Kurseong - “The Land of White Orchids”
“The Land of White Orchids”, Kurseong -situated at 1475 meters is a quiet little town on the Darjeeling-Siliguri Toy Train’s route. Because of its lower elevation, Kurseong enjoys a milder and very healthy climate throughout the year. The natural advantage of a congenial climate and elevation, its lush green forests and tea plantations over slopes and ridges, magnificent views of the distant plains covered by tropical vegetation and meandering rivers amidst the panoramic setting of snow-clad summits of Mt. Kanchandzonga, Kabru & Jannu and its peace, serenity and the healthy climate attracted many a great person to this place. Guru Rabindra Nath Tagore and the great composer Atul Prasad Sen got inspiration for some of their famous works around Kurseong. Sister Nivedita, the great disciple of Swami Vivekananda made Kurseong her home.Kurseong was ceded to the British Empire by the Chogyal (monarch) of Sikkim in 1835. Later in 1880, the small hamlet became a tourist destination for the colonial authorities and was a preferred place for sanatoriums where the sick would recuperate.
The rich flora of Kurseong and its surroundings is fascinating, and it has aptly been described as a 'Botanists Paradise'. With the first showers in May, after a relatively dry winter and spring, the river beds glitter in the light of the sun like silver lines, while the sunlight and dappled shadows play hide and seek on the higher slopes of the valley. Sometimes on a clear day, one can see the clouds piling up in the plains and advancing slowly but relentlessly to cover the foothills.
An amazing fact about Kurseong is, the heritage train passes through the entire town and one can even do shopping and hop in again.
An ideal place to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas who dislike the severe winters of Darjeeling or the scorching heat of the plains. Besides that, the people of this place are joyous and fun loving and welcome visitors with warmth and hospitality.
Many call Kurseong, as "the school town" due to the
emergence of many new schools in the town. Kurseong also has its
fair share of renowned schools established during the British Rule
in India viz St. Alphonsus High School, St Helens Convent, Goethals
Memorial School, Dowhill Girls School and Victoria Boys
School.
Kurseong is well connected with all weather metalled road with Siliguri, Kalimpong, Gangtok and with nearest airport at Bagodgra & railway station at NJP, which both are around 1 ½ hrs drive.
Kurseong has lot to offers to its visitors:
VILLAGE TOURISM(HOME STAYS):
Village tourism has been emerged as a very new concept in Kurseong
areas. This community based tourism creates a memorable experience
for the visitor who gets a chance to interact with local
inhabitants and participate in their daily lives. It also helps
local communities protect their cultural and natural heritage for
future generations, besides; any expenses made at that level
directly contribute to the welfare of the local community, which
ultimately gives you the high sense of
satisfaction.
Without disturbing the village
environment a few guest rooms are developed for the guest stay. As
you would be staying as a family member with your host family, you
can participate in all activities of their daily
choirs.
The friendly and hearty behaviours of the family members gives you a different experience that you have never enjoyed before. You have the chance to eat the traditional local food prepared in the neat and clean kitchen, which are delicious and are hygienic. You get a chance to explore the real village life. You will be observing the real Gorkha cultural traditions from the closest quarter and intermingle with the locals. You can participate in cultural festivals, local music’s and dances, listen to folk tales and stories, milking cows and making butter, cardamom harvesting, agriculture cultivation and harvesting.
For adventure lovers, Kurseong is the right place, as it offers various treks and hikes, either it be tea garden walk or hike through lush green Cryptomaria Japonica forest or village walks, it is all here. Recently new adventure sports have been added to Kurseong, PARA GLIDING, HOT AIR BALLOON & ROCK CLIMBING. In coming days Kurseong will be known for these sports.
So, Kurseong is a ideal destination for travellers, where you can enjoy nature, adventure and culture – “the new destination of the millennium”
Apart from the charm and beauty that nature has bestowed upon Kurseong, the tourism infrastructure in Kurseong is fast developing as new eco-friendly tourist destination.There are various places in and around Kurseong where tourist can visit:
Deer
Park(Satellite Park) - Now known as Satellite Park, on the Dowhill
Road end in the Forest Area. The park is surrounded by dense pine
forest laden with mosses. The area is dotted with beautiful
cottages of the British Raj time. It houses many rare species of
birds & animals mostly found in these areas.
Forest museum - is also located in Dow Hill and is overseen by the forest department. You will get to know the types of animals that inhabited the forest area here in the past when you visit the museum.
Giddapahar Durga Mata Mandir- Also named as Sri Sri Sethi Devi Mandir, the temple is more than 100 years old and is located 2 km from Kurseong market on the Hill Cart Road to Siliguri. A big stone is inside the temple along with a huge banayan tree, devotes tie strings around the tree and ask for wish, which they believe is fulfilled, so the temple is also known as “wishing temple” This temple is one of the most visited Hindu temples in the Darjeeling hills. Every year around the month of march - april, the temple holds a fair on the occasion of Ram Navami. During this time hordes of devotees visit the temple and a festive atmosphere prevails in the temple and its nearby places.
Eagle’s Craig view point – The popular tourist spot of Eagle"s Crag viewpoint is a short walk distance from Kurseong railway station seemingly perched on a cliff. One can have a sweeping view of the surrounding mountain, hill, hamlets and slopes from here. It has a cafeteria, a watch tower and a flower garden; this place also houses the water reservoir for the entire town of Kurseong. The place also has a concrete altar built in the park with a khukri on top called shahid smarak. The panoramic view from this point is breath taking, you will get a magnificent view of the Mt Kanchandzonag & its ranges, the plains of Siliguri, the hills of Nepal, rivers, tea gardens.
Chimney- A walk or ride through the forest of Cryptomaria Japonica on the road, now called Aranya Sarani, leads to the vast open meadows at Chimney. The curious name of the place is reminiscent of the days, when there was a Bungalow here on the only road (Old Military Road) leading to Darjeeling. A long, dilapidated chimney, standing all alone, is the only remnants of the bungalow now.The views of mountains from here are breathtaking.
SOJASI- Situated near Chimney, stands for Society of Jesus Agricultural and Social Institute, trains villagers in scientific and innovative methods of farming and is involved in agricultural activities like vegetable and mushroom cultivation, poultry, forest nursery and plantation, dairy, making bio-organic compost and generation of bio-gas. It is one of a kind in these area, the main concept behind the society is to uplift the poor people and make them self sufficient.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum and N S C Bose Institute of Asiatic Studies- Hosted in the house of his elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose, are situated at the Giddhapahar Area. Netaji was interned in this house by the British Govt. in the late thirties. The house now displays photocopies of the exchange of letters between Netaji and his would be wife, Ms. Emilie, many rare photographs of his Indian National Army (INA), other memorabilia of the Indian Freedom Movement and a few personal belongings of Netaji and the Bose Family.
Bhangzang Salamander Lake - is located 14 km from Kurseong. In the past, it used to be a favourite place for the British for boating and people from the neighbouring towns used to hang out here frequently. It is a beautiful green-tinged lake that shelters the rarest and most endangered species of salamanders – a species under threat of extinction.
Jagdish Mandir - on Bank Road-(on way to the Eagle"s Craig). This is a very old temple and houses he old statue (almost 300 years old) of Lord Jagannath. The attraction of this temple is that the temple is still in the old style made of complete wood interiors. The two statues of Lord Jagnnath (similar to the idols of Jagnanath Puri) are really very attractive and worth seeing. The sight of these statues in itself will tell you the power and blessing of the Almighty Lord Vishnu"s incarnation Lord Jagannath (Lord Krishna). The Atka Prasad of this temple is very very popular. The rath yatra of Lord Jagannath has its own glory and attraction. The Yatra coincide with the yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri.
The Ambhotia Shiva Temple.- is one of the most popular Hindu
temples in Kurseong. The Ambotia Shiva Mandir is a temple dedicated
to Lord Shiva is at a distance of about 5 km from Kurseong town and
is located in the Ambotia Tea Estate.Apart from its religious
importance, the temple is known for its scenic location. There is a
beautiful orange orchard nearby. While visiting the temple,
tourists can also see the Ambodia Landslide, which is about a
kilometre downhill, dropping down about thousand metres to
Balason.
Grotto- Is the exact replica of the Grotto in French. The grotto houses the statue of Virgin Mary and is located in a beautiful surrounding that takes you to another place and time. It is a peaceful place and peace is what you feel when you’re there. This is the place where Mother Teresa, while returning from Darjeeling to her home back desperate, was prompt to stay back.
Kunsamnamdoling Monastery- in Kurseong is very different from other larger monasteries, built around 1960 A.D. This is a quaint monastery within a pine forest that is run by five Buddhist 'anees' or nuns and is a shrine to Guru Padmasambhava and belongs to the yellow hat sect of Mahayana Buddhism.
Kettle Valley Picnic Spot - is a popular picnic stop in the town of Kurseong and is visited by locals as well as tourists. This scenic location is enjoyed on a picnic or a day outing with family and friends.It is a beautiful spot on the banks of the river Ringtong and one can spot the Dilaram Tea Estate, which is also located close by. The landscape of the place is breathtaking and surrounding area is lush green with the clear water of the river flowing along side.
Kurseong is known for its TEA and there are many beautiful and expansive tea estates all around the town. Some of the well known tea estates in Kurseong are the Ambotia, Castleton, Springside, Makaibari, Margrate Hopes,Jogmaya, Ghoomtee and more and one can take a tour to these gardens and see the whole manufacturing process and if lucky take part in plucking.
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