Darjeeling's Forgotten Stories

What Makes This Walk Different?

Darjeeling has no shortage of sightseeing tours.

This walk takes a different approach.

Rather than moving from one famous attraction to another, we use a series of places to tell the stories of the people who passed through them, lived in them or left their mark on the town.

An old shop becomes a window into Darjeeling’s commercial history.

A bookshop opens a connection to the writers and explorers who documented the Himalayas.

A quiet house recalls a crucial moment in India’s freedom movement.

A church reveals the Scottish community that helped shape early Darjeeling.

A memorial introduces the cultural history of the Gorkha community.

A mountaineer’s story leads us towards the Darjeeling of the Himalayan expeditions.

And finally, the cemetery brings many of these stories together through the names carved into old gravestones.

The result is a Darjeeling that is more complicated, more human and considerably more interesting than the familiar postcard image.

The Walk

Chowrasta — The Heart of Darjeeling

The walk begins at Darjeeling Mall, better known as Chowrasta.

Today, this open promenade is the social centre of the town. People meet here, stroll along the Mall, sit on the benches, browse the shops and watch Darjeeling’s daily life unfold.

But Chowrasta also stands at the centre of the town’s longer history.

In 1835, the East India Company acquired Darjeeling from the Raja of Sikkim. Over the following decades, the settlement developed into a hill station, administrative centre and base for exploration of the eastern Himalayas.

The growth of Darjeeling brought together administrators, tea planters, traders, missionaries, explorers and people from across the Himalayan region.

Chowrasta became one of the places where these different worlds met.

We begin here because it is the natural starting point for understanding the town — before leaving the familiar centre to look at some of the people and stories that are easier to miss.

Habeeb Mullick & Son — A Shop That Has Seen Darjeeling Change

One of the first stops is Habeeb Mullick & Son, an old family business near Chowrasta.

The shop traces its history to 1890 and has long been associated with curios, jewellery, handicrafts and objects connected with the Himalayan region.

It offers a glimpse into a different side of Darjeeling’s heritage.

The hill station created a growing economy around hotels, tourism, tea, trade and visitors. Businesses such as Habeeb Mullick became part of that changing commercial world.

Inside the shop, old photographs and objects associated with the business provide glimpses of Darjeeling as it once looked.

This is heritage at a different scale.

There is no grand government building here, no imposing monument and no elaborate memorial. Instead, there is a family business that has continued while the town around it has changed.

That continuity is itself part of Darjeeling’s history.

Approximate time at stop: 5–10 minutes

Oxford Book & Stationery Co. — Darjeeling Through Books

A short distance away is the Oxford Book & Stationery Co.

Darjeeling and the surrounding Himalayas have attracted writers, naturalists, explorers, administrators and travellers for generations.

They came to describe the landscape, document its plants and animals, study its peoples and cultures, record their journeys and write about the mountains.

The resulting body of literature is enormous.

Oxford Book & Stationery Co. provides a fitting connection to this literary side of Darjeeling. It is a reminder that the Himalayas around the town have long been observed not only by travellers but also by people who came here to study, document and understand them.

Darjeeling was not simply a place people came to see.

It was also a place people came to read, research, record and write about.

Approximate time at stop: 5 minutes

Step Aside — Where a Chapter of India’s Freedom Movement Ended

One of the most significant stops on the walk is Step Aside, the house associated with nationalist leader Chittaranjan Das, popularly known as Deshbandhu.

Das was one of the prominent leaders of India’s freedom movement. He served as president of the Indian National Congress in 1922 and later helped establish the Swaraj Party.

In June 1925, Mahatma Gandhi stayed with Chittaranjan Das at Step Aside.

Das was seriously ill and had come to Darjeeling to spend time in the hills. He died at Step Aside on 16 June 1925, aged 55.

The house therefore occupies a remarkable place in the history of India’s independence movement.

There is something particularly striking about encountering this history in an otherwise quiet Darjeeling street. The national story is often told through major cities, political institutions and famous public spaces. Here, one chapter unfolded inside an ordinary hill-town house.

For visitors interested in Indian history, this is one of the most compelling places on the route.

Approximate time at stop: 15–20 minutes

Interior access to heritage properties is subject to current local arrangements.

Windamere — A Window into the World of the Raj

The route continues towards Windamere, overlooking the historic Observatory Hill area.

The property traces its history to Ada Villa, built in 1841, and later became associated with accommodation for British and Scottish tea planters and other visitors to Darjeeling.

Windamere offers a glimpse into the social world of the old hill station.

During the colonial period, Darjeeling became a seasonal retreat for British officials, tea planters and visitors seeking the cooler climate of the Himalayas.

Hotels, boarding houses and private residences became an important part of this society.

Windamere represents that period particularly well. It is not simply an old building preserved from the colonial era; it is part of the story of how Darjeeling developed a distinctive social life of its own.

The history of the hill station was being lived not only in government offices and tea gardens, but also in boarding houses, hotels, dining rooms and private homes.

Approximate time at stop: 10 minutes

St Andrew’s Church — The Scottish Connection

St Andrew’s Church is one of Darjeeling’s recognisable historic churches.

The foundation stone was laid in 1843, and the church became an important centre for the Scottish community in the hill station.

Named after the patron saint of Scotland, St Andrew’s reflects the Scottish influence that was particularly strong among some of the early European residents of Darjeeling.

The church also contains memorials and plaques associated with people connected with the early history of the town.

Among the names is Lt. Gen. George W. Aylmer Lloyd, whose story becomes particularly important later in our walk.

His name is therefore not simply something encountered on a plaque.

It becomes part of a story that we follow from the living town to the cemetery where Lloyd was eventually buried.

Approximate time at stop: 10 minutes

Access to the church interior may vary according to services and local arrangements.

Master Mitrasen Thapa — The Cultural Soul of Darjeeling

The walk then moves beyond the predominantly colonial narrative.

Master Mitrasen Thapa was a prominent Nepali/Gorkha cultural figure associated with poetry, music, theatre and writing.

His story provides an opportunity to look at a part of Darjeeling’s history that can easily disappear behind the better-known story of the British hill station.

Darjeeling’s identity is not simply colonial.

The town developed through the lives and traditions of the communities who settled in the hills and made Darjeeling their home. Nepali-speaking communities, along with Lepcha, Bhutia, Tibetan and other Himalayan communities, have all contributed to the region’s cultural identity.

The story of Mitrasen Thapa forms one part of this much larger cultural history.

It also helps us understand why Darjeeling’s heritage cannot be reduced to churches, colonial buildings and British-era institutions.

Approximate time at stop: 1–2 minutes

Nawang Gombu — Darjeeling and the Age of Mountaineering

The next stop introduces one of Darjeeling’s great Himalayan personalities: Nawang Gombu.

The nephew of Tenzing Norgay, Gombu became the first person to climb Mount Everest twice, reaching the summit in 1963 and again in 1965.

His achievements belong to one of the most important chapters in Darjeeling’s modern history: the town’s association with Himalayan mountaineering and exploration.

For much of the 19th century, Darjeeling was known primarily for administration, tea, commerce and the hill-station lifestyle. During the 20th century, it became increasingly associated with expeditions into the Himalayas.

The establishment of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute further strengthened that connection.

Nawang Gombu’s story represents this transformation.

It is also a reminder that Darjeeling’s Himalayan identity did not end with its colonial architecture. The town became a base for people whose ambitions extended far beyond the hills immediately surrounding it.

Approximate time at stop: 1–2 minutes

Government House — The Power Behind the Hill Station

The walk continues towards Government House, now known as Lok Bhavan, Darjeeling.

The site was purchased from the Cooch Behar State in 1877 and developed as an official residence for the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal.

The residence was first occupied in 1880 and became an important symbol of Darjeeling’s administrative significance during the British period.

The original building was severely damaged by the 1934 earthquake and was subsequently replaced. The present structure was completed in 1936, while the historic Durbar Hall survived the earthquake.

Government House offers another perspective on Darjeeling.

The town was not simply a place for leisure and summer holidays. It became an important administrative centre, with Darjeeling playing a significant role in the governance of Bengal and the wider eastern Himalayan region.

The buildings and institutions associated with that administration are an important part of the town’s heritage, even when they are less immediately visible to visitors than the Mall or the railway.

Approximate time at stop: 2–3 minutes

The Government House complex is viewed from outside unless specific access has been arranged.

Hooker Road — In the Footsteps of a Botanist

The route now moves into a quieter part of Darjeeling.

Hooker Road is named after Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, one of the great botanists and explorers of the 19th century.

Hooker arrived in Darjeeling in 1848 and used the town as a base for his exploration of Sikkim and the eastern Himalayas.

His journeys resulted in extensive documentation of the region’s extraordinary plant life and contributed significantly to Western scientific knowledge of Himalayan botany.

His work represents another important chapter in Darjeeling’s history.

The town attracted not only administrators, tourists and tea planters, but also scientists, explorers and naturalists who came to investigate a landscape that was still relatively unfamiliar to the scientific world.

By now, the walk has taken us through remarkably different aspects of Darjeeling:

commerce, literature, politics, religion, culture, mountaineering, administration and science.

And yet there is one final place where many of these stories come together.

Old Cemetery — Where Darjeeling’s Early Stories Remain

The walk ends at the Old Cemetery on Lebong Cart Road.

Unlike the Mall, the railway or the more prominent tourist attractions, the cemetery is rarely included in conventional Darjeeling sightseeing itineraries.

Yet it is one of the town’s most important historic sites.

The cemetery has been accorded the status of National Importance by the Kolkata Chapter of the Archaeological Survey of India, and it contains the graves of people connected with Darjeeling’s early history.

Its setting is striking. Away from the busiest part of town, the cemetery overlooks the lower landscape and tea gardens, while Kanchenjunga can be visible on a clear day.

Here, the history of Darjeeling becomes more personal.

Instead of buildings, institutions and roads, we are looking at names.

People.

Lives.

And the traces they left behind.

Among them are two particularly remarkable figures.

George W. Aylmer Lloyd

We encountered Lloyd’s name earlier at St Andrew’s Church.

Lt. Gen. George W. Aylmer Lloyd was an East India Company officer associated with the early British development of Darjeeling.

He died in Darjeeling in 1865 and was buried here.

The connection between the church and cemetery gives his story an unusual continuity.

Earlier, his name appears on a church memorial alongside those of other early residents. Here, at the end of the walk, we encounter his actual tomb.

It is a reminder that the people who appear in the history books were once living people moving through these same hills.

Alexander Csoma de Kőrös

The cemetery is also the final resting place of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, the Hungarian scholar and Tibetologist.

Csoma devoted much of his life to studying the Tibetan language and culture. His pioneering work on Tibetan grammar and vocabulary made an important contribution to Western understanding of Tibet.

He died in Darjeeling in 1842, while preparing to continue his journey towards Tibet.

His grave is one of the cemetery’s most historically significant memorials.

His story also takes us beyond the history of Darjeeling itself.

The town was becoming a meeting point between the Indian plains, the Himalayan states and the world beyond them. People came here because Darjeeling was becoming a useful base from which to understand, administer, explore and travel through the eastern Himalayas.

Csoma’s story is one of the clearest examples.

A Cemetery Full of Stories

The Old Cemetery contains many other graves belonging to people who lived and worked in Darjeeling during the colonial period.

Military officers, civil servants and other residents are represented among the names and inscriptions.

Together, the graves reveal something that conventional monuments cannot.

They show the people behind the history.

The men and women who came to Darjeeling did not all arrive for the same reason.

Some administered the region.

Some explored it.

Some studied its natural environment.

Some worked in its institutions.

Others simply made their lives in the growing hill station.

Their names remain in the cemetery long after the world they inhabited has changed.

The End of the Walk

We finish at the Old Cemetery.

By this point, Darjeeling may look a little different.

The old shops, churches, hotels and roads are still part of the modern town. But behind them are layers of history involving people and events from very different worlds.

The colonial hill station.

The Indian independence movement.

The Himalayan communities.

The age of mountaineering.

The scientific exploration of the Himalayas.

The commercial life of an emerging hill town.

All of these stories have left their mark on Darjeeling.

And that is what makes this walk different.

You are not simply being shown where Darjeeling’s old places are.

You are following the people who passed through them.

Who Is This Walk For?

This walk is particularly suited to travellers who:

• enjoy history and heritage
• are interested in colonial India
• want to understand Darjeeling beyond its famous viewpoints
• enjoy discovering lesser-known places
• are interested in architecture and old buildings
• want to learn about the people and communities of Darjeeling
• enjoy walking through historic towns
• have already visited Darjeeling and want to experience a different side of it
• prefer experiences and stories over conventional sightseeing

It is also an excellent introduction to Darjeeling for first-time visitors who want to understand the town rather than simply see its attractions.

Who May Find It Less Suitable?

The walk may not be suitable for travellers who:

• have significant difficulty walking on slopes or steps
• are uncomfortable with uneven surfaces
• are looking for a vehicle-based sightseeing experience
• prefer a fast-paced itinerary covering many conventional tourist attractions

The distance is only approximately 2.3 km, and the overall difficulty is Easy, but this remains a walking experience through an old hill town rather than a flat urban promenade.

What to Bring

We recommend carrying:

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Drinking water
• A light waterproof jacket
• A warm layer
• Sun protection
• Camera

Darjeeling’s weather can change quickly, so a light waterproof layer is useful even when the day begins clear.

Heritage Site Access

The walk includes historic buildings and institutions whose access may depend on opening hours, religious services, government activity or local arrangements.

Interior access to Step Aside, St Andrew’s Church, Windamere and Government House is therefore not guaranteed.

Where a particular site is temporarily inaccessible, the experience remains focused on the history and stories associated with the location.

The walk is designed around the history of the places, rather than depending on entry into every building.

A Private Walk Through a Less Familiar Darjeeling

Darjeeling’s Forgotten Stories is a bespoke private walking experience for 2–8 guests.

There is no need to join a larger group of strangers. The pace can remain conversational, allowing time for questions, photographs and discussion as the stories unfold.

The walk lasts approximately two hours, covers around 2.3 km, and ends at the Old Cemetery on Lebong Cart Road.

Price: USD 30–40 per person, depending on group size.

If you are interested in Darjeeling’s history but have already seen the Mall, the viewpoints and the usual sightseeing attractions, this is a chance to look at the town differently.

And if this is your first visit, it can provide the historical context that makes the familiar Darjeeling much easier to understand.

Walk through Darjeeling’s past. Discover the stories that are still hiding in plain sight.