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Urban History of Darjeeling Through Phases : a Study of Society, Economy and Polity "The Queen of the Himalayas"
URBAN HISTORY OF DARJEELING THROUGH PHASES : A STUDY OF SOCIETY, ECONOMY AND POLITY OF "THE QUEEN OF THE HIMALAYAS" THESIS SUBMITTED BY SMT. NUPUR DAS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTORATE OF PHILOSOPHY (ARTS) OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH BENGAL 2007 RESEARCH SUPERVISOR Dr. Dilip Kumar Sarkar Controller of Examinations University of North Bengal CO-SUPERVISOR Professor Pradip Kumar Sengupta Department of Political Science University of North Bengal J<*eP 35^. \A 7)213 UL l.^i87(J7 0 \ OCT 2001 CONTENTS Page No. Preface (i)- (ii) PROLOGUE 01 - 25 Chapter- I : PRE-COLONIAL DARJEELING ... 26 - 48 Chapter- II : COLONIAL URBAN DARJEELING ... 49-106 Chapter-III : POST COLONIAL URBAN SOCIAL DARJEELING ... 107-138 Chapter - IV : POST-COLONIAL URBAN ECONOMIC DARJEELING ... 139-170 Chapter - V : POST-COLONIAL URBAN POLITICAL DARJEELING ... 171-199 Chapter - VI : EPILOGUE 200-218 BIBLIOGRAPHY ,. 219-250 APPENDICES : 251-301 (APPENDIX I to XII) PHOTOGRAPHS PREFACE My interest in the study of political history of Urban Darjeeling developed about two decades ago when I used to accompany my father during his official visits to the different corners of the hills of Darjeeling. Indeed, I have learnt from him my first lesson of history, society, economy, politics and administration of the hill town Darjeeling. My rearing in Darjeeling hills (from Kindergarten to College days) helped me to understand the issues with a difference. My parents provided the every possible congenial space to learn and understand the history of Darjeeling and history of the people of Darjeeling. Soon after my post- graduation from this University, located in the foot-hills of the Darjeeling Himalayas, I was encouraged to take up a study on Darjeeling by my teachers. -
Gorkhaland: Crisis of Statehood' by Romit Bagchi
HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 33 Number 1 Article 27 March 2014 Review of 'Gorkhaland: Crisis of Statehood' by Romit Bagchi Roshan P. Rai Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Rai, Roshan P.. 2014. Review of 'Gorkhaland: Crisis of Statehood' by Romit Bagchi. HIMALAYA 33(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol33/iss1/27 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Book Reviews Gorkhaland: Crisis of Statehood grasp of the movement. But the major press home his point that the demand focus is on the post-2007 period of the for autonomy is not justified, rather Romit Bagchi. New Delhi; Thousand movement as a means to discuss the than expand his research to question Oaks, California: Sage Publications ‘Crisis of Statehood’, which extremely the existing politically constructed India, 2012. Pp. 447. INR 895 limits the narrative depth of the history. book. (hardback). ISBN 978-81-321-0726-2. Political views vis-à-vis Gorkhaland At the outset, the author lays out are traced from the Communist Reviewed by Roshan P. Rai his opinions that the demand has Party of India’s demand in 1942 for more to it than just statehood, Gorkhasthan, to the demand for Romit Bagchi introduces his book “with more sinister implications” separation from Bengal by the All as “Gorkhaland – A Psychological (p. -
The Production of Bhutan's Asymmetrical Inbetweenness in Geopolitics Kaul, N
WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch 'Where is Bhutan?': The Production of Bhutan's Asymmetrical Inbetweenness in Geopolitics Kaul, N. This journal article has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form, subsequent to peer review and/or editorial input by Cambridge University Press in the Journal of Asian Studies. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University Press, 2021 The final definitive version in the online edition of the journal article at Cambridge Journals Online is available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911820003691 The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Manuscript ‘Where is Bhutan?’: The Production of Bhutan’s Asymmetrical Inbetweenness in Geopolitics Abstract In this paper, I interrogate the exhaustive ‘inbetweenness’ through which Bhutan is understood and located on a map (‘inbetween India and China’), arguing that this naturalizes a contemporary geopolitics with little depth about how this inbetweenness shifted historically over the previous centuries, thereby constructing a timeless, obscure, remote Bhutan which is ‘naturally’ oriented southwards. I provide an account of how Bhutan’s asymmetrical inbetweenness construction is nested in the larger story of the formation and consolidation of imperial British India and its dissolution, and the emergence of post-colonial India as a successor state. I identify and analyze the key economic dynamics of three specific phases (late 18th to mid 19th centuries, mid 19th to early 20th centuries, early 20th century onwards) marked by commercial, production, and security interests, through which this asymmetrical inbetweenness was consolidated. -
The British Expedition to Sikkim of 1888: the Bhutanese Role
i i i i West Bohemian Historical Review VIII j 2018 j 2 The British Expedition to Sikkim of 1888: The Bhutanese Role Matteo Miele∗ In 1888, a British expedition in the southern Himalayas represented the first direct con- frontation between Tibet and a Western power. The expedition followed the encroach- ment and occupation, by Tibetan troops, of a portion of Sikkim territory, a country led by a Tibetan Buddhist monarchy that was however linked to Britain with the Treaty of Tumlong. This paper analyses the role of the Bhutanese during the 1888 Expedi- tion. Although the mediation put in place by Ugyen Wangchuck and his allies would not succeed because of the Tibetan refusal, the attempt remains important to under- stand the political and geopolitical space of Bhutan in the aftermath of the Battle of Changlimithang of 1885 and in the decades preceding the ascent to the throne of Ugyen Wangchuck. [Bhutan; Tibet; Sikkim; British Raj; United Kingdom; Ugyen Wangchuck; Thirteenth Dalai Lama] In1 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck2 was crowned king of Bhutan, first Druk Gyalpo.3 During the Younghusband Expedition of 1903–1904, the fu- ture sovereign had played the delicate role of mediator between ∗ Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida-shimoadachicho Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan. E-mail: [email protected]. 1 This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 17F17306. The author is a JSPS International Research Fellow (Kokoro Research Center – Kyoto University). 2 O rgyan dbang phyug. In this paper it was preferred to adopt a phonetic transcrip- tion of Tibetan, Bhutanese and Sikkimese names. -
Tea Tourism in Darjeeling
Vol-2 Issue-4 2016 IJARIIE-ISSN(O)-2395-4396 TEA TOURISM IN DARJEELING *Sanjiv Kumar Sharma *Assistant Professor-School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, SRM University Sikkim **Dr Suvamay Bhowmick **Associate Professor-School of management and Commerce, SRM University Sikkim ABSTRACT Tea tourism is wonderful and recreational experience that can satisfy the tourist’s interest. Tea tourism provides opportunity to avail all information and experience related to tea.Tea tourism has emerged as a very recent niche in the world tourism scenario. Development of tea tourism sustaining the environment and preserving the heritage and culture, will benefit the region by creating employment opportunities and boosting rural economy and thereby alleviate the insurgency and other socio-economic problems. Tea estates as well as the government are planning to develop additional facilities inside the tea garden to attract tourists which can help in generating additional revenue. There are many homestays at tea garden and tourist gets accommodation with all hospitality and recreations. Keyword- Tourist, Tea tourism, Homestay, Economy. A brief over view of tea tourism-Tea Tourism is a contemporary concept researched and talked about since the beginning of the 21st century. It is a wonderful tourism concept associated with tea gardens. The tea gardens, the process of tea plucking, tea producing, cultural festivals of the tea tribes and staying at the tea bungalows are part this tea tourism. This is a kind of unique tour experience connected to nature. Tea tourism is already popular in countries like China, Srilanka and Kenya. It is now catching up in India. Darjeeling, where the breath of the Himalayas surrounds the traveller and the deep green valley’s sing all around. -
The Darjeeling·Himalayan Railway and the Untold Story of Its Extension
Karatoya: NBU J. Hist. Vol. 4 :85-92 (2011) ISSN: 2229-4880 The Darjeeling·Himalayan Railway and the Untold Story of its Extension BhawnaRai The UNESCO's inscription mentions the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in the following words: - "The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the first, and still the most outstanding, example ofa hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, it applied bold and ingenious engineering solution to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty. It is still fully operational and retains most of its 1 original features intact." • The Tiny, name of the first engine of the DHR, connected the sweaty plains with the cool and serene Hills for the first time in 1880. 2 On March 4 of that year, the then Viceroy of India, Robert I, Earl of Lytton inaugurated the line from Siliguri to Kurseong as steam tramway. From August 1880, the_tramway was opened for the public use. It was only on July-4, 1881, the line was completed up to Darjeeling and the name was changed from Darjeeling Steam Tramway Company to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company on 15th of September. It is amazing to know that this small size locomotive, running on a narrow gauge of 2 feet wide covering a total distance of 52 km, had its branches as well. The fact of its two branches i.e. the Kishengunj Branch and the Teesta Valley Extension is common to all. However, few are familiar about its unfulfilled plans of extensions. This· article is indeed to highlight such untold facts of DHR extension. -
Chapter 2: Historical Development of Darjeeling Hills 2.1 Introduction the Darjeeling Hills Wasonce Ruled by the Kingdom of Sikk
Chapter 2: Historical development of Darjeeling hills 2.1 Introduction The Darjeeling hills wasonce ruled by the Kingdom of Sikkim. Darjeeling region was converted into a hill station by the British East India Company in 1800's and came to be known as the Queen of the Hills, and remained a part of West Bengal in independent India. The name of Darjeeling is a composition of two Tibetan words, 'Dmjee' means Thunderbolt and 'ling' means place hence Darjeeling meansLand of the Thunderbolt. At present Darjeeling district is composed of four sub-divisions i.e., Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Siliguri. The former three sub-divisions are together known as Daijeeling hill area, which is the study area for the present research. The history of Darjeeling is rather complex but interesting. The brief history ofDarjeeling district is described in the following sections. 2.2 Pre-British Period Till the early 19tl' century, the area around Darjeeling was part of Kingdom of Sikkim. In 1814, the British East India Company intervened in skirmish between Sikkim and Nepal, following which Sikkim became a buffer state between Nepal and Bhutan. In 1828, a dispute occurred between Nepal and Sikkim. British East India Company representatives were sent from Maida to resolve the dispute. They found the Darjeeling very suitable for sanitorium for • British troops. The company negotiated with the King of Sildcim to take the area. On the first day of February 1835, the Maharaja of Silddm handed over a strip of territory on the Himalaya, 24 miles long and about 5 to 6 miles wide, as a mark of friendship with the then Governor General, Lord William Bentinck, for the establishment of a sanitorium for the convalescent servants of the East India Company. -
Interrogating the Social Construction of Space and Place of Gorkhaland A
Interrogating the Social construction of Space and Place of Gorkhaland A Dissertation Submitted To Sikkim University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Philosophy By Abhishek Sundas Department of Geography School of Human Sciences February, 2019 Declaration I, Abhishek Sundas do hereby declare that the dissertation entitled “Interrogating the Social Construction of Space and Place of Gorkhaland” is the record of work done by me, that the contents of this did not form basis of the award of any previous degree to me or to the best of my knowledge to anybody else, and this dissertation has not been submitted by me to any other University or Institution. This is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the Degree of Masters of Philosophy, to the Department of Geography, School of Human Sciences, Sikkim University. Name: Abhishek Sundas Roll. No.: 17MPGP03 Registration Number:17M.Phil/GOG/03 The dissertation is recommended to be placed before the examiners for evaluation. Dr. Sohel Firdos Dr. Sohel Firdos (Head of the Department) (Supervisor) Certificate This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “Interrogating the Social Construction of Space and Place of Gorkhaland” submitted to Sikkim University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Philosophy in Geography is the result of bonafied research work carried out by Mr. Abhishek Sundas under my guidance and supervision. No part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other degree, diploma, associateship and fellowship. All the assistance and help received during the course of the investigation have been duly acknowledged by him. -
Dragon: India-Bhutan Relations
8 September 2016 The Elephant and the (Little) Dragon: India-Bhutan Relations Lindsay Hughes Research Analyst Indian Ocean Research Programme Key Points Bhutan and India have strong ties that are centuries-old. In the modern era, the relationship was founded upon a perceived common threat. The relationship continued to evolve until Bhutan could assert its complete sovereignty. This has, in part, accounted for the continued strength of their bilateral ties. Summary As it does with Nepal, India has had ties with Bhutan that stretch back into antiquity. Also like Nepal, Bhutan or Druk Yul is a small country – smaller than Nepal, in fact – that is situated on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, is land-locked and depends on India economically. Recorded relations between India and Bhutan date back to 747 AD when a Buddhist saint from India, Padmasambhava, introduced Bhutan to Buddhism; that belief system now permeates Bhutanese society. The British in colonial India fought wars against the Bhutanese, which were usually followed by various treaties and agreements, notably the one signed between the two states in 1865 after the Duar War. Indo-Bhutanese trade is believed to have begun from around 1873. Whatever misgivings Bhutan’s leaders may have had about relations with the British, the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1910 and its claims to parts of Bhutanese territory saw Thimphu turn to them for protection. The two sides subsequently signed the Treaty of Punakha in 1910, which saw Bhutanese sovereignty protected but, arguably, laid the foundation of its future relationships with both China and India. Bhutan did take steps to protect its independence; when, seeing India’s gradual moves towards its own independence, the British Cabinet Mission visited India in 1946, Bhutanese authorities presented the Mission with a memorandum differentiating their country from the princely states in India. -
Anil Kumar Sarkar* Abstract
Darjeeling District in the Study of Regional History Anil Kumar Sarkar* Abstract: Dorjeeling, later anglicised as Darjeeling, was ‘discovered’ by Captain Lloyd and J.W. Grant in 1829 as a respite for the British from the tropical climate. This small town, under the shadows of Kunchendzonga range, also called the ‘old Gorkha Station’, then deserted by the original tribal inhabitants known as Lepchas and Limbus after the suppression of a rebellion, had less than 100 inhabitants. Darjeeling and its surrounding region share a complex history with Bhutan, Nepal, and Sikkim passing from one kingdom to another finally being annexed by the British empire in 1866.The present article attempted to review critically the historiography of Darjeeling and to some extent, traced the question of regional history writings of the colonial and post-colonial period largely influence the writings on the hills. The latter constitutes a remarkable diversity not only in terms of approach but also in terms of technique. Therefore, there are ample scopes to dig out the new research arena. Keywords: Anglicised, Tropical Climate, Historiography, Diversity, Research Arena The local or regional history is four hundred years old but its real positive swing could be visible from the Second World War. This surge is, ascribed to the rapid spread of education and as W.G. Hoskins said ‘‘as the modern world becomes bigger and more incomprehensible people are more inclined to study something of which they can grasp the scale and in which they can find a personal and individual meaning.’’1 The radio and television programmes helped to boost up the popularity of local and regional history. -
The Kingdom of Bhutan
Updated June 22, 2021 The Kingdom of Bhutan Background however, insisted that the long-term interests of the people The Kingdom of Bhutan, also known as the Land of the were best served by elected leaders. The 2008 election went Thunder Dragon, is a small, landlocked Himalayan country smoothly. Parliamentary elections were also held in 2013 situated between India and China. The mountainous and 2018. In 2018, the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa Party won kingdom is about half the size of Indiana, with an estimated 30 of 47 seats. The next election is due in 2023. population of 857,423, approximately 115,000 of them in and around the capital city, Thimphu. Bhutan’s economy Figure 1. Bhutan in Brief has grown primarily as a result of hydropower, agriculture, and forestry development. Hydropower exports account for 40% of total exports and 25% of government revenue. The United States has no significant trade relations with Bhutan, and its foreign aid mission and bilateral consular affairs are handled by the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. Geopolitical tensions between China and India along their Himalayan border have generally increased U.S. policymakers’ interest in the region. Bhutan has participated in a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) regional program for South Asia directed at developing power infrastructure, and it has implemented programs intended to help mitigate some of the effects of climate change. With 70% forest cover and extensive hydropower, Bhutan is a carbon negative country. Ninety-three percent of eligible adults in Bhutan reportedly received COVID-19 vaccine by April 2021. -
The Evolution of a Religious Identity on Tea Plantations in Darjeeling
SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 2012 Christianitea: The volutE ion of a Religious Identity on Tea Plantations in Darjeeling Traci Spacek SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Spacek, Traci, "Christianitea: The vE olution of a Religious Identity on Tea Plantations in Darjeeling" (2012). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1447. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1447 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Christianitea: The Evolution of a Religious Identity on Tea Plantations in Darjeeling Spacek, Traci Academic Director: Onians, Isabelle Senior Faculty Advisor: Decleer, Hubert Beloit College Religious Studies Asia, India, West Bengal, Darjeeling Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples, SIT Study Abroad, Fall 2012 1 Abstract: This study investigates the evolution of a religious identity that stems from the broader identity of “migrant tea worker” on tea plantations in the hill areas of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India in November of 2012. The study was conducted in the villages of three tea gardens in the Darjeeling Himalaya: Singla valley on the North Tukvar Tea Estate, Mineral Springs, and Liza Hill Tea Plantations. Religion is present in the lives of all inhabitants of the Darjeeling Hill areas and has a long and complex history with migration that has resulted in an undocumented and always evolving group of religious identities.