Kurseong…
The Land of White Orchids.
I was 16 when I visited Kurseong, a small hill town in the lap of the Himalayas. Being the greedy treasurer of tales and memories, I could vividly remember the never-ending thoughts which had been rioting in my curious mind, the most dominant one being…
“Do mountains have the answers to all my questions?” Being the huge sombre beings, supporting all those tall trees for ages, they have always appeared to me as someone wise. As Tagore puts it, “ these gigantic trees — they wouldn’t speak, but they seemed to know everything”. I wondered if they really did? I still wonder if all those saints who have left family and home to live in the Himalayas in search for their answers, do they really find one? Or do they learn to ask better questions, those which make this world a bit more peaceful to live in.
Mountains have been a part of my bucket list ever since I started making one. And Kurseong was my first contact with them. A small hill station known for its beautiful vistas, orchid gardens, forested hills, and tea plantations, Kurseong is also home to a death road, a headless ghost, few haunted schools, and countless spooky stories. The most famous one being about the Dowhill School. My best friend and her mother, both had been a student of the famous convent school Dowhill, and hence our trip. Revisiting childhood. The general belief is that the school was named after a lovely little bird called “Dow” (in a local tribal dialect) which was very common there.
The locals have heard loud whisperings and sound of footsteps when the school remains closed during the winter vacations from December to March. The fainthearted should certainly avoid the ‘death road,’ which lies between the Dow Hill Road and the Forest office. The local woodcutters have had a harrowing time watching the headless ghost of a young boy walking and disappearing into the forest. People have reported cases of being followed and constantly watched over by an unseen entity. Some have even seen a red eye peering at them. There is even a ghost of a woman dressed in grey. Such bad is the air of these forests that unfortunate visitors either lost their mental balance or ended up killing themselves.
Ours was a short visit and we mostly spent our time there roaming about on foot. A long hike amongst the foggy twists and turns, with a bit of drizzle and strangers smiling at us was all it took and we reached the Kurseong View point. Although less visited, Eagle’s crag offers a stupendous view of the rising sun from behind Kanchenjunga. The place also consists of a monument for the Gorkha warrior and a pretty small garden where seating arrangements are also made to spend time either alone or along with your family. The steaming hot momos and a cup of coffee just completes the experience altogether.
The local name of Kurseong is “Kharsang” which in the Lepcha language means “Land of White Orchids.” Since Darjeeling was a summer resort for the British Raj elite, Kurseong was used as a mid-way halt by the Britishers on their way to Darjeeling. Till 1835, Kurseong was ruled by the King of Sikkim. In 1835, it was handed over to the British by the King of Sikkim as a tribute. From a small village, Kurseong started gaining importance when the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Toy Train service was extended to Kurseong in August 1880. Riding the Toy Train still remains unticked for me, but I think that’s a good thing. Wherever I go, there always remains something I miss out on. Although I believe in the “no regret” mantra, sometimes you can’t just have it all, however much you try.
And whatever gets added to my “maybe next time” list, I highlight them as beautiful reasons for going back. After all, whenever we go back, we always find a part of ourselves…eagerly waiting for us to return, that which had been left behind when we got there in the first place. This little place, filled with it’s glorious history and lush green mountains, is a perfect getaway from the hustles of city life. And if you are planning to go in search of answers,
Bon Voyage!
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Image Credits : Google
