The name “Pelling” is derived from Lama Pema Lingpa, who meditated near the “Helipad” of present-day Pelling. From a sleepy, picturesque hamlet comprising a few houses till as late as 1996, Pelling has undergone a rapid transformation. The Elgin Mount Pandim offers a unique and personal tryst with the Himalayas. Set in eight acres of virgin forest and landscape gardens, it revokes the old charm of its first owners – the royal family of Sikkim and offers a peaceful retreat about one hundred and fifty kilometers from Siliguri, with a glorious view of the Singalila range. The three hundred year old Pemayangtse monastery is right next to the resort, on a verdant hill top covered by moist temperate Oak Forests. It offers an excellent vantage paint for watching rare birds including the Green-tailed sunbirds, Rufousgorgeted Flycatchers, Scimiter Babblers and Laughing thrushes.