Kalimpong, West Bengal
Darjeeling's neighbor sits about 800 m (2,620 ft) lower, on a saddle between two hills. Lepcha by name, Bhutanese until 1865, the end of Tibet's wool road until 1962: one small bazaar town, several histories.
Photo: Bhaskar Agarwal / Unsplash
The name
The Lepcha scholar K. P. Tamsang traced the name to Kalenpung, 'hillock of assemblage', worn down over time to Kalebung, still the town's everyday name in Nepali. A Tibetan reading makes it the stockade of the king's ministers.
Photo: Unsplash
Until 1865
Bhutan held this side of the Teesta until the Treaty of Sinchula in 1865. Thongsa Gompa, founded by local accounts in 1692 and rebuilt in 1964, is counted the oldest monastery in town and the clearest trace of those years.
Photo: Pranjal Panchal / Pexels
Until 1962
Mule caravans came down over the Jelep La, 120 km away, with bales of yak wool, and climbed back toward Lhasa with watches and fountain pens. The trade ended when the pass closed in 1962.
Photo: Lobay Tamang / Pexels
What stayed
Scottish missionaries built schools and Dr Graham's Homes. Tibetan lamas built monasteries. Nurserymen grew orchids, cacti and bulbs for export, and a Swiss priest of the Catholic mission taught the town to make cheese.
Photo: Boudhayan Bardhan / Unsplash
1,247 m (4,090 ft)
January nights here average about 7 °C (45 °F), against about 2 °C (36 °F) on the Darjeeling ridge. October to December brings clear mornings, March and April the gardens. July is the wettest month, with about 630 mm of rain.
Photo: Mosharraf Hossain / Unsplash
Getting there
Bagdogra (IXB) is about 80 km and 3 hours away, up the Teesta gorge. No permit is needed for Kalimpong: foreign visitors need only a valid Indian visa, and Bagdogra accepts e-Visa arrivals. Give the town 2 to 3 nights.
Photo: Boudhayan Bardhan / Unsplash