Darjiling

Darjeeling used to be a cluster of villages that was administered intermittently by Nepal and Sikkim. It grew in prominence during the mid-19th century when, because of its climate, the British established a hill station there. Later, it was discovered that the area was particularly well-suited for tea plantations and Darjeeling tea is still exported worldwide. In 1849, the British annexed the area, and Darjeeling became a part of British India. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was opened in 1881 (it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Many Tibetan refugees moved here after Tibet was annexed by China. They co-exist with the descendants of the many Nepalese who once came to the land as soldiers of Prithvi Narayan Shah and settled down there to work as labourers in the tea plantations. There has been intermittent political action from Gorkha groups demanding an independent state (Gorkhaland).