Darjeeling

Darjeeling
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This article is about the municipality in West Bengal, India. For its namesake district, see Darjeeling district. For the tea named after the region, see Darjeeling tea.
For other uses, see Darjeeling (disambiguation).
Darjeeling
दार्जीलिङ |
—  Municipality  — |
A view of Darjeeling from the Happy Valley Tea Estate. |
Darjeeling |
Coordinates: 27°3′N 88°16′ECoordinates: 27°3′N 88°16′E |
Country | India |
State | West Bengal |
District | Darjeeling |
Government |
 • Chairman | Amar Singh Rai |
 • Vice Chairman | Suk Bahadur Biswakarma |
Area |
 • Total | 10.57 km2 (4.08 sq mi) |
Elevation[1] | 2,050 m (6,730 ft) |
Population (2011) |
 • Total | 132,016 |
 • Density | 12,000/km2 (32,000/sq mi) |
Languages |
 • Local | Nepali, Tibetan, Hindi, Bengali, English[citation needed] |
 • Official | Nepali, Bengali, English[2] |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
PIN | 734101 |
Telephone code | 0354 |
Vehicle registration | WB-76 WB-77 |
Lok Sabha constituency | Darjeeling |
Vidhan Sabha constituency | Darjeeling |
Website | http://www.darjeelingmunicipality.org |
Darjeeling (Pron: dɑ:ˈʤi:lɪŋ) is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. A popular tourist destination, it is located in the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya at an average elevation of 6,710 ft (2,045.2 m). It is noted for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Darjeeling is the headquarters of Darjeeling district which has a partially autonomous status within the state of West Bengal.
The development of the town dates back to the mid-19th century, when the colonial British administration set up a sanatorium and a military depot. Subsequently, extensive tea plantation was done in the region, and tea growers developed hybrids of black tea and created new fermentation techniques. The resultant distinctive Darjeeling tea is...