Views of heritage architecture all tangled up in Darjeeling

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"Did you know that the older name for Darjeeling was Dorje-ling, or the land of thunder? When the British arrived, they couldn't pronounce the original name and called it Darjeeling—a name that stuck on," says our tour guide, Rahul Thapa, as we travel from the pristine tea estates of Kurseong to the main town of Darjeeling. Locals such as Thapa are worried that the picturesque hill station nestled in north Bengal may soon acquire another name, 'Taarjeeling", due to the proliferation of entangled wires dangling across the main town. In fact, this quip has become a popular joke with which guides and taxi drivers greet tourists.
"Did you know that the older name for Darjeeling was Dorje-ling, or the land of thunder? When the British arrived, they couldn't pronounce the original name and called it Darjeeling—a name that stuck on," says our tour guide, Rahul Thapa, as we travel from the pristine tea estates of Kurseong to the main town of Darjeeling. Locals such as Thapa are worried that the picturesque hill station nestled in north Bengal may soon acquire another name, 'Taarjeeling", due to the proliferation of entangled wires dangling across the main town. In fact, this quip has become a popular joke with which guides and taxi drivers greet tourists.
As someone who has visited Darjeeling earlier—my last visit being nearly 14 years ago—the statement seems like hyperbole. That is until I reach Darjeeling's Mall Road. Landmarks such as the Planter's Club (now renovated) and the Darjeeling Clock Tower, which had once stood tall, framed by mountains all around, today seem to be peeking out from behind a veil of tangled wires. Views of exquisite neocolonial and Gothic architecture, with a smattering of beautiful Art Deco elements here and there, are impeded by shops and restaurants under construction. During my last trip, I remember sitting on the deck of the famous Keventers cafe, enjoying unimpeded views of the mountains and of the Gothic churches. Today, the wire is as much part of the landscape.
This observation is shared by many travellers to Darjeeling such as Sibendu Das, a Kolkata-based corporate content writer and culinary explorer, who has been visiting the hill station since his childhood. 'The buildings here are so rich in heritage value. But you can't view even the most obvious ones in their glory as there are wires going through the town. Try photographing one of them— you will find political posters, meshes of wires and under-construction buildings everywhere," says Das, who visited Darjeeling just last month to traverse the entire Unesco World Heritage toy train route from New Jalpaiguri Station to the main town.
Darjeeling is not alone in being a victim of rampant haphazard urbanisation. Most of the hill stations across India have witnessed a drastic alteration in their landscapes—from charming havens with heritage architecture to dense urban sprawls packed with build ings of all shapes and sizes, incongruous to the laidback pristine beauty of these towns. Darjeeling has always held a lot of charm for history buffs and Satyajit Ray fans—the director based a story from his famous Feluda series here and shot some of his films in this town. This has attracted both domestic and foreign tourists. The Darjeeling Clock Tower
That the town is turning into a concrete jungle saddens Sailesh Sarda, the fourth generation of his family to run Nathmulls Tea and a premium tea room in Darjeeling. 'Tourism is the backbone of our economy. But today, if you open a window expecting to see the mountains, you are greeted by incomplete construction," he says. Sarda moved out of Darjeeling to an adjoining village, located 40 minutes away, to escape this urban chaos.
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For those, who want to experience the old world charm of Darjeeling, there are still some stellar heritage structures, which often fall under the radar. Take, for instance, the house of pioneering industrialist Butto Kristo Paul—a mansion, with ornate wooden framed windows and traditional entrance, built between 1900 and 1910.
A visit to the house of Chittaranjan Das, a freedom fighter and political activist popularly known as Deshbandhu, is also recommended. His home was witness to several historical events and the backdrop to films such as Sanyasi Raja featuring Uttam Kumar.'The film was based on a real incident from colonial times, when a zamindar was believed to have died. Several years later, he returned and there was a long legal battle to determine if the man who had come back was real or fake. The event that started it all—the zamindar dying on an evening marked by rough weather, his body disappearing—took place in Chittaranjan Das's house in Darjeeling," adds Das.
Darjeeling has so much to offer for those interested in colonial and post-colonial history. It remains to be seen how the hill station will take the route of mindful development and manage to keep the wires away from its heritage structures and natural beauty. Topics You May Be Interested In