Kalimpong
Unlike Darjeeling, Kalimpong was never a centre for the tea industry
nor was it adopted as a hillside holiday resort. Instead this town has
its history rooted in the days of cross-Himalayan trade with Tibet.
Echoes of its history as a meeting point of traders and travellers from
both sides of the great mountains can still be felt today.
A strategic point in both military and economic terms, it was seized
by British India from Bhutan in 1865. From the earliest days of its
imperial administration it was decided to reserve almost all of the
forest land surrounding the small town and to this day the wooded slopes
are a carefully conserved environment sheltering countless varieties
of flora and fauna.
At a lower altitude than Darjeeling and with much less rainfall, Kalimpong
has a different climate, one which has proved particularly suited to
flower-growing. Indeed, the Kalimpong plant nurseries are famous throughout
the world, while the hillsides in springtime are a vibrant testament
to the rich natural environment of orchids and rhododendrons. |
