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Spiritual and floral varieties in Kalimpong

India tours are enriched by a visit to the town of Kalimpong, which features a number of different spiritual houses of worship amid its increasingly diverse flower businesses.

Having undergone a number of changes in rulership throughout its history, Kalimpong encompasses many intricate and ornate places of worship. With several churches and temples, the Buddhist Gompas offer some of the best sites. Opened by the Dalai Lama himself in 1976, the Zong Dog Palri Fo-Brang Gompa sits atop Durbin Hill, and features beautiful wall and ceiling paintings throughout the main prayer room. With views of the Himalayas and the Relli and Teesta Rivers, the Durbin Gompa is also a beautiful stop, both inside and out.

For a different spiritual imprint on the city, travelers can visit Dr. J.A. Graham’s House, an orphanage/school built by the Scottish missionary in 1900. Set up originally to educate the children of tea trade workers, the school today enrolls more than 1,300 students.

Kalimpong produces more than 80 percent of country’s gladiolas, and features a number of nurseries that grow a wide variety of arresting flora. Exotic blooms such as bird of paradise and anthurium plants are found at Santi Kunj, while orchids reign in Nurseryman’s Haven. Visitors can also stop by the plainly-named Pineview Nursery to check out an awe-inspiring cactus collection.  

Posted: December 7, 2011

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