Darjeeling, formerly known as Darjiling is also known as the place of thunderbolt or Dorja the mystical. Darjeeling is situated at an altitude of 2134 m above sea level in North Bengal. Darjeeling is the famous hill station in West Bengal and has spectacular scenery and offers views of the Himalayas. The scenic beauty of Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga, the two highest peaks of the Himalayas, is something never to be forgotten. Darjeeling is built on spur on the Ghoom Sanchal Ridge and faces the Himalayas and the surrounding hills. These hills are thickly covered with coniferous forests or terraced tea gardens. The upper reaches of the popular hill station were originally occupied by the Europeans who built houses with commanding views. Nepali, Lepcha, tibetan, Bhutia and Bengali are the various people that lives in Darjeeling. The best season to visit Darjeeling is from October to December and April to June.

The history of Darjeeling is quite interesting. Until the beginning of the 18th century, the whole area between the present borders of Sikkim and plains of Bengal belonged to the Raja of Sikkim. Although, some of its parts were annexed from time to time by the Bhutanese and Nepalis. Due to the East India Company's intervention and the subsequent return of the territory's sovereignty to the Rajas of Sikkim and clash between the Sikkimese and the Nepalese, the British dispatched in 1828 two officers on a fact–finding mission. The officers were quick to appreciate the value of the area known as Darjeeling, the place of Thunderbolt for a sanatorium and as a key of entry into Nepal and Tibet. The officer observations were conveyed to Calcutta and the British authorities forced the Raja to cede this area to them for a small stipend of Rs. 3000. Later developments enabled the British to annex the entire area to then empire. Darjeeling, which was completely under forests, shaped into a resort by 1840. A road was built and numerous houses and a sanatorium was constructed. Hotels too followed in course to time. A toy train was constructed by 1881 at a cost of Rs.1, 700,000 only! Darjeeling became the summer capital of the state of Bengal.

Tea is the most important crop which is grown in Darjeeling. The East India Company started growing tea, first in the Assam and later in Darjeeling. The various varieties of tea are available which are grown in the much lower altitudes in Bagdogra and in Sylhet in Bangladesh. Today, India is the largest producer of tea in the world and about a quarter of the total output of tea is grown in Darjeeling. Tea is the national drink of India and is consumed in large scale in India. The old method of tea processing can be seen in the Happy Valley Tea Estate near Darjeeling. Most of the Darjeeling's tea is sold through auction houses, the largest centre is in Kolkata.

Buddha Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha is celebrated at various Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling. This festival is celebrated in the month of May.

The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute holds mountain climbing, rock climbing, etc. There are any number of Himalayan treks which can be undertaken form Darjeeling. A popular trekking is to Sandakphu. The best season for trekking are April to May and October to November.

By Air:
The nearest airport is located at Bagdogra, which is about 90 kms. from Darjeeling. Indian Airlines services connect Bagdogra with Kolkata, Delhi, Patna, Guwahati and Imphal. 

By Rail:
New Jalpaiguri, about 80 km and Siliguri, about 90 km are the nearest railway stations to Darjeeling which are connected with Kolkata, Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram etc. The tiny toy train starts from New Jalpaiguri and reaches Darjeeling in 7 hours. It is a thrilling experience.

By Road:
Darjeeling is connected by road with all important cities of the eastern region like Siliguri, Gangtok, Guwahati and Kolkata.