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West Bengal & Darjeeling

Why Go? Sunderbans Tiger Stretching from the jagged northern hills down to the sultry Reserve ...... 477 mangroves of the Bay of Bengal, few states off er such a rich Up the Hooghly . . . . .478 range of destinations and experiences as . Down south in the plains, brilliant green rice fi elds sur- Bishnupur ...... 479 round bustling trading towns, mud-and-thatch villages, and Shantiniketan ...... 479 vestiges of Bengal’s glorious history: ornate, terracotta-tiled Murshidabad & Hindu temples and monumental ruins of Muslim princes. Berhampore ...... 481 Up in the cool northern hills the ‘toy train’ of the Darjeel- West Bengal Hills . . . .482 ing Himalayan Railway chugs its way up the British-era hill Siliguri & New station of Darjeeling, a quintessential remnant of the Raj, Jalpaiguri ...... 482 whose views of massive Kkangchendzonga towering over Jaldhapara Wildlife the surrounding tea estates rank as one of the region’s most Sanctuary ...... 484 inspiring sights. Overshadowed perhaps by the reputation of its capital Darjeeling ...... 487 Kolkata (Calcutta), the rest of West Bengal sees surprisingly ...... 499 few foreign tourists. Perhaps visitors should learn from the Bengalis themselves, enthusiastic travellers who never tire of exploring their own fascinating and diverse region. Best Places for a Cuppa When to Go Darjeeling » Windamere Hotel (p 493 ) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm » Sunset Lounge (p 495 ) 40/104 32/800 » Makaibari Tea Estate 24/600 (p 486 ) 20/68 16/400

0/32 Best Places to 8/200 Stay -20/-4 0 » Dekeling Hotel (p 493 ) J FDNOSAJJMAM » Holumba Haven (p 502 ) Oct–Dec & Oct–Mar Jan The best time » The Ffort Raichak (p478 ) Mar–May Best Best for avoiding to navigate the for West Bengal the heat on the dense mangrove hills views, lower plains. forests of the trekking and Sunderbans Tiger spring bloom. Reserve.

Food & Drink MAIN POINTS Darjeeling is the place to taste a range of teas from local OF ENTRY tea estates. Noted for its delicate taste, the teas range from Kolkata Airport (p 470 ) black to green to white and are best taken alone or with a slice of lemon, but not with milk. For more on the best tea- Kolkata (Chitpore) related travel experiences see p492 . Not to be outdone, Ben- Train Station (p 470 ) gali food is considered iconic by locals and visitors alike – for Bagdogra Airport more information on the delicacies of this region, see p443 (p 483 ) and p1115 . New Jalpaiguri Train Station (p 484 )

DON’T MISS The views of 8598m Khangchendzonga, the world’s Fast Facts third-highest mountain, are easily one of the West Bengal Hills’ highlights. The classic viewpoints are from » Population: 91.3 million Tiger Hill or from the Singalila Trek, where the Hima- » Area: 87,853 sq km layan skyline stretches from Nepal to Bhutan. Darjeel- » Capital: Kolkata ing town also has great views, as does Deolo Hill in » Main language: Bengali Kalimpong. The major potential spoiler is the weather. The most reliable clear skies are at dawn during the » Sleeping prices: $ below post-monsoon months of October to December. ₹600, $$ ₹600 to ₹3000, $$$ above ₹3000

Top State Festivals Top Tip During the month-long ‘puja » Lepcha & New Year (Jan, West Bengal Hills) Colour- season’, around the Durga ful fairs and traditional dances in and around Darjeeling. Puja, Dasain/Dushera and » Ganga Sagar Mela (mid-Jan, Sagar Island, p 478 ) Hundreds later Diwali festivals, hotels, of thousands of Hindu pilgrims converge where the Ganges jeeps and trekking huts are meets the sea, to bathe en masse in a fervent festival. often booked out by travel- » Magh Mela (6-8 Feb, Shantiniketan, p479 ) Crafts and rural ling Bengali tourists. Pack a arts take centre stage at this festival. jumper and visit in November » Bengali New Year (mid-Apr, Naba Barsha) A statewide to avoid the crowds. holiday celebrating the first day of the Bengali calendar. » Rath Yatra (Jun & Jul, Chariot Festival, statewide) Celebrated Resources by pulling the juggernaut of Lord Jagannath’s chariot. » West Bengal Tourist » Jhapan (mid-Aug, Bishnupur, p 479 ) Draws snake charm- Department ( www.west ers to honour the goddess Manasa, the central figure of bengaltourism.gov.in) snake worship. Information and online » Fulpati (Sep & Oct, West Bengal Hills) Linked to Durga Puja booking for WBTDC lodges and marking the seventh day of Dashain, this predominantly like Jaldaphara. Nepali festival is also celebrated by Lepchas and others with » Kalimpong (www.kalim processions and dancing from Ghum to Darjeeling. pong.org) Travel informa- » Durga Puja (Oct, statewide) Across the state, especially tion with an emphasis on in Kolkata, temporary pandals (pavilions) are raised and accommodation. intense celebrations take place to worship the goddess Durga. After four colourful days, beautiful clay idols of the 10-armed deity are immersed in the rivers. » Jagaddhatri Puja (Nov, Chandarnagar, p478 ) Honours the goddess Jagaddhatri, an incarnation of Durga. » Poush Mela (23-26 Dec, Shantiniketan, p 479 ) Folk music, dance, theatre and Baul songs radiate across the university town.