SiliguriSiliguri, ˈʃiliɡuɽi) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms "Twin Cities" with the neighbouring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. Known as the "Gateway of Northeast India", Siliguri is popular for three Ts: tea, timber and tourism. It is located on the banks of the Mahananda River and the Teesta River at the foothills of the Himalayas. Siliguri is the third largest urban agglomeration in West Bengal, after Kolkata and Asansol.
Lake TsomgoTsomgo Lake, also known as Tsongmo Lake or Changgu Lake, is a glacial lake in the East Sikkim district of the Indian state of Sikkim, some from the capital Gangtok. Located at an elevation of , the lake remains frozen during the winter season. The lake surface reflects different colours with change of seasons and is held in great reverence by the local Sikkimese people. Buddhist monks prognosticated after studying the changing colours of the lake.
KalimpongKalimpong is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The region comes under Gorkhaland Territorial Administration which is an autonomous governing body within the state of West Bengal. The Indian Army's 27 Mountain Division is located on the outskirts of the city. Kalimpong is known for its educational institutions, many of which were established during the British colonial period.
Kalimpong districtKalimpong district is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. Originally known as Dalingkot tehsil, the region was alternatively under the control of Sikkim and Bhutan. In 1865, it was annexed from Bhutan by British India under the Treaty of Sinchula, and administered as a subdivision of the Darjeeling district from 1916 to 2017. In 2017, it was carved out as a separate district to become the 21st district of West Bengal. The district is headquartered at Kalimpong, which grew to prominence as a market town for Indo-Tibetan trade during the British period.
SikkimSikkim (ˈsɪkᵻm; ˈsikːim) is a state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siliguri Corridor, which borders Bangladesh. Sikkim is the least populous and second smallest among the Indian states. Situated in the Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity, including alpine and subtropical climates, as well as being a host to Kangchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third highest on Earth.
DarjeelingDarjeeling (dɑːrˈdʒiːlɪŋ, ˈdarˌdʒiliŋ, darˈd͡ziliŋ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, to the east the Kingdom of Bhutan, to the north the Indian state of Sikkim, and farther north the Tibet Autonomous Region region of China. Bangladesh lies to the south and southeast, and most of the state of West Bengal lies to the south and southwest, connected to the Darjeeling region by a narrow tract.
PakyongPakyong is a city and district headquarters of Pakyong district in the Indian state of Sikkim, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. It holds many Government Offices. Pakyong Airport is the only airport of Sikkim. The "National Research Centre for Orchids" (ICAR Institute) is also located here. There is a missionary run school called St. Xavier's, which ranked as one of the top two schools in Sikkim during the 1990s. Notable among its alumni are the Padma Shri awardee footballer Baichung Bhutia, who captain India.
Kiranti languagesThe Kiranti languages are a major family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Nepal and India (notably Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Bhutan) by the Kirati people. George van Driem had formerly proposed that the Kiranti languages were part of a Mahakiranti family, although specialists are not completely certain of either the existence of a Kiranti subgroup or its precise membership. LaPolla (2003), though, proposes that Kiranti may be part of a larger "Rung" group. There are about two dozen Kiranti languages.
RhenockRhenock is a town in the Pakyong District in Sikkim, India, located on the border with the Kalimpong district of West Bengal. It lies 63 kilometres east of Gangtok, and 47 kilometres north of Kalimpong on the way to Jelepla Pass at an altitude of 1,040 metres. The word Rhe-nock (in Lepcha dialect) means Black Hill. Situated in the extreme east of Sikkim, Rhenock witnessed the establishment of the first police outpost in the state. Rhenock was covered with dense forest in and around the 13th century.
Tihar (festival)Tihar (also known as Deepawali and Yamapanchak) is a five-day Hindu festival celebrated in Nepal and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal, particularly the towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, which host a large number of ethnic Indian Gorkha people. Tihar is analogous to the Indian festival of Diwali, the festival of lights, but some significant differences. Like with Diwali, Tihar is marked by lighting diyo inside and outside the home but unlike the Indian festival, the five days of Tihar include celebration and worship of the four creatures associated with the Hindu god of death Yama, with the final day reserved for people themselves.
