Darjeeling (Beng. দার্জিলিং, English Darjeeling, Nepalese. दार्जीलिङ) is a city in India, in the far north of the state of West Bengal, in the eastern Himalayas (at an altitude of about 2185 m). Built by the British as a colonial hill station.

Geography and climate
Darjeeling is located in the eastern Himalayas, in the far north of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located at an altitude of 2050 m above sea level, in the region of the Darjeeling Jalapahar ridge. The most significant mountain visible from Darjeeling – Kanchenjunga, has a height of 8,598 m above sea level.

The climate of the city is characterized as temperate and can be divided into 5 seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter and the rainy season (monsoon). The average annual maximum temperature is 14.9°C, and the average annual minimum temperature is 8.9°C. Average monthly temperatures vary from 5 to 17°C. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the city on February 11, 1905 was -5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 3,092 mm. The greatest amount of precipitation falls in July.

History
The history of Darjeeling is closely intertwined with the history of Bengal, Sikkim and Nepal. Until the beginning of the 19th century, the hilly region around Darjeeling was under the control of the kingdom of Sikkim, although the flat areas near Siliguri were intermittently under the control of Nepal. It is also known that Nepal expanded its territory up to the Teesta River. In 1828, a delegation of British East India Company officials on their way to the border of Nepal and Sikkim stopped in Darjeeling and found the region very suitable for the site of a future sanatorium for British soldiers. In 1835, the company leased land west of the Mahananda River from the Chogyal of Sikkim. In 1849, the British administrator of Darjeeling Arthur Campbell and the botanist and traveler Joseph Dalton Hooker were taken prisoner in the Sikkim-controlled area. The British East India Company sent troops after them.

The resulting friction between the East India Company and Sikkim led to the annexation of 1,700 km² of territory in 1850. In addition, in 1864, as a result of the Anglo-Bhutan War, Bhutan was forced to cede to the British the roads going through the hilly region and Kalimpong. Continued disagreements with Sikkim also led to the British capture of territory east of the Teesta River in 1865. By 1866, the Darjeeling district was about modern size and covered an area of ​​3200 km². During the course of British rule, the city becomes a hill station for Britons seeking to escape the summer heat of the plains. The city quickly developed as well as a sanatorium and resort. Arthur Campbell’s efforts to develop the hill station and bring in immigrants to work the local hillsides contributed to an increase in the population of Darjeeling from 1835 to 1949. The first road linking the city and the plains was built from 1839 to 1842. In 1848, a military base for British soldiers was built in the city, and in 1850 Darjeeling received the status of a municipality.
Industrial tea cultivation in the Darjeeling area began in 1856 and attracted a number of British planters. Beginning in 1864, the city became the formal summer capital of the Bengal Presidency. Scottish missionaries took over the building of the schools, thus laying the foundation for the city’s future prominence as a center of education. The opening of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1881 also contributed to the development of the region. In 1899, the city was badly damaged by landslides that hit it.

In the course of the Indian Independence Movement, unorganized uprisings also spread to the territory of Darjeeling. In the 1940s, communist activists continue to move against the British by mobilizing plantation workers. By the time of the country’s independence, a large number of socio-economic problems are accumulating in the Darjeeling region. After India declared independence, the city became part of the state of West Bengal. The Nepalese population of the region was dissatisfied with the actions of the state government, it demands autonomy for Darjeeling and recognition of the Nepalese language. The creation of the state of Sikkim in 1975, as well as the reluctance of the Indian government to grant status to the Nepali language, also contributed to separatist sentiment. Until the 1980s, there was a movement to create a separate state of Gorkhaland in the Dargeling region. Agitation for secession finally stopped only with the creation of the autonomy of the Darjeeling Mountain Gurkha Council in 1988. In 2008-09, new protests swept through those dissatisfied with the government of the autonomy and wishing to create the state of Gorkhaland.

Economy
The two main branches of the local economy are tourism and the tea industry. Thanks to the local unique agro-climatic conditions, Darjeeling tea has a special natural aroma, for which it is known and recognized all over the world. Darjeeling produces about 7% of all Indian tea, which corresponds to about 9,000,000 kg per year. In recent years, the tea industry has increasingly faced competition from producers from other parts of India, as well as from other countries such as Nepal. More than 60% of tea plantation workers are women. In addition to tea, rice, millet, maize, cardamom, ginger and potatoes are also grown. The city has been known as a tourist center since the 1860s. This is the only major center in eastern India, attracting a large number of foreign tourists. It is also a popular filming location for Bollywood and Bengali movies.

Transport
The city is famous for its narrow-gauge mountain railway, opened in 1881 and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This road, 86 km long, connects Darjeeling with the city of Siliguri. The elevation difference is about 2100 m: the road starts in Siliguri at an altitude of 100 m above sea level and ends in Darjeeling at an altitude of 2200 m.
Darjeeling is connected by bus service to Siliguri. Road and rail links are often interrupted by monsoons and landslides. The nearest airport is located in the city of Bagdogra, 90 km from Darjeeling. Inside the city, due to its relatively small size, walking is popular, as well as bicycles, motorcycles and taxis. The local cable car, which has been operating since 1968, was closed in 2003 after an incident that resulted in the death of four tourists. It was finally reopened only in 2012.