With an area of 1,200 sq. miles, the district is shaped like an irregular triangle, the southern region, the base, comprises the Terrai, a marshy low-lying area at an average height of 100 m above sea level; the apex is formed by the Phalut ridge where Nepal meets India. The eastern frontier lies along the rivers Tista and Rangeet, beyond is Rishi-La and Bhutan. The lower regions of the labyrithine hilly forest-clad ridges, have been cleared for the cultivation of the world famous Darjeeling tea. Started in the area of only 14,000 acres in 1872, it had risen to 7,87,000 acres by 1956. The town itself laid out by Lord Napier of Royal Engineers, is at an altitude of 2,134 m (lies between 26° 31' and 27° 13' North Latitude and between 87° 59' and 88° 53' East Longitude); moving up the hills one is greeted by smiling tea gardens, changing to firs, pines and fast moving torrents, while around 4,000 types of flowering plants and 300 varieties of ferns, including the rare tree fern. Beyond the town itself, modern elegant and sophistacated, lies nature in the raw in hills, valleys and forest, unbroken and untamed.
Darjeeling Climate:
The main seasons are :
Spring (Feb-March end) is one of the blissful seasons one can imagine. The temperature is slightly warmer than the winters, with a maximum temperature of 18-degree Celsius. This season is best suited to those who wish to explore.
Summer (April - May end) with cool winds, bright blue sky and a majestic view of mount Kanchenjunga, a certain thrill entices the visitors in the spell of the warm sunshine. The maximum temperature is between 20 -24 degrees Celsius (approx.). This season is best suited for holidays, honeymoon, leisure trips etc.
Monsoons (July - Mid Sept) with misty weather it experiences one of the heaviest rainfalls in the whole of the Indian sub continent. This season is not suitable for travelling.
Autumn (Mid Sept - Oct end) is perhaps the best time of the year to visit, with Hindu festivals taking place and having the best temperature reading. During this time, all the streets and houses are lit up in the spiritual glow of the diyos (Oil lamps). The temperature is in between 10 to 20 degrees Celsius.
Winter (Dec - Mid Feb) is cold with frequent hailstorms and occasional snowfall. This season is ideal for those who wish to experience typical chill of this snowy paradise.
Rainfall The precipitation during the south west monsoons constitutes about eighty percent of the annual rainfall. July being the wettest month and there are about 120 days of rainfall.
Temperature The highest ever temperature witnessed in Darjeeling town was 26.7 degree Celsius i.e. 80.1 degree Fahrenheit on 23rd August 1957. The lowest ever temperature recorded in the district was minus 5 degree Celsius i.e. 23 degree Fahrenheit on 11th February 1905.
Humidity During the rainy season the humidity is up to 90 to 95 percent. During March - April the humidity is up to 40 to 45 percent.
Climatically the condition of Darjeeling is well compared to that of the United Kingdom.
The Flora and Fauna of Darjeeling:The forests in and around Darjeeling have delightful flora and fauna. It is a plant lover's paradise. Four thousand species of flowering plants, three hundred varieties of ferns, including tree fern and countless types of flowerless plants, mosses, algae, fungi, birches, and of course, the prize orchids, wild and cultivated. There are oaks, chestnuts, cherry, maple, birch, alder - all fine and large trees of excellent growth. In the upper hill areas and the alpine zone are the magnolias, buck-landias, pyrus and conifers such as webb, Himalayan firs, English yews, Sikkim spruces, larch, which is the only deciduous conifer, weeping tsuga brunoniana and junipers. Ivy is common. Rhododendrons changes the face of the place.
The fauna is similarly varied - monkeys, wild cats, tigers, leopards, civets, jackals and foxes, wild dogs, bears, otters, martons, weasels, squirrels (including the Himalayan flying and Assam giant varieties), porcupines, hares, barking deer, samburs, chitals and the very rare pangolin. In the foothills and the Terrai forests, in the sanctuaries (Jaldhapara and Gorumara in the neighbouring Jalpaiguri) can be seen the gaur or Bison, elephants and the single horned rhinoceros.
Darjeeling is the home of six hundred varities of beautiful birds like flycatchers, fairy bluebirds, orioles, finches, sunbirds, long-tailed broadbills, woodpeckers, rufous piculets, emerald cuckoos, three-toed kingfishers, long-legged falcons, Hoogson's imperial pigeons, emerald doves, besides a large number of seasonal migratory birds on their way to the plains.
The Economy:
The cash crops of the region are fruits (like oranges), tea and cardamom. Tourism contributes in a great way to the economy of the region. Tea and Darjeeling are synonymous. Darjeeling Tea is world renowned for its flavour, which is unequaled by other tea producing areas not only of India but also of the world. Darjeeling still manufactures the tea by the original methods known as the 'orthodox' method. Some are even going Bio-Organic.
Source: Darjeelingnews.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment