Nestled in the picturesque lower Himalayan range is one of the oldest hill stations of India, Darjeeling. This beautiful hill station in West Bengal owes its name to the Tibetan word, Dorjeling, which literally translates to, a land of thunderbolts. Darjeeling in the early 19th century was a cluster of villages ruled by the Nepalese and Sikkimese kings. It was the British East India Company that decided to convert this remote settlement into a summer retreat for the British in India. The East India Company in the year 1835 leased Darjeeling from the Sikkimese king and Lord Napier was one of the founders of this hill station.
Although, the majority of the population in Darjeeling are Nepali, there are many other ethnic groups, such as Lepchas, Sherpas, Tibetan, Bengalis, Bhutias, Biharis and Marwaris. The influence of all these cultures is evident in the number of festivals celebrated across Darjeeling. Apart from the diverse range of festivals celebrated, Darjeeling hill council organizes a ten day cultural carnival. This carnival basically focuses on the cultural music and dance, and magnificent visuals from all over Darjeeling are displayed here.
Darjeeling is probably best known as a producer of one of the finest tea in the world. It was the British who started experimenting with tea plantations and they realized that Darjeeling was very well suited for tea plantations. Another proud possession of Darjeeling is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the toy train. This narrow-gauge railway stretches for approximately 80 kilometres from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The journey from Siliguri to Darjeeling approximately takes 3 hours but in this steam engine powered railway, the journey might take you close to 10 hours. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which is now declared as a world heritage site cuts across the beautiful hills and tea gardens and climbs to an elevation of approximately 7000 feet.