AN ELGIN EXCLUSIVE FEATURE
One should go where they feel alive, and what could be more alive than Darjeeling’s breath-taking landscape. Rolling green tea plantations along with the majestic Kanchenjunga mountain, towering above the skyline which has earned it the moniker of “Queen of the Hills”. The eternal beauty and quaint Victorian charm are enough to attract travellers and tourists. And Darjeeling’s toy train that whistles its way through the mountains is a treat for oneself.
The name Darjeeling comes from a Tibetan word ‘Dorje’ meaning thunderbolt (originally the sceptre of Indra) and ‘ling’ a place or land, hence ‘the land of the thunderbolt’. Here 80% of the population speaks Nepali as in 1835 it was a part of Nepal for a brief period.
Get up early and stare open-mouthed at Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain. At dawn, its snowy peaks appear even more mystical in the sunrise’s orange glow. From Tiger Hill, we can see sunrise view of the Kanchenjunga and the snow-covered peaks of the entire eastern Himalayan range. It is one of the two points in India from where you can capture the whole panorama of the Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga, along with other peaks like the Rathong, Kabru, and Kokhtang. How about capturing this moment from the top, Darjeeling-Rangeet Valley Ropeway offers a beautiful view of the forest and hills.
Image by Diptalit on Tripadvisor
The hypnotic colours of Sunshine;
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Standing under the beautiful cotton skies, it becomes impossible to ignore the beauty adorning the tea sprouting in every direction the eye can lay eyes on.
What you might not have known about the rolling tea plantation of Darjeeling. Darjeeling’s tea bushes run across a mythical landscape, steeped with sacred values and picturesque. It is the Mecca of tea and an estate producing what we know as the “Champagne of Tea” to the delight of the world. Make sure to visit ‘Happy Valley tea’, established in 1854. Planted in its highest elevation in the heart of the Eastern Himalayas, in an area of northern India bound by Nepal to the west, Bhutan to the east, and Sikkim to the north, the linear rows of brilliant green, waist-high shrubs that coat the steep slopes and valleys around this Victorian “hill town”.
Image by @tripinvites, Instagram
The secret to the tea garden is mysterious.
Let’s find a beautiful sight to get lost in. We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. There is no time to get bored in a place as beautiful as Darjeeling because some places are so mesmerizing that they keep summoning you back to them, urging you to let yourself drown in its serene beauty and inhale the elegance it has to offer. So, escape the hustle and bustle of the city to experience the serenity of Darjeeling, the life there and enjoy the calmness of this place.
