Kalimpong, The Serene Beauty
General Information
District:DarjilingState:West BengalCountry:IndiaArea:36021 Sq. Km.Language Spoken:Bengali, Nepali, Hindi and EnglishLong Distance Code:+91-3552Importance:Hill ResortBest Time To Visit:January to DecemberDescription:
The best part about Kalimpong is the serenity with its stunning beauty. Nestling in the lush green mid ranges of the Himalayas, this hill station has an incredible stunning backdrop of towering snow-capped peaks. There are three lines of origin of the name of the town. Kalimpong means king's minister's strong hold, a Bhutanese word, but also called Kalimpong in local dialect meaning "black spur". As per Lepchas, Kalimpong means 'ridge where we play' as the local tribesmen used to organize field sports while not engaged in agricultural pursuit which gave the town its name. It was ruled by Bhutan for 155 years, and was annexed by the British only in 1865, after which it flourished as a center of wool trade with Tibet. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity with their respective Gumpas, unusual churches, temples, monks and missionaries have a jovial coexistence in Kalimpong. Somewhat secluded and tucked away in the corner under big Darjeeling umbrella, Kalimpong offers a quiet and relaxed holiday, against the backdrop of the Kanchenjunga.
Kalimpong has some of the most exotic flowers and is famous for its orchids' nurseries. The local weather and the soil structure is perfect for the growth of exotic flora because of which it gets the name the city of orchids. With beautiful orchids, old colonial bungalows, scenic viewpoints and above all the panorama of snows is what Kalimpong is all that a traveler wants.Location:
Cradled between the Deolo and Durpin Dara Hills, Kalimpong is a beautiful hill station perched at the height of about 1250 meters. This small town of 9 sq. km. houses a population of around 40,000, comprising Nepalese, Bhutias and Lepchas.
About three km from Kalimpong town, stands Dr. Graham's Homes. This extraordinary educational institute has a campus of 500 acres, with its own farm, bakery, dairy, poultry, clothing department, hospital and chapel. Started in 1900 by Scotsman, Rev. Dr. John Anderson Graham, as a home for six orphans, it is now a public school with around 900 students. They are given extra training in handicrafts. The School celebrated its Centenary in Year 2000.
About two km. from Kalimpong, Durpin Dara looms above the town to the southwest. This is an observation point from where one can have a breathtaking view of the Himalayan ranges and the valleys, the rivers and the plains. Durpin Dara was once a survey point, and hence the name, which means Binocular Ridge.
The Deolo Hill is situated on the road to Kalimpong, from Darjeeling. Atop the 1914 meter hill, the Deolo View Point offers an excellent view of snow peaks, Kalimpong town and the confluence of the Rangeet and Teesta rivers. The Deolo Lake is Kalimpong towns water reservoir.Remarks: Rs. 50 Entrance fee per person for foreigner & Rs. 5 for Indian.
It is a recently constructed temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is a wonderful piece of architecture.
One of the most important and also the most ancient Buddhist temples in the area, the Thongsha Gompa was built in 1630.
Offering a beautiful view of the city is the Zong Dog Palri Fo-Brang Monastery. Established in 1970 and consecrated personally by the Dalai Lama, it has impressive wall paintings and frescoes in the prayer hall and an excellent collection of thankas, and a rare three-dimensional mandala and an image of the 1000-armed Chenrazee or Avalokiteswara upstairs. This monastery contains the Kangyur, the Tibetan Buddhist religious text, in all its 108 volumes. There is also a large image of Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padma Sambhava, the patron saint and founder of the Nyingmapa Order of Buddhism. Near the monastery is the world's highest nine hole Golf Course.
The Pine View Nursery, it has over 1,500 different varieties of cactuses.With the enriching expertise, we have nurtured a wide range of Flowering Bulbs and Tubers, including some of the world's finest.Remarks: INR 10 per person