• Preparation of Chhang/chyang/chong as mentioned in the Narratives of the mission of George Bogle to Tibet in 1774

    Preparation of Chhang/chyang/chong as mentioned in the Narratives of the mission of George Bogle to Tibet in 1774

    According to the popular definition, Chhaang, also known as Jaarh in Nepal, is a rice beer that is a staple drink in the eastern Himalayas and is used in religious ceremonies. In 1774 Bogle was appointed the leader of the first British diplomatic mission to Tibet, in an attempt to establish friendly relations and open trade…

  • Inbrief : A history of the relationship between the English East India Company and Dorjeling

    Inbrief : A history of the relationship between the English East India Company and Dorjeling

    Background – The relationship between Dorjeling and Bengal came about due to the English East India Company’s strategic interests in the Indian subcontinent. Dorjeling was part of the Kingdom of Sikkim until 1835, when the region (that is Dorjeling) was gifted to the English East India Company. The year 1757 is important as it laid…

  • Industrial School For Darjeeling

    Industrial School For Darjeeling

    (This article first appeared in The Darjeeling Times, March edition, 1938) “During the last few years great stress has been laid on Indian Education and schools have sprung up in large numbers all around us. As a result, boys who in the usual way would have taken up a trade, feel that their vocation in…

  • Celebrating Losar in twentieth century Darjeeling

    Celebrating Losar in twentieth century Darjeeling

    This excerpt is taken from the book “A Man of the Frontier : S. W. Laden La, His Life and Times in Darjeeling and Tibet by Nicholas and Deki Rhodes”. “Tibetan New Year (Losar) was a particularly important period for the Tibetan and Sikkimese Bhutia communities in Darjeeling. For several days before, the house would…

  • Gaeboo Achyok and the Struggle for Damsang: Lepcha Resistance in the 17th century

    Gaeboo Achyok and the Struggle for Damsang: Lepcha Resistance in the 17th century

    Damsang Fort, located about an hour from Kalimpong, is one of the last surviving markers of the 17th-century Lepcha kingdom. Strategically positioned above Pedong and commanding a view of the forested tracts stretching north towards the Tibetan frontier, the fort is closely associated with the Lepcha chieftain Gaeboo Achyok, whose leadership symbolized resilience in a…