, 1881. The highlight of the DHR is the Ghoom Sta-tion which until recently was the highest rail station in the world and the highest altitude with railway tracks. Other unique features of Because of the steep climb up to Darjeel-

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ing, loops and z-reverses are used to ease the climb. Of the five loops originally con-structed on the route, only three exist now at Chunbhatti, Tindharia and Batasia on the outskirts of Darjeeling. The loops at Agony Pont (Tindharia) and Batasia offer majestic views and have been the favourite locations of film producers of Mumbai and Kolkata over the years.The Z-reverses are the fascinating aspects of the DHR route. In these reverses, the train halts and reverses on a track going up halts again and moves forward on another uphill track. In this manner, steep climbs are made possible for the toy train.The DHR today is inadvertently linked with the social and economic life of the people of the Darjeeling hills. Small hamlets have grown up surrounding each station from Rongtong to Sonada. The railway has been a source of direct and indirect livelihood to the local people. Besides, it has been and continues to be a chief source of national and international tourist attraction. It brings in memories of old and adds tremendous heritage value.

The DHR has been extensively and reg-ularly featured in national and interna-tional media. According to Wikipedia, the BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Ger-ry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson’s film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeel-ing Himalayan Railway.

Today the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This status was accorded in response to a proposal by National Rail Museum (India), the focus of India’s Rail heritage, on 29th June 1998 for inscribing the Darjeeling Himalayan Rail-way (DHR) as a World HERITAGE Site. UNESCO’S World Heritage Committee in-scribed DHR as a World Heritage Site on 2nd December 1999.

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DHR,BATASIA

LOOP

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PLACES MOST VISITEDBeauty that spreads like a wild fire through the travellers & explorers

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1.Chowrasta & Mall “Chowrasta” is the most popular and loved place in Darjeeling. Even the locals are found strolling around the Chowrasta, enjoying the fresh air with family and friends. At Kaventers people enjoy the fun of licking delicious ice-cream bars in the chilling breeze or sipping tea/coffee which tastes like never before in the presence of the pleasant breeze, realizing that heaven is no different. It is a mid-point for four different famed destinations like Singamari, St. Andrews Church, Gorkha Rangamanch and Shrubbery Nightingale Park. Mal road is the connecting point for all the above four places and is the second heaven for crazy shopaholic people- i.e. from hand- made to best designer wool-len apparels and antique pieces are available. Foodies have the option of exploring diversified cuisine.

Darjeeling - is amongst the place that is fa-miliar to one and all worldwide. It is a shin-ing jewel in the north-east region of India. It is very well-known all over the world for the tea and as a tourist spot. The Chowras-ta is one of the most important tourist des-tinations in the hill town of Darjeeling. It is heaven for crazy shopaholic people who come here during vacations for leisure trips.

It is the heart of the hill station with the oth-er places around it looking like the nerves extending from the heart. People throng to the area for shopping and have a great time with friends and family. It has a number of food stalls, bookstores and shops selling different kinds of artefacts on the side of the road.

Pony rides offer another great experience around the Mall road.

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Other then shopping people can go for a joy ride on ponies here. The young boys of the area offer pony rides to people of all age groups in return for a certain sum of mon-ey. Nehru Road is the place where people come to sunbathe and watch the scenery around.

A small open space auditorium is here which is used by local bands to perform and enthrall the people and crowd that come to witness it. The Chowrasta and the Mall are located at the top of Nehru Road where people come to sunbathe.

The place got the name “Chowrasta” be-cause Chow means four while Rasta means road. This was done because four roads converge and meet at this place. To get the feel of Darjeeling, one needs to visit this place. The area gives a feel of the Victorian age in Darjeeling.

Chowrasta, an ideal spot for the joggers and morning walk.

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St. Andrew’s Church is one of the most beau-tiful architectural attractions in Darjeeling. Located in the most attractive spots in the town, the Mall road or Chowrasta it was constructed by the British, during the 18th century. It is one of the oldest and pristine churches in Darjeeling Hills. The founda-tion stone of this church was laid down on St. Andrew’s Day on November 30th, 1843. It is one of the ‘Gems’ which adds upon the beauty of the place. St. Andrews church which stands as a land-mark of British tradition is named after the saints of Scotland, it is an Anglican church. It is one of the engineering marvels which depict the excellent architectural skills of the British. Being one of the most beautiful edifices, it has been admired and praised by the tourists as well as the locals.

ST ANDREWS CHURCH

St. Andrews church which stands as a landmark of Brit-ish tradition is named after the saints of Scotland.

The first divine service was held in October 1844. In September 1867, the spire of the building had collapsed as it was struck by a lightening and so all the services were sus-pended as the shock had rendered the build-ing unsafe and it took several years to recon-struct the damaged building and hence the regular services started off only after 1877. The clock tower with its bell which chimed every hour was built in the year 1883, which was heard all over the town of Darjeeling. The church is able to accommodate the con-gregation of about 200 persons.

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Gorkha Rangamancha is an open audito-rium which is used by the local people for various programmes such as drama, musi-cal performances, cultural activities, semi-nar conferences and also political stunts. It has been beautifully designed and strate-gically located to enable everyone visiting Darjeeling to take a glimpse of the place and take photographs for memories.

GORKHA RANG MANCH

Open-auditorium of the local people for various programmes.

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The Mahakal Mandir holds a religious sig-nificance both for Hindus and Buddhist living in Darjeeling. The temple is a unique amalgamation of the two most important religions of the region. Legend has it that the place where the temple stands today was once home to a Buddhist Monastery. Besides the main temple, there are other smaller temples dedicated to Gods like Kali, Durga, Ganesh, Hanuman etc. There is also a cave which is considered to be sacred and worshipped by the people. The sound of the Hindu temple bells amidst the fluttering Buddhist flags give a serene and divine atmosphere. The Observatory Hill where the temple stands today is con-sidered to be the very place from where civilization in Darjeeling started. Initially, this was the only place inhabited by people before the population began to spread and took the form of present Darjeeling.

MAHAKALMANDIR

The Mahakal Mandir holdsreligious significance both for Hindus and Buddhist living in Darjeeling.

The myth also has it that the place was ini-tially home to a Buddhist monastery and was under the rule of the kingdom of Sik-kim. It is believed that the town Darjeeling got its name from the word “ Dorje-Ling” or the Land of the Thunderbolt, a name given by the monks of the monastery.

The present day temple is built in the Hin-du architecture. It is round in shape with the Shiva-linga placed at the center. Along with the shiva-linga, there are also idols of Bud-dha. The statue of Nandi, the sacred bull of Lord Shiva adorns the entrance of the tem-ple. The main entrance is lined by the Hindu bells and the Buddhist prayer flags. Among all the important festival celebrated here, Siva Ratri is the most important, during this festival people are seen in huge number to offer prayers at Mahakal Temple.Other than Shiv Ratri, many other pujas like Saraswathi Puja, Ganesh Puja, Hanuman Puja, Durga Matha Puja, Buddha Jyanti etc are celebrated with grandeur. The tranquil atmosphere here provides a very spiritual experience.The sound of the Hindu temple bells amidst the fluttering Buddhist flags give a serene and divine atmosphere.

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2. Batasia LoopThe landscape of hill town and the snow covered eastern Himalayan, Mt. Kanchanjunga is best viewed on the way to Darjeeling via. Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR). The railway track loops around beautifully structured ‘War memorial’ and a garden with beautiful flowers beside railway -line. The grand spectackle of the Kanchanjunga cannot be better viewed from else -where.

The unique feature about this loop is the 360 degree turn the Toy-train takes.

Batasia loop was made by the British while laying down the railway whereas the beauti-fication and the ‘war memorial is structured around it recently, by the tourism depart-ment. While taking a trip to Darjeeling in “The Toy Train” – Batasia Loop is the most beautiful sightseeing in the entire journey. The most specific and unique feature about this loop is the 360 degree turn the Toy-train takes. Many Bollywood and Tolly-wood movies shoot in this location. The Toy- train is most popularly used in the old Bollywood movies and even in recent Bol-lywood movies. Batasia loop is mostly used in the Tollywood films. Batasia loop is one of the most visited place on the way to Darjeeling. It is located on Hill Cart Road, N.H.-55(National High-way) which connect Siliguri.The Toy- train is most popularly used in the old Bollywood movies and even in recent Bollywood movies. Batasia loop is mostly used in the Tollywood films.

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BATASIALOOP

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Yiga Choeling Monastery of Ghoom, built in the year 1850, is one of the oldest Tibet-an Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling. The monastery belongs to the Gelukpa or the Yellow Hat sect and is famous for its 15 feet high special statue of the Maitreya Buddha which is known as ‘The Maitreya Buddha or the Gyalwa Shampa’ which means the Bud-dha of the future or the Coming Buddha. The external structure of the building was established in 1850 by the famous Mon-golian astrologer and monk Sokpo Sherab Gyatso. Since 1850 to 1905 he had adminis-tered as the head of the monastery.This statue is one of the biggest and oldest statues of Buddha in Darjeeling area.

YIGA CHOELING MONASTERY

This statue is one of the biggest and oldest statues of Buddha in Darjeeling area.

It was made with clay, which was brought from Tibet. In front of the Buddha’s statue, there are two huge oil lamps that keep burn-ing all the time and all through the year. This 15-foot statue of the Buddha was construct-ed during the tenure of the second head of the monastery Lama Domo Geshe Rinpoche (1910 – 1952). Inside the Yiga Choeling Monastery, there are images of many Buddha deities and la-mas such as the Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara), Buddha of compassion, and Tsongkhapa who was the founder of the Gelupka sect to which the Monastery belongs. There is a large collection of Buddha’s manuscripts in-side that includes a 108-volume Kangyur – The Tibetan Buddhist Gospel. There are also bells and a huge drum inside.

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He was considered a well-known Religious teacher during his time. The monastery be-longs to the Kargyupa Sect. it also serves as the headquarters and residence for Druk-chen Rinpoche the XII, who is the supreme leader of the kragyuga sect.The structure is built in the traditional Ti-betan style. The building offers a splendid view when one looks at it from a distant. The colors used in the walls are bright and bold which depicts the life and teachings of Lord Buddha.

Currently, there are around 200 monks and disciples from the nearby Himalayan re-gion who live and study in the monastery. A small library containing Buddhist scripture and other literary works on the philosophy of life is present inside.The perfect time to visit the monastery is during early mornings or at the evening when the prayer session is going on. The prayer timings are from 5 am to 6 am and 5 pm to 6.30pm. In 1993, his holiness the Dalai Lama had inaugurated the recent complex of the monastery when he had come for his religious teachings on Buddhism in the region.

This is one of the largest monasteries locat-ed at a place called Dali which is 5 kms away from Darjeeling. It was built during the time of Kyabje Thuksey Rimpoche in 1971.

DRUK SANGAG CHOELING MONASTRY

The structure is built in the traditional Tibetan style. The building offers a splendid view when one look at it from a distant.

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TIGER HILL, DARJEELING

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3. Tiger hillDarjeeling is known for its tea and tourism along with the cynic beauty of the area. Tiger Hill is the highest point of Ghoom which is the highest railway station in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tiger Hill is located in Darjeeling, West Bengal. It is about 11kms from Darjeeling town and can be reached either by jeep or foot.

During the sunrise, the first rays of the sun shed light on the twin peaks of the Kanchenjunga painting it pink and then in a beautiful orange colour. From Tiger Hill, Mount Everest is just visible in between the two peaks standing by its side. The distance in a straight line from Tiger Hill to Everest is 107 miles.While on Tiger Hill one can visit Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary which offers great pic-nic spots and has two artificial lakes which serve as reservoirs for water supply to the town of Darjeeling. In the hills, one simply has to wake up to the stunning sunrises. The first glimpse of the golden horizon makes one’s day.

The Golden hourat Tiger Hill during Sunrise

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TIGER HILL

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The sun plays its true colours behind the mountains and the horizon turns crimson as the sun comes out of the mountains like a perfect yolk. It is relishing to see the sun become stronger as it goes into the sky. Kanchenjunga Hill which stands on the North changes its colour from blue to white to pink to gold.

The mountains look so close that they de-ceive people. It looks as if the sun is doing its chores for the first time. Tiger Hill is a des-tination in itself offering not just great views during the sunrise but it’s also a place where one can soak themselves in the Himalayan serenity anytime of the day.

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Mata Mandir is the most respected and worshipped place for all the Nepali/Gorkha Hindus all over the globe, actually Mata Mandir is well known as Sinchel Mata Mandir or Sinchel Mandir please correct it.

The lake is a water reservoir for the entire Darjeeling town it is situated in the middle of the Sinchel Wildlife sanctuary. The whole of the area of Tiger hill falls under Sinchel Wildlife Sanctuary

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PLACES YET UNEXPLOREDThe Heavenly beauty unseen & unreached

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Places of heavenly essence that enchants with its charmingvista. Experience the real feeling of wow moments with every breath taken.

TEEATA VALLEY, DURPIN DARA

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TEESTA VALLEY

DARJEELING

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The serpentine river Teestaflowing from the Himalayas.

1. Teesta valleyDarjeeling known as the queen of hills and a worldwide recognized tourist destination has many corners which are yet unexplored. There remains a number of beautiful tourist destinations which are unreached or rarely visited in Darjeeling.’Teesta Valley Durpin Dara’ is amongst one of them. It is situated about 25 km away from the township of Darjeeling, and it is an excellent view point.

The river ‘Teesta’ flows through this valley and so the valley is named after the river. It is one of the oldest tea gardens in Darjeeling, established in the year 1841. The tea estates have received gold medals for the production of world’s finest tea.

Tea gardens around the place are worth vis-iting, it is one of the most beautiful tea gar-dens in Darjeeling and attracts visitors by its magnificent scenery in and around it. In between these beautiful green tea gardens, there is a famous Durpin Dara (local lingo) or viewpoint. Views from this place are totally mesmer-ising, one could easily be fascinated by the panoramic sight of the hills, mountains, forests and enchanting river Teesta in its serpentine form. It stretches from Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the township of Siliguri can be viewed easily.

In order to enhance tourism, some local people have come out with the idea of de-veloping eco-friendly homestay so that the tourists could stay back to relish the beauty of nature.

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Snow fall at Dhotre during winter.

2. DhotreA place for experiencing the real feel of eco-tourism. It is a natural eco-tourism spot. In fact, eco-tourism is the only source of income for the people at Dhotrey. Being a village in the limits of forest region, everything available is natural and the source is nature and not man-made. The food they serve is grown by them and after sunset, there are no means of artificial lighting. It’s the natural moonlight that lights up the place.

Dhotrey is a small village with limited hab-itats. It is a forest village with 68 small huts within the buffer zone of ‘SINGALILA NA-TIONAL PARK’. Years back, wooden logs were collected by the Forest Department with a 5km long ropeway. The village was set up during that time.The ropeway was demolished in the mid-80s and the village economy suffered. In the mid-90s, an effort was made to develop an eco-tourism/ a village tourism center. It took over five years, for an individual to motivate the villagers to develop tourism. On 9th Feb-ruary 2008, a fire had destroyed 33 huts. Now, the village has been rebuilt with the help of the Forest Department and many volunteers, and with the help of the people in Darjeeling.

The Buddhist Monastery in that area has been renovated by Rumtek authorities of Sikkim. At present, any nature lover can stay at Dhotrey, in village huts or at the trekker’s hut. Momo and roti are the usual dishes served. Electricity supply is out of reach as it is within the Na-tional Park limits. A stroll in the evening in the nearby forest is a great experience where the clouds play hide and seek with us. Dhotrey is a beautiful place in itself.

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VIEW FROMDHOTRE,

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Human beings desire to explore the world, even the universe. The strange thing is that the quest of exploring does not quench the thirst for more and more, no matter what. Nature is so rich and diverse around us that innumerable places remain to be discov-ered and explored.

Darjeeling is a world famous place and a tourist interest destination. Thousands of people visit Darjeeling, every month. They feel they know all about “Darjeeling”. Is it really true that they have explored Darjeel-ing?

PLACES MOST VISITED V/S

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The normal trend is to ask a tourist guide for the best itinerary and pay a visit, and they think the place is explored. It’s not true. They are the most popular and most visited place or already explored places and not the unexplored ones.

“Explorea”- will take you through the un-explored places in and around Darjeeling. It’s the jewel of the hills inNorth Bengal and North-East India. Darjeeling is famous worldwide for its natural beauty and its heavenly essence. Let’s compare the explored beauty of Dar-jeeling with the unexplored beauty in the

PLACES YET UNEXPLOREDV/S

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TEA GARDEN, DARJEELING

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Tea Gardens

Tea gardens are one of the special features of the hills and Darjeeling tea is world famous for its excellent and unique quality. The hill sides are spread with green tea bushes that stretch from one end to the other, adding a unique charm to the scenic landscape.

Tea was first introduced in Darjeeling in the mid -19th century by the British, and these sprawling tea estates are still reminiscent of their culture. A trip to a typical tea es-tate is all about misty mornings, tea leaves blasking under the sun, endless walks dis-covering various types of tea bushes and of course, sipping your favourite brew.

TEA GARDENKnow how the world famous brew ‘Darjeeling Tea’ reach us

These ‘Darjeeling Tea Estates’ are stunning vistas on the journey to various parts of

Darjeeling.

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SOME OF THE RENOWNED TEA ESTATES IN DARJEELING ARE:

5. Goomtee Tea Estate:Lesser known than its famous neighbours Makaibari and Glenburn, visitors at Goom-tee get to stay in a 100-year-old heritage bungalow at a height of about 4000 feet, with sweeping views of the valleys and mountains.

3.Happy Valley Tea Estate:Wandering through tea gardens settled on the gentle hill slopes of Darjeeling is the perfect way to start your day at the Happy Valley Tea Estate. With plantations as old as 150 years and picture-perfect stretches of lush green tea bushes beckoning you, this tea estate will floor you with its old-world charm. Stop by the gardens during the pro-cess of plucking, processing and packaging and you’ll be privy to one of a fascinating tea garden experiences.

4.Chamong Tea Estate:Nestled in the misty hills of Darjeeling, Chamong Tea Estate stretches over 900 acres of lush green land that houses a tea planta-tion, a tea factory and a village for the tea pickers. Most of the land is forested, with an abundance of flora and fauna. The incredi-ble splendour of the green hills, the verdant tea bushes and the quiet daily life makes this area popular amongst visitors.

2.Makaibari Tea Estate: Makaibari Tea Estate, the producer of Darjeeling’s costliest tea, was established in 1859- making it one of the oldest fam-ily-owned tea gardens in Darjeeling. The tea garden is situated on the outskirts a Kurseong along the Balason valley.

1.Glenburn Tea Estate: Step into the idyllic world of Glenburn, a tea estate established by Scottish tea planters in 1860.It sprawls over 1600 acres of verdant forests, scenic hills, tea picker villages and two river valleys.

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Darjeeling tea has its significance worldwide, and one of its unique aspects is the fact its entire manufacturing procedure is manual except the actual processing. Tea leaves are plucked, dried and rolled by men in a systematic and clean manner.

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Tea is the main source of income for the region - Darjeeling. Tea manufactured here is exported worldwide and has huge demand.

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LLYOD BOTANIC GARDEN

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1.Flora DIVERSITY

Unique diversity that is rich and preserved flowering plants

Bird Of Paradise Paphiopedulum Villosum

Abies Densa , F-Coniferie

Pleone Praecox Sobralia Amesiania Eria convallarioides

Rhododendron maddeni

Calanthe biloba Phaius tankervilleae

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DIVERSITY2.Fauna

Diveristy of animals and birds found and preserved

Blus whistling thrush Barking Deer Chestnut bellied rockthrush

Verditer flycatcher Common hawk cuckoo Himalayan Black Bear

Himalayan Palm Civet Green Backed Tit Little pied flycatcher

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GREATERYELOWNAPE

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PLACE OF INTEREST

Kurseong is a hill station in the town of Darjeeling which is in the state of West Bengal. In the Lepcha language, it means the land of the white orchids. The weather in the town of Kurseong is always pleasant. The town is amongst the green canopy of myriad tea gardens.

A well-kept secret from where one can view an amazing sunset in all the desired calm-ness & silence. A fascinating aspect about the Eagle’s Craig situated just a kilometre distance from Kurseong is that not many people know of it and hence there are few tourists around.

Once one makes their way up the spiral staircase to the steel-caged observatory – the viewpoint, they are definitely in for a visual treat. The lookout point offers a stunning panoramic view of the sunset and the lush green slopes around the small town of Kurseong. One can also see the river Balason snaking its way through the valley. The Eagle’s Craig has an observatory close to it which is known as ‘Netaji Kothi’. It is called so because at one point of time it used to be the abode of Netaji Subash

EC, KURSEONG

The lookout point offers stunning panaromic view of the sunset and the lush green slopes around the small town of Kurseong.

Captivating places which takes you to a different world

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Mirik is one of the most famous tourist spots in Darjeeling which is famous for its beau-ty and obscurity. When we are on the way to Mirik the scenery is breathtaking and it seems we are going amongst the white fluffy clouds. Alongthe way there is greenery on one side with the tea gardens, mountains and pine trees. The road trip from Darjeel-ing to Mirik makes a person fall short of words. The Mirik Lake or Sumendu Lake is the favourite tourist spot in the region. Boating and Pony Riding is available. There is a flip side to it, careless tourists often spoil the area making it dirty. It is a quiet place where one can stay for the whole day and not get bored.

The person is sent totally into a differ-ent space due to the natural surroundings which are breathtaking. The area around the lake has pine trees on one side and a gar-den on the other side. Both the sides are linked by a foot bridge which is called the rainbow bridge. The place where the pres-ent lake stands used to be a marshland with a very thick growth of plants while what is the garden now was a polo ground used by the British.

Mirik has very recently been added to the tourist location of Darjeeling. Earlier Mirik town used to be a meadow which was sur-rounded by hills. In 1970, the West Bengal Tourism Department made a small dam which blocked the water from flowing out thus, creating the lake in the process. Now the lake has become one of the biggest tour-ist attractions of Mirik.

There is a temple named Singha Devi Mandir on the west of the lake. The two points near the lake namely Rameetya Dara and Deosi Dara have the best view of the snowcapped Himalayan range and the val-ley. The sunrise and the sunset are the best from this particular area. Places of interest:Mirik lake, Kawla Dara, Doesi Dara, Rai-Dhap, Tea estates, Orange orchards, Carda-mom grove and Devi-sthan.

MIRIK LAKE

A trip to Darjeeling needs to have a visit to the Mirik lake else it would be like going to Agra and not seeing the Taj Mahal.

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Dello or the Deolo hill is one of the defi-nitely-must-visit places in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. Only 6 kilome-ters away from Kalimpong and at a height of 1914 metres, it definitely is one of those places suitable for a getaway with loved ones from the busy schedules of life. Be it a horseback ride or a simple casual stroll in the evening that is what it takes to cover Dello. The Govt. Guest House (DGHC) compound is a landmark. Although Dello is suitable as a picnic spot but a night-stay at the local hotels is a must if one is interest-ed in experiencing the Kanchanjunga range bathed in the early morning sunrise which is a visual treat indeed.

For those with a nose-for-thrill Deolo of-fers an exciting opportunity for paragliding, overlooking the hills and the Teesta valley. Although a one-night stint, but it is high-ly recommended one. It is duly advised for the ones visiting this little piece of heaven to carry their medicines & baby-food if re-quired for the nearest market is at a 3-4 ki-lometers walking distance. The nearest market is the ‘14th Mile Market’. It is recommended for visitors to definitely try out a sip of the most famous Darjeeling tea, refresher against the chilly weather. It is a must visit for any tourist visiting the hills of North Bengal and North-East India.

DEOLO,KALIMPONG

Deolo is suitable as a picnic spot but a night-stay at the local hotels is a must if one is interested to experience the Kanchanjunga range.

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Sonada is a small but beautiful hamlet on the way to Darjeeling between Kurseong and Ghoom. It is at a distance of 17 kilome-ters from Darjeeling town and 16 kilometers from Kurseong. It lies on the National High-way 55, connecting Darjeeling with Siliguri.

Gorato Nalichor Intek Cider’s is a pilgrim centre here, there is a statue reflecting the life of Lord Jesus Christ including the beau-tiful statue of Mother Mary indebted to the families for their contribution and generous donation of the land.

While travelling on the way from Sonada to Darjeeling a beautiful view of the Sherpa Monastery can be seen just near the Nation-al Highway 55, Hill Cart Road, Sonada. It is a must visit place for people who love cynic beauty.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway(DHR), a UNESCO world heritage site profoundly known as toy train passes through the town as there is a DHR (Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) station located here. Sonada has a beautiful monastery known as the Samdrup Darjay Choling Monastery, here is the inter-national seat of the Shangpa Kagyu Lineage, founded by his eminence Dorje Chang Kab-je Kalu Rinpoche, who was born in Tibet but in 1993 was enthroned in this Monastery.

SONADA GROTO,DARJEELING

Chorten of Sherpa Monastery can be seen just near the National Highway.

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Darjeeling is a place which is blessed by mother nature in abundance. It is known all over the world for its quality tea and sig-nificant beauty. It is a place which is fre-quented by tourists for spending their va-cations with family and friends. There are a number of tourist destinations all over Darjeeling and Lamhatta is one of them. It is still an upcoming eco-tourism destina-tion located at an altitude of 1700 meters and around 23 kilometers from Darjeeling. Lamhatta has been identified as a paradise for honeymooners. From treks to viewing the landscape of the magnificent Kanchen-junga Hills, the Balason River from a central watchtower, this place offers it all.

If one is looking for a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, all that concrete, noise and smoke, the picturesque mountain village of Lamhatta is the perfect spot. The locally situated twin ponds ‘Jore Pokhari’ are a must see. Garden benches are a major attraction of the village. For those looking for aestheticism amongst

nature, conceptualised natural rock points await them. It may be observed that the twin ponds may seem to resemble the ‘for cou-ples’ ambience as the place is predominantly popular as a ‘Honeymoon Point. ’ The in-habitants of the place work closely with the private and government authorities to pro-mote this place.

LAMAHATTADARJEELING

Trek through the ‘zig-zag’ walkways between the pine trees, makes this place is predominantly popular.

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LAMAHATTADARJEELING

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MIRIK LAKE

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PEACEPAGODA

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TIGER HILL

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SINCHELLAKE

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TEESTA VALLEY

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BATASIALOOP

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Darjeeling is an adventurous place for lovers of sports and adveture

- it serves with thrilling experiences inriver rafting, rock climbing and ropeway.

A sizzling experience over the valleys, mountain peaks, tea gardens and waterfall in 45 minutes of ride. A ride filled with ad-venture at an elevation of seven thousand feet. It’s amongst Asia’s greatest ‘Travel-ler Ropeway’. India got it’s first ropeway in the hills of Darjeeling know as “Darjeeling Rangit Place Traveller Wire Car” generally called ‘The Darjeeling ropeway’.

It is situated at 27 ° 3’40” N 88 °15’15”E at an elevation of 7000 legs above sea level. This initiative was taken by the forest develop-ment department of Darjeeling in 1968. The cable car takes the gliders to an elevation of aprox. 7000 feet in Singamari, North Point.

ROPEWAY,DARJEELING

This is one of the best places to visit and is sure to provide one a relaxation time while the wonder car glides in the air.

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It is now operated under a joint venture of the West Bengal Development Corporation & Conveyor and Ropeway Services.Smooth glide over the valleys, mountain peaks, waterfalls, tea gardens and beautiful landscape of Darjeeling in a cable car. The best experiences one could have on a vaca-tion to this hill station. This is one of the best places to visit and is sure to provide one a relaxation time while the wonder car glides in the air, through beautiful Darjeeling. So the next time you are planning a vacation to a hill Station, does indulge in experiencing a taste of Darjeeling tea & tourism.

The present ropeway has been extensive-ly modernized and visitors can now safely travel over the clouds to witness the aerial view of the lush green tea gardens below. The best time to discover this wonderful ex-perience is March to May and September to November. Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Pas-senger Ropeway operates from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. in summer. In winter, it operates only till 4 p.m. The Ropeway generally re-mains closed on the 15th of every month to carry out maintenance work.

It was started by the forest development de-partment of Darjeeling in 1968 the cable car ride takes one to an elevation of about 7000 feet in Singamari, North Point.It is now managed as a joint venture of the West Ben-gal Development Corporation & Conveyor and Ropeway Services. Having to smoothly glid over the valleys, mountains, peaks, waterfalls, tea gardens and beautiful landscape of Darjeeling in a cable car, this is one of the best experienc-es you could have on your vacation to this hill station.This is one of the best places to visit and is sure to provide one a relaxation time while the wonder car glides in the air, through the beautiful Darjeeling.So the next time you are planning for a vacation to a hill Station, do indulge in experiencing a taste of Darjeeling tea & tourism.

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