Chowrastha is the heart of the town where every visitor is seen taking a stroll and relaxing their weary heads. In the local dialect, Chowrastha means the place where four roads meet. While proceeding towards Chowrastha or the Mall, visitors have to ascend a hill full of curios, studios etc, and suddenly the visitor finds himself on a huge flat platform surrounded by benches for people to sit. The view is exhilarating with the view of the Kanchenjunga standing with all its might. A walk along the Mall Road opens a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and if the time is right then rhododendrons can be seen all around.
chowrastha
Natural History Museum:
Near to Chowrastha is the Museum of Natural History, containing a representative and comprehensive collection of the fauna of the region. The specimens are displayed in true to life attitudes of all birds species, reptiles and animals found in different altitudes in the Eastern Himalayas. The butterfly and beetle section merit a special mention.
natural history museum
Himalayan Zoological Park:
This is the only Zoo in the world to breed Tibetan Wolf in Captivity and the first South Asian Zoo to breed Snow Leopard and Siberian Tiger.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoo is a unique zoo in the country. It is situated at an elevation of 2133.5 meters against the glorious background of the mighty Kanchenjunga. This zoo in Darjeeling is the only specialized zoo in the country and is internationally recognized because of conservation breeding of Snow Leopard and Red Panda. It was established on 14th August 1958 under the Department of Education of the State for study and conservation of the Himalayan Fauna. On 21st November 1975, the zoo was dedicated by Shrimati Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, to the memory of Shrimati Padmaja Naidu, former Governor of West Bengal. Since then the zoo is known as "Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park".
himalayan zoological park
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
"The lure of the Himalayas is spreading now all over India among our young people, and that is a sign and symbol of the new life and the new spirit that is coursing through Indias veins"
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
himalayan mountaineering institute
Himalayan Zoological Park
This beautiful park situated on the top of a hill is on the way to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. A magnificent view of Kanchenjunga Range and Singla Valley is unforgettable. People are of the opinion that it is shaped like a ship especially "Titanic".
himalayan zoological park
Observatory Hill:
The Hill feature above Chowrastha and a few minutes walk from the Mall Road, on which the Sacred Mahakal temple rests. Mahakal is considered as the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Adjacent to Mahakal temple is a Buddhist Shrine, manifesting the complete harmony that exists between Hinduism and Buddhism
