Geographical Information

The Darjeeling Hill area represents a unique geo- environmental perception. The area of study is primarily composed of erosional landforms produced by southerly flowing streams, which have exposed a full cross section of different tectonic units. The form units are, however approximately the same throughout the hill area, having more or less uniform lithology, structure, climate, soil and vegetative covers. According to Mallet (1875), Audent (1935) the tectonic units are found to be in the reverse order of stratigraphic superimposition, and is represented by Siwalik and Gondwana systems. Towards the inner Himalayas, the thrusted sheets of Daling and Darjeeling group of crystalline rocks succeed these. The contact between different groups of rocks is represented by thrusts, dipping at high angles towards north. A brief description of various formations of the Darjeeling Himalaya is given here under Raised Terraces: A recent to sub recent formation form a fringe along the hills, especially at the confluences of the rivers. These terraces are composed of gravels, pebbles and boulders mixed with sand and clay. The formation is semi-consolidated, stratified along with the evidences of upheaval at places. This type of high-level terraces is also called the Terai. A 40 m high terrace is found in the Tista valley at Kalijhora. Siwalik: The Siwalik system in the Darjeeling hill areas is comprised of mudstones, sandstones, shale and conglomerates along with the bands of shale and lignite. In the Hill Cart Road and along the Tista River a few stretches of good exposers of Siwalik are found. The general strike of these rocks is NNE-SSW to NW-SE with dips varying between 30º to 60º. Damuda Series: Just after Siwalik, coarse-grained hard sandstone, quartzites, carbonaceous shale and slates belong to Damuda series are found. The Damuda series of Darjeeling hill areas is equivalent to the Gondwanas of Indian peninsular region. The maximum width of the Damuda is about 2.5 km along the Tista valley. The maximum thickness is about 1000m. The general strike of the bed is from ENE to WSW, with a varying dip of 40º to 90º. In this belt coal seams of about 3 mt. are found near Tindharia region, Lish and Gish Rivers. Daling Series: This series is comprised of chlorite shales, phyllites and schist associated with quartzite, which rest over Damuda series. Well-developed form of Damuda series is found along the Tista River and the stretches along the Tindharia –Paglajhora on the Hill Cart Road. The rocks are occasionally traversed by quartz and feldspar veins. The most important feature of this series is increasing metamorphism upwards, where slates form the lowest bed. Darjeeling Gneiss: In the higher reaches of the Darjeeling hill areas, the Dalings gradually grade into the more metamorphosed rocks, which is known as Darjeeling Gneiss. The dips of the rocks are irregular and vary in between 40º – 70º. Darjeeling gneisses are highly foliated due to metamorphism. There are two prominent sets of joints in the Darjeeling gneiss, one running roughly NW-SE and the other NNW-SSE. The general direction of the hill spurs is in accordance with the joint directions.

Cultural Information

The culture of Darjeeling is quite miscellaneous, due to the mixed ethnicity of the population. The local culture of Darjeeling can be well understood during the season of native festivals. The diverse community of people of Darjeeling consists of the Lepchas (the original inhabitants), the diverse dialect groups of Nepali Gorkhas who form the majority, Bengalis, Tibetans, Biharis and Marwaris to name a few sects. Lepchas were the original inhabitants of Darjeeling and Sikkim but they represent a minority of the population in today`s Darjeeling. Nepali Gorkhas constitute the majority of the population of Darjeeling today. They come from different castes and dialect groups like the Limbu, Gurung, Tamang, Rai, Newar, Mangar, Sherpa and Thami communities. The Tibetan community is comparatively a new addition to the population formed when thousands of Tibetan refugees settled across Darjeeling district in 1950 when China captured Tibet. The rest of the population is an assortment of people who are from the plains of India, from states like Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and so on. Festival contours the cultural synthesis of Darjeeling. Apart from the major Hindu religious festivals like Christmas, Diwali, Dussera, Holi, Ram Navami and others, the diverse ethnic population of the Darjeeling district observes several local festivals. The Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups like the Bhutias, Lepchas, Gurungs, and Tamangs celebrate New Year called Loshar during the months of January or February. Maghe Sankranti, Buddha Jayanti, Chotrul Duchen, and Tendong Lho Rumfaat are some of the local festivities in Darjeeling that largely tells about the culture of the place. Darjeeling Carnival, initiated by a civil society movement known as the Darjeeling Initiative, is a ten-day carnival held annually during winter that especially portrays the prosperous musical and cultural heritage of Darjeeling Hills as its basic theme.