Land Of White Orchids
Today when we talk about “Hill Stations” , the first name that strikes our mind is undoubtedly “Darjeeling”
(The Queen Of Hills) situated in the state of West Bengal India.But within the district of Darjeeling lies the small town of Kurseong “The Land of White Orchids” which the people hardly talk about. It is a small but beautiful town which lies on the way to Darjeeling when we hop from N.J.P or Siliguri. It is a place of scenic beauty with glorious views of mountains and tea gardens but it seems to have been unnoticed by travelers or explorers.People, specially travelers come on the quest of Darjeeling forgetting about its counterpart. Darjeeling seems to have surpassed its magnificent beauty and glory. Nevertheless Kurseong quietly stands amidst its natural beauty sighing quietly and blessing its natives with the bounty of nature.
Talking about the geographical features of Kurseong is located at an altitude of 1482.55 metres (4864.0 ft). Kurseong is 34 kilometres away from Siliguri and 32 kilometres from Darjeeling and is connected to the city by roads and Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. Actually it lies between the two places. And if someone like to visit Kurseong from Abroad or from different states of India one can find the nearest airport at Bagdogra and the nearest railway station at N.J.P (New Jalpaiguri) which is almost about 45 kilometres from the town.
Now Lets us talk something about the place itself, Kurseong as we know it is called “The Land Of White Orchids” as the name comes from the Lepcha language word for “small orchids” , “Kurson -Rip or Karsan-Rup” because of the little white orchids dotting the valleys.Well also in the other words we can describe this beautiful town as the home to flowering species and richly endowed with flora and fauna owing to its favorable climatic conditions.Besides, its scenic beauty Kurseong can also be termed as an Educational Hub with most of the renowned schools in the area being established pre- independence viz:-
Goethals Memorial School ( I.C.S.E Missionary School Established in 1907).
St. Helen’s Secondary School ( I.C.S.E Missionary School Established in 1890).
Dow hill School ( I.C.S.E Government School Established in 1879)
Victoria Boy’s School ( I.C.S.E Government School Established in 1879)
St. Alphonsus School (Higher Secondary School Established in 1891)
St. Alphonsus School Old Picture.
St Joseph Girl’s School ( Higher Secondary School Established in 1944)
Scot’s Mission School ( Higher Secondary School Established in 1910)
Besides its educational institutes now lets us talk about its scenic beauty which can deliver eternal peace to its visitors. Any new travelers can begin to explore by visiting the places mentioned as under.
Places to visit in Kurseong:-
1. Eagle’s Craig:- It is situated in the heart of the town and one of the beautiful view point among many others as one can enjoy the bird’s eye view of tea estate’s surroundings mountains, hills, hamlets and slopes
. Most important is that we can get a beautiful panoramic and mesmerizing view of Mt. Kanchenjunga and its ridges .The place gains its own importance with the construction of Sahid Smarak made in comm-oration of the Martyrs who sacrificed their precious lives in the course of the Gorkhaland movement. Every year their sacrifice is remembered on 27th of July which is marked as Sahid Diwas. It also has a water reservoir which supplies water to the adjacent areas, Observatory or Watch tower provides a beautiful glimpse of the evening sun, a small flower garden with a variety of flowers and a cafeteria where you can enjoy a sip of local organic hand picked tea. On the way to Eagle’s Craig one can behold a life sized statue of Captain Ram Singh Thakuri , a freedom fighter and also a patriotic song and music composer like Indian National Anthem and Kadam Kadam Badaye Ja.
How to reach Eagle’s Craig:
The popular view point can be reached by a short walking distance from Kurseong Railway station.The place is perched on a cliff above Naya Bazar.
2 .Dow Hill :- As we move towards the upper part of Kurseong, leaving behind the beautiful memories of Eagle’s Craig and Kurseong Town we will find a place which I may describe as a “Gateway to Heaven” and the place is called Dow Hill. It is a Forested area adorned by tall Pine trees deliberately forming avenues.
These woods are home to different animals like Monkeys, Cheetahs, Deer, Hedge Hogs, Squirrels etc and also is a habitat for different species of birds.The place is counted amongst one of the haunted places in India but it stands as a mystery till date. But it is guaranteed that one gets a creepy sensation while walking along its misty avenues specially in the wintry mornings and evenings.Nevertheless it is always astounding to witness the tall Pines kissing on the face of Heaven.Truly you feel like you are standing before the Gateway of Heaven. Besides the beauty of woods here also lies the Zoological garden, Forest Museum and locally famous Dow Hill Eco Park or commonly called Deer Park. Here amidst the beauty of woods every year in the month of October The Pine Tree musical festival is held in Victoria Boy’s school with great pomp and show, featuring popular bands like Ginger feet, Rig-Mona, Mantra and the local bands in an around Darjeeling. A person can find eternal bliss once he gets to step in this marvelous creation of nature.
How to reach Dow-hill : Dow-Hill is 3 -4 kilometres away from Kurseong town. It can be reached by hiring a taxi from the main town or can take a local taxi per person from Burdwan road hospital area.
3. Chimney:- The place is situated at the hill top and the name is derived from the tall Chimney built by the Britishers in the year 1839 .It is said that in the by gone days meetings use to be held here by the Army personnel’s. Though a small village but it gives a mesmerizing view of its natural landscapes. The local basically depend on Agricultural Farming for their livelihood and with the growth in tourism and hospitality business, these days numerous Home Stay’s can be seen mushrooming within the village itself. City dwellers can enjoy and relish the very natural and organic foods grown by the villager’s along with panoramic view of the mountains. Inner tranquility and peace can be experienced to its fullest here in Chimney. It also serves as a good trekking spot with the narrow paths leading to the green woods and rocky hills. When we walk further down form Chimney at a distance of 3–4 kilometres lie an isolated yet serene village of Mazwa.
We can witness nature at its fullest play here in this small village.Its for sure that the visitors would always want to revisit the place after their first stay.
Chimney is 8 kilometres away from Kurseong town and it can be reached by hiring taxi or trekkers may find it worth walking among the green vegetation via Downhill and Deorali Busty.
Kurseong yet has other miscellaneous places worth visiting like Netaji Museum located in Giddha pahar 3 kilometres from east of Kurseong town which has its own historical glory.It is associated with the sacred memory of the two prominent figures of Indian National Movement- Sarat Chandra Bose and Netaji Subash Chandra Bose It is said that Netaji remained under house arrest by the Britishers for 7 months here between 1936–1937. Hence now the Bengal government has renovated and converted the house into Netaji Museum. It is a place worth visiting.
Grotto in St. Mary’s Hill is a place of religious importance for the Christians but it is a pilgrimage site most frequently visited by people hailing from different communities as well. It is a replica of Lady of Lourdes,France . It is deeply believed that the statute of Virgin Mother Mary has divine power within it to fulfill the wishes and has also healing powers within it. Candles are lighted and wishes are written in small sheet of papers and are left in a box. So that the wishes would be granted to its fullest.St. Mary’s Grotto is located 6 kilometres away from the Kurseong town and is engulfed by green woods on all the sides.
The places that have been mentioned above are definitely worth paying a visit however there are still more places yet to be explored, regarding which my readers and followers would be informed in my latter posts.Being a local chap I shall exert my sources and keep everyone updated with the untold, unseen stories of in an around Kurseong.
To my Dear Readers my Friends and my Pals hope you have enjoyed a short description about my place. No worries, I will be posting and updating you with more articles about Kurseong such as Tea Gardens, Hotels & Resorts and also about Home stay.
Till then take care and stay safe.
Originally published at https://kurseonghill.blogspot.com.