Kalimpong

The precise origin of the name Kalimpong remains unclear. There are many theories on the origin of the name. One widely accepted theory claims that the name "Kalimpong" means "Assembly (or Stockade) of the King's Ministers" in Tibetan, derived from kalon ("King's ministers") and pong ("stockade").{{cite web |url=http://www.wb.nic.in/westbg/kalimpong2.html |title=Kalimpong Etymology |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=22 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205152844/http://www.wb.nic.in/westbg/kalimpong2.html |archive-date=5 December 2008 }} The name may be derived from the translation "ridge where we play" from Lepcha, as it was known to be the place for traditional tribal gatherings for summer sporting events. People from the hills call the area Kalempung ("the black spurs").{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

According to K.P. Tamsang, author of The Untold and Unknown Reality about the Lepchas, the term Kalimpong is deduced from the name Kalenpung, which in Lepcha means "Hillock of Assemblage";{{cite web|url=http://www.darjeelingnews.net/kalimpong_history.html |title=History of Kalimpong |access-date=17 February 2007 |work=Darjeelingnews.net |publisher=Darjeeling News Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205043810/http://darjeelingnews.net/kalimpong_history.html |archive-date=5 February 2007 }} in time, the name was distorted to Kalebung, and later further contorted to Kalimpong. Another possible derivation points to Kaulim, locally known as odal Scientific name Sterculia Villosa, a fibrous plant found in abundance in the region.{{cite web|title=Kalimpong |publisher=NITPU Kolkata, West Bengal |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006025217/http://www.wb.nic.in/westbg/kalimpong.html |archive-date=6 October 2008 |url=http://www.wb.nic.in/westbg/kalimpong.html }}

File:Katherine_Graham_Memorial_Chapel%2C_Dr._Graham%27s_Homes%2C_Kalimpong%2C_West_Bengal_Side.jpg

File:Kalimpong Clock Tower.jpg

Until the mid-19th century, the area around Kalimpong was ruled in succession by the Sikkimese and Bhutanese kingdoms.

{{cite book |last=Gurung |first=Chanda |author2=Gurung, Nawraj |title=Social and Gender Analysis in Natural Resource Management|editor=Ronnie Vernooy |publisher=International Development Research Centre (Canada), NetLibrary, Inc |year=2006|pages=39–43|chapter=The Social and Gendered Nature of Ginger Production and Commercialization |isbn=1-55250-218-X}}

Kalimpong is said to have come under the control of Bhutan in the year 1706.{{sfn|O'Malley, Darjeeling Gazetteer|1907|p=55}} However, according to historians, the Bhutanese encroachments had been in effect for about two decades by then, following the defeat of Gyalpo Ajok and other Lepcha chieftains.{{citation |first=John |last=Ardussi |title=Lepcha Chieftains of the 17th-18th centuries, based on Tibetan and Bhutanese Sources |journal=Journal of Bhutan Studies |volume=43 |date=Winter 2020 |issn=1608-411X |url=https://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/publicationFiles/JBS/JBS%2043/01.%20Lepcha%20Chieftains%20of%20the%2017th%E2%80%9318th%20Centuries%2C%20based%20on%20Tibetan%20and%20Bhutanese%20Sources%20by%20John%20Ardusi.pdf |pages=9–10}}

The area was sparsely populated by the indigenous Lepcha and Limbu community and migrant Bhutia and Kirati tribes.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

File:Southern border of Bhutan1985.jpg of 1865]]

After the Anglo-Bhutan War in 1864, the Treaty of Sinchula (1865) was signed, in which Bhutanese-held territory east of the Teesta River was ceded to the British East India Company.{{clarification needed|date=December 2021|reason=What does "east of Teesta" mean? The whole of Bhutan is east of Teesta!}} It was administered as the 'Western Duars' district for a few years, and divided into three tehsils. Kalimpong fell into the Dalingkot tehsil, which consisted of all the mountainous part of the annexed territory. In 1867, the Dalingkot tehsil was merged with the Darjeeling district, and eventually renamed the Kalimpong Subdivision.{{sfnp|Roy, Survey and Settlement of the Western Duars|2013|p=41}}

At the time of annexation, Kalimpong was a hamlet, with only two or three families known to reside there.{{cite web

| url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020519/spectrum/travel.htm

| title = A quiet hill retreat, far from the tourist crowd

| access-date = 17 February 2007

| last = Banerjee

| first = Partha S

| date = 19 May 2002

| work = Spectrum, The Tribune

| publisher = The Tribune Trust

}}

The first recorded mention of the town was a fleeting reference made that year by Ashley Eden, a government official with the Bengal Civil Service. Kalimpong was added to district of Darjeeling in 1866. In 1866–1867 an Anglo-Bhutanese commission demarcated the common boundaries between the two, thereby giving shape to the Kalimpong subdivision and the Darjeeling district.{{cite book |first=Amiya K. |last=Samanta |title=Gorkhaland Movement: A Study in Ethnic Separatism |publisher=APH Publishing |year=2000 |page=43 |isbn=978-81-7648-166-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4GqdfG0EU8C }}

After the war, the region became a subdivision of the Western Duars district, and the following year it was merged with the district of Darjeeling. The temperate climate prompted the British to develop the town as an alternative hill station to Darjeeling, to escape the scorching summer heat in the plains. Kalimpong's proximity to the Nathu La and Jelep La passes (La means "pass") for trading with Tibet was an added advantage. It soon became an important trading outpost in the trade of furs, wools and food grains between India and Tibet.{{cite news |title=The Forgotten Way: Recalling the road to Lhasa from Kalimpong |last=Khawas |first=Vimal |date=31 December 2004 |work=The Statesman |publisher=The Statesman Ltd }} The increase in commerce attracted large numbers of Nepali's from the neighbouring Nepal and the lower regions of Sikkim, the areas where, Nepali's were residing since the Gorkha invasion of Sikkim in 1790. The movement of people into the area, transformed Kalimpong from a small hamlet with a few houses, to a thriving town with increased economic prosperity. Britain assigned a plot within Kalimpong to the influential Bhutanese Dorji family, through which trade and relations with Bhutan flowed. This later became Bhutan House, a Bhutanese administrative and cultural centre.

{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hbgVAQAAMAAJ |title=Syamukapu: The Lhasa Newars of Kalimpong and Kathmandu |first=Deb Shova Kansakar |last=Hilker |publisher=Vajra Publications |year=2005 |isbn=99946-644-6-8 |access-date=12 August 2011}}

{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eONIAQAAIAAJ |title=Arts of Asia |volume=17 |publisher=Arts of Asia Publications |year=1987 |page=107 |access-date=12 August 2011}}

{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tVGgEbhi5JAC |title=In the service of his country: the biography of Dasang Damdul Tsarong, commander general of Tibet |first1=Dundul Namgyal |last1=Tsarong |first2=Ani K. Trinlay |last2=Chödron |editor=Ani K. Trinlay Chödron |publisher=Snow Lion Publications |year=2000 |isbn=1-55939-151-0 |page=35 |access-date=12 August 2011}}

The arrival of Scottish missionaries saw the construction of schools and welfare centres for the British. Rev. W. Macfarlane in the early 1870s established the first schools in the area. The Scottish University Mission Institution was opened in 1886, followed by the Kalimpong Girls High School. In 1900, Reverend J.A. Graham founded the Dr. Graham's Homes for destitute Anglo-Indian students. The young missionary (and aspiring writer and poet) Aeneas Francon Williams, aged 24, arrived in Kalimpong in 1910 to take up the post of assistant schoolmaster at Dr. Graham's Homes,Correspondence from Aeneas Francon Williams addressed from Wolseley House, Kalimpong, is stored in the Dr. Graham Kalimpong Archive held at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh where he later became Bursar and remained working at the school for the next fourteen years.Marriage Certificate for Aeneas Francon Williams and Clara Anne Rendall, 2 December 1914: Findmypast.co.uk – Williams rank of profession is registered as ‘Assistant School Master.’ From 1907 onwards, most schools in Kalimpong had started offering education to Indian students. By 1911, the population comprised many ethnic groups, including Nepalis, Lepchas, Tibetans, Muslims, the Anglo-Indian communities. Hence by 1911, the population had swollen to 7,880.

Following Indian independence in 1947, Kalimpong became part of the state of West Bengal, after Bengal was partitioned between India and East Pakistan. With China's annexation of Tibet in 1959, many Buddhist monks fled Tibet and established monasteries in Kalimpong. These monks brought many rare Buddhist scriptures with them. In 1962, the permanent closure of the Jelep Pass after the Sino-Indian War disrupted trade between Tibet and India, and led to a slowdown in Kalimpong's economy. In 1976, the visiting Dalai Lama consecrated the Zang Dhok Palri Phodang monastery, which houses many of the scriptures.

File:Kalimpongkanchenjanga.jpg.]]

File:Morgan House Kalimpong 2.jpg is a classic example of colonial architecture in Kalimpong.]]

Between 1986 and 1988, the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur based on ethnic lines grew strong. Riots between the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the West Bengal government reached a stand-off after a forty-day strike. The town was virtually under siege, and the state government called in the Indian army to maintain law and order. This led to the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, a body that was given semi-autonomous powers to govern the Darjeeling district, except the area under the Siliguri subdivision. Since 2007, the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state has been revived by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and its supporters in the Darjeeling hills.{{cite web |url=http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Top-Story/Call-for-Gorkhaland-renewed.html |title=Call for Gorkhaland renewed |date=7 October 2007 |publisher=Darjeeling Times |access-date=13 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222214506/http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Top-Story/Call-for-Gorkhaland-renewed.html |archive-date=22 December 2008 |url-status=dead }} The Kamtapur People's Party and its supporters' movement for a separate Kamtapur state covering North Bengal have gained momentum.{{cite web

|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-29/india/28100583_1_kamtapur-state-north-bengal-demand |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617172345/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-29/india/28100583_1_kamtapur-state-north-bengal-demand |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2013 |title=Now, demand for a separate Kamtapur state in WBengal |author=Press Trust of India (PTI) |date=29 December 2009 |work=The Times of India |access-date=11 December 2012}}

File:Deolo.jpg

The town centre is on a ridge connecting two hills, Deolo Hill and Durpin Hill, at an elevation of {{convert|1247|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Deolo, the highest point in Kalimpong, has an altitude of {{convert|1704|m|ft|abbr=on}} and Durpin Hill is at an elevation of {{convert|1372|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The River Teesta flows in the valley below and separates Kalimpong from the state of Sikkim. The soil in the Kalimpong area is typically reddish in colour. Occasional dark soils are found due to extensive existence of phyllite and schists.{{cite web |url=http://darjeeling.gov.in/geography.html |title=Identification and Mapping of Hazard Prone areas regarding landslide in the Darjeeling Hill areas |website=Department of Ecology & Environment |publisher=Government of Darjeeling |access-date=20 December 2008}} The Shiwalik Hills, like most of the Himalayan foothills, have steep slopes and soft, loose topsoil, leading to frequent landslides in the monsoon season. The hills are nestled within higher peaks and the snow-clad Himalayan ranges tower over the town in the distance. Kanchenjunga, at {{convert|8586|m|ft|abbr=on}} the world's third tallest peak,{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4578767.stm |title=Kanchenjunga golden jubilee held |publisher=BBC News: South Asia |date=25 May 2005 |access-date=11 December 2012}} is clearly visible from Kalimpong.

File:Kalimpong 02.jpg]]

Kalimpong has a temperate, monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb). It has five distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter and the monsoons. The annual temperature is {{convert|18|C|F}}. Summers are mild, with an average maximum temperature of {{convert|25.5|C|F}} in August.{{cite web |author=West Bengal State Marketing Board |url=http://wbagrimarketingboard.gov.in/Area/Maxmintemp.html |title=West Bengal marketing Board |publisher=wbagrimarketingboard.gov.in |access-date=16 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721162040/http://wbagrimarketingboard.gov.in/Area/Maxmintemp.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead }} Summers are followed by the monsoon rains which lash the town between June and September. The monsoons are severe, often causing landslides which sequester the town from the rest of India. Winter lasts from December to February, with the minimum temperature being around {{convert|8|C|F}}. During the monsoon and winter seasons, Kalimpong is often enveloped by fog.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080912/jsp/guwahati/story_9797333.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226133834/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080912/jsp/guwahati/story_9797333.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 February 2010 |title=Next weekend you can be at ...Kalimpong |first=Nabotpal |last=Chanda |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=12 September 2008 }}

{{Weather box

| location = Kalimpong (1991–2020, extremes 1920–2020)

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| width = auto

| Jan record high C = 29.9

| Feb record high C = 29.9

| Mar record high C = 31.9

| Apr record high C = 32.4

| May record high C = 35.0

| Jun record high C = 33.6

| Jul record high C = 34.1

| Aug record high C = 31.4

| Sep record high C = 32.0

| Oct record high C = 31.1

| Nov record high C = 30.1

| Dec record high C = 29.9

| year record high C = 35.0

| Jan high C = 16.3

| Feb high C = 16.8

| Mar high C = 20.5

| Apr high C = 24.2

| May high C = 25.3

| Jun high C = 25.5

| Jul high C = 25.1

| Aug high C = 25.6

| Sep high C = 24.7

| Oct high C = 23.5

| Nov high C = 20.9

| Dec high C = 17.6

| year high C = 22.2

| Jan low C = 6.8

| Feb low C = 8.4

| Mar low C = 11.3

| Apr low C = 14.0

| May low C = 15.2

| Jun low C = 16.3

| Jul low C = 16.6

| Aug low C = 17.7

| Sep low C = 16.3

| Oct low C = 14.0

| Nov low C = 11.2

| Dec low C = 8.7

| year low C = 13.0

| Jan record low C = 0.4

| Feb record low C = 0.5

| Mar record low C = 3.8

| Apr record low C = 6.4

| May record low C = 4.4

| Jun record low C = 4.6

| Jul record low C = 6.4

| Aug record low C = 7.4

| Sep record low C = 5.9

| Oct record low C = 6.0

| Nov record low C = 3.9

| Dec record low C = -0.6

| year record low C = -0.6

| rain colour = green

| Jan rain mm = 16.1

| Feb rain mm = 20.2

| Mar rain mm = 27.3

| Apr rain mm = 85.9

| May rain mm = 153.0

| Jun rain mm = 349.9

| Jul rain mm = 628.1

| Aug rain mm = 457.9

| Sep rain mm = 329.8

| Oct rain mm = 62.6

| Nov rain mm = 4.5

| Dec rain mm = 6.1

| year rain mm = 2141.3

| Jan rain days = 1.2

| Feb rain days = 1.8

| Mar rain days = 2.5

| Apr rain days = 6.1

| May rain days = 10.0

| Jun rain days = 14.7

| Jul rain days = 21.4

| Aug rain days = 17.1

| Sep rain days = 13.1

| Oct rain days = 3.1

| Nov rain days = 0.6

| Dec rain days = 0.5

| year rain days = 92.0

|time day = 17:30 IST

| Jan humidity = 88

| Feb humidity = 87

| Mar humidity = 85

| Apr humidity = 85

| May humidity = 89

| Jun humidity = 93

| Jul humidity = 94

| Aug humidity = 93

| Sep humidity = 93

| Oct humidity = 90

| Nov humidity = 88

| Dec humidity = 88

|year humidity = 89

|source 1 = India Meteorological Department{{cite web

| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/Climatological%20Tables%201991-2020.pdf

| title = Climatological Tables of Observatories in India 1991-2020

| publisher = India Meteorological Department

| access-date = April 8, 2024

}}

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205040301/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf

| archive-date = 5 February 2020

| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf

| title = Station: Kalimpong Climatological Table 1981–2010

| work = Climatological Normals 1981–2010

| publisher = India Meteorological Department

| date = January 2015

| pages = 377–378

|access-date= 21 November 2020}}

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205042509/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf

| archive-date = 5 February 2020

| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf

| title = Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)

| publisher = India Meteorological Department

| date = December 2016

| page = M236

|access-date= 15 March 2020}}

}}

File:Kalimpong 52.jpg

Tourism is the most significant contributor to Kalimpong's economy.{{cite news |url=http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11317 |title=Kalimpong — As popular an educational destination as ever |last=Norbu |first=Passang |date=17 October 2008 |work=Kuensel Online |publisher=Kuensel Corporation |access-date=9 December 2008 }} The summer and spring seasons are the most popular with tourists, keeping many of town's residents employed directly and indirectly. The town—earlier an important trade post between India and Tibet—hoped to boost its economy after the reopening of the Nathu La pass in April 2006.[http://www.flonnet.com/fl2014/stories/20030718005201800.htm Routes of promise] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716230615/http://www.flonnet.com/fl2014/stories/20030718005201800.htm |date=16 July 2012 }}, [http://www.flonnet.com/ Frontline magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404074358/http://www.flonnet.com/ |date=4 April 2005 }}, Volume 20, Issue 14; 5–18 July July 2004 Though this resumed Indo–China border trades, local leaders requested that the Jelep La pass also be reopened to allow trade.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080519/jsp/siliguri/story_9289288.jsp |title=Pranab blots out Jelep-la from memory |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=19 March 2008 |access-date=14 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605115620/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080519/jsp/siliguri/story_9289288.jsp |archive-date=5 June 2011}}

Kalimpong is a major ginger growing area of India. Kalimpong and the state of Sikkim together contribute 15 per cent of the ginger produced in India.{{cite book |author=Ronnie Vernooy |title=Social and Gender Analysis in Natural Resource Management: Learning Studies and Lessons from Asia |publisher=IDRC |year=2006 |page=64 |isbn=1-55250-218-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wFC3LnOfSUC }} The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region is internationally famous for its tea industry.{{cite news |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun172005/living1150492005616.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221074118/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun172005/living1150492005616.asp |archive-date=21 February 2007 |title=Champagne among teas |work=Deccan Herald |publisher=The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd |date=17 June 2005 |access-date=18 July 2006 }} However, most of the tea gardens are on the western side of Teesta river (towards the town of Darjeeling) and so tea gardens near Kalimpong contribute only 4 percent of total tea production of the region. In Kalimpong division, 90 percent of land is cultivable but only 10 percent is used for tea production.{{cite book |first=Makhan |last=Jha |title=The Himalayas: An Anthropological Perspective |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd |year=1996 |page=144 |isbn=978-81-7533-020-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zeg-uNBcgncC }} Kalimpong is well known for its flower export industry—especially for its wide array of indigenous orchids and gladioli.{{cite web |url=http://www.east-himalaya.com/darjeeling/kalimpong.htm |title=Kalimpong |publisher=East-Himalaya.com |access-date=13 December 2012 |archive-date=16 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016021136/http://east-himalaya.com/darjeeling/kalimpong.htm |url-status=dead }}

A significant contributor to the town's economy is education sector. The schools of Kalimpong, besides imparting education to the locals, attract a significant number of students from the plains, the neighbouring state of Sikkim and countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Thailand.

Many establishments cater to the Indian army bases near the town, providing it with essential supplies. Small contributions to the economy come by the way of the sale of traditional arts and crafts of Sikkim and Tibet. Government efforts related to sericulture, seismology, and fisheries provide a steady source of employment to many of its residents.

Kalimpong is well renowned for its cheese, noodles and lollipops. Kalimpong exports a wide range of traditional handicrafts, wood-carvings, embroidered items, bags and purses with tapestry work, copper ware, scrolls, Tibetan jewellery and artefacts.{{cite news |url=http://www.east-himalaya.com/news/2004/apr/15040402n.htm |title=Kalimpong cheese : a vanishing recipe |publisher=East-Himalaya.com |access-date=13 December 2012 |archive-date=10 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710163646/http://www.east-himalaya.com/news/2004/apr/15040402n.htm |url-status=dead }}

[[File:Teestavalley.jpg|thumb|

NH10 winds along the banks of the river Teesta near Kalimpong.]]

Kalimpong is located off the NH10, which links Sevoke to Gangtok. NH-717A connecting Bagrakote with Gangtok is located at Algarah, 16 kilometres away from Kalimpong.{{cite web|url=http://www.nhai.org/Doc/project-offer/Highways.pdf |title=NH wise Details of NH in respect of Stretches entrusted to NHAI |publisher=National Highway Authority of India |access-date=22 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225142615/http://www.nhai.org/Doc/project-offer/Highways.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2009 }} These two National Highways together, via Sevoke and Labha, links Kalimpong to the plains.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060916/asp/siliguri/story_6752322.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526021922/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060916/asp/siliguri/story_6752322.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Hill traffic slides to standstill |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=16 September 2006 |access-date=22 December 2008 }} Regular bus services, Jeep Services and hired vehicles connect Kalimpong with Siliguri and the neighbouring towns and cities like Gangtok, Kurseong, Darjeeling, Namchi, Ravangla, Pakyong, Malbazar, Rhenock, Rongli, Algarah, Pedong, Labha, Gorubathan, Rangpo, Jaldhaka, Singtam, Pelling, Rorathang, Melli, Jorethang, Sevoke, Gyalshing and Mirik.

The nearest airport is Pakyong Airport {{convert|56|km|mi|0}} kilometres away and Bagdogra International Airport about {{convert|80|km|mi|0}} from Kalimpong. Vistara, IndiGo, Go First, Akasa Air, AIX Connect, Air India, SpiceJet and Druk Air (Bhutan) are the major carriers that connect Bagdogra airport to Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Paro(Bhutan), Guwahati, Kolkata, Dibrugarh and Bangkok (Thailand) whereas SpiceJet is the only carrier operating from Pakyong Airport which connects Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.

Under construction

• Tista Bazaar railway station 18 kilometres and
• Melli railway station 20 kilometres away are the two railway stations which lies on the under construction Sivok - Rangpo Railway Line which will serve Kalimpong in the future.

The closest currently operating major railway stations from Kalimpong are as follows:

1. Sivok Junction - 45 kilometres.
2. Siliguri Junction - 66 kilometres
3. Malbazar Junction - 74 kilometres
4. New Jalpaiguri Junction - 75 kilometres

{{Historical population

| source = Census of India{{cite web |url=http://www.wbpcb.gov.in/html/downloads/sw_inventory.pdf |title=Final report on Waste Inventory (MSW & BMW) in West Bengal |work=Census of India |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=22 December 2008 |archive-date=27 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327015611/http://www.wbpcb.gov.in/html/downloads/sw_inventory.pdf |url-status=dead }}

| 1991 | 38832

| 2001 | 40143

| 2011 | 42988

}}

At the 2011 India census,{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/PopulationFinder/View_Village_Population.aspx?pcaid=1699&category=M |title=Census of India: View population details |publisher=2011 census of India |access-date=19 January 2013}} Kalimpong town area had a population of 42,988, of which 52% were male and 48% female.

At the 2001 census,{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999|archive-date=16 June 2004|title= Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)|access-date=1 November 2008|publisher= Census Commission of India}} Kalimpong had an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 84%, and female literacy was 73%. In Kalimpong, 8% of the population was under 6 years of age. The Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes population for Kalimpong was 5,100 and 5,121 respectively.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbdma.gov.in/HTM/DIS/MUNI_ULB_Kalimpong.htm |title=Kalimpong Municipality |work=Department of Municipal Affairs. |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=10 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018204426/http://www.wbdma.gov.in/HTM/DIS/MUNI_ULB_Kalimpong.htm |archive-date=18 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}

{{Pie chart

|thumb = right

|caption = Religious Demographic in Kalimpong City (2011)[https://www.census2011.co.in/data/town/801635-kalimpong-west-bengal.html] censusindia.gov.in

|label1= Hinduism

|value1= 65.69

|color1 = orange

|label2= Buddhism

|value2 = 16.41

|color2 = yellow

|label3 = Christianity

|value3 = 12.46

|color3 = blue

|label4 = Islam

|value4 = 4.27

|color4 = green

|label5 = Others

|value5 = 1.03

|color5 = black

}}

Kalimpong is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The semi-autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, set up by the West Bengal government in 1988, administers this district as well as the Darjeeling Sadar and Kurseong subdivisions.{{cite web

|url = http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Historic-Documents/Memorandum-of-Settlement.html

|title = Memoranda of Settlement — DGHC

|publisher = Darjeeling Times

|access-date = 22 December 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090329055451/http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Historic-Documents/Memorandum-of-Settlement.html

|archive-date = 29 March 2009

|url-status = dead

|df = dmy-all

}} Kalimpong elects eight councillors, who manage the departments of Public Health, Education, Public Works, Transport, Tourism, Market, Small scale industries, Agriculture, Agricultural waterways, Forest (except reserved forests), Water, Livestock, Vocational Training and Sports and Youth services.{{cite web

| url=http://darjeeling.gov.in/darj-hist.html#drj-today

| title=History of Darjeeling: Darjeeling-Today

| publisher=Official website of Darjeeling District

| access-date = 22 December 2008

}} The district administration of Darjeeling, which is the authoritative body for the departments of election, panchayat, law and order, revenue, etc., also acts as an interface of communication between the Council and the State Government. The rural area in the district covers three community development blocks Kalimpong I, Kalimpong II and Gorubathan consisting of forty-two gram panchayats.{{cite web

|url=http://wbdemo5.nic.in/writereaddata/Directoryof_District_Block_GPs(RevisedMarch-2008).doc

|title=Directory of District, Sub division, Panchayat Samiti/ Block and Gram Panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008

|date=19 March 2008 |access-date=8 December 2008 |work=West Bengal

|publisher=National Informatics Centre, India

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225032419/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/writereaddata/Directoryof_District_Block_GPs%28RevisedMarch-2008%29.doc

|archive-date=25 February 2009 }} A Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) presides over the Kalimpong subdivision. Kalimpong has a police station that serves the municipality and 18 gram panchayats of Kalimpong–I CD block.{{cite web |url=http://darjeeling.gov.in/dist-prof.html |title=District Profile |publisher=Official website of Darjeeling district |access-date=13 December 2012}}

The Kalimpong municipality, which was established in 1945, is in charge of the infrastructure of the town such as potable water and roads. The municipal area is divided into twenty-three wards.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040705/asp/siliguri/story_3453436.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526015240/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040705/asp/siliguri/story_3453436.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=GNLF protests poll security |date=5 July 2004 |publisher=The Telegraph |access-date=8 December 2008 }} Kalimpong municipality is constructing additional water storage tanks to meet the requirement of potable water, and it needs an increase of water supply from the 'Neora Khola Water Supply Scheme' for this purpose.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081023/jsp/siliguri/story_10005015.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526033220/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081023/jsp/siliguri/story_10005015.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Four water tanks for hill residents |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=23 October 2008 |access-date=24 February 2009 }} Often, landslides occurring in monsoon season cause havoc to the roads in and around Kalimpong.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/siliguri/story_8308733.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526033259/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/siliguri/story_8308733.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Nature's fury continues unabated—Slides & cave-ins ravage hills |author=Rajeev Ravidas |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=13 September 2007 |access-date=24 February 2009 }} The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited (WBSEDCL) provides electricity here.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031206/asp/siliguri/story_2648877.asp |title=Power shock jolts Kalimpong |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=6 December 2003 |access-date=24 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071051/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031206/asp/siliguri/story_2648877.asp |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} Renewable Energy Development Agency of the state has plans to promote usage of solar street lights in Kalimpong and proposed an energy park here to sell renewable energy gadgets.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080109/jsp/siliguri/story_8757984.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526033454/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080109/jsp/siliguri/story_8757984.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Tax slash plan for solar users |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=9 January 2008 |access-date=24 February 2009 }} The Public Works Department is responsible for the road connecting the town to the National Highway–NH-31A.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071031/asp/siliguri/story_8491990.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102165658/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071031/asp/siliguri/story_8491990.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 November 2007 |title=PWD report on road repair |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |author=Rajeev Ravidas |date=31 October 2007 |access-date=30 January 2009 }} The Kalimpong municipality has a total of 10 health care units, with a total of 433 bed capacity.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbpcb.gov.in/html/downloads/sw_inventory.pdf |title=Health care units and bed capacity |publisher=Government of West Bengal |page=43 |access-date=22 December 2008 |archive-date=27 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327015611/http://www.wbpcb.gov.in/html/downloads/sw_inventory.pdf |url-status=dead }}

The Kalimpong assembly constituency, which is an assembly segment of the Darjeeling parliamentary constituency, elects one member of the Vidhan Sabha of West Bengal.{{cite web|url=http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S25/WB_ACPC.pdf |title=General election to the Legislative Assembly, 2001 — List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies |access-date=8 October 2007 |work=West Bengal |publisher=Election Commission of India |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411104739/http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S25/WB_ACPC.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}

File: Mangal Dham.jpg

The majority of Indians in Kalimpong adhere to Hinduism. The original settlers of Kalimpong are the Lepchas,{{cite journal |last1=Jest |first1=M. Corneille |title=Religious Beliefs of the Lepchas in the Kalimpong District (West Bengal) |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |date=1960 |volume=92 |issue=3/4 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=124–134 |doi=10.1017/S0035869X00163105 |jstor=25202366 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25202366}} who also form one of main ethnic groups of Sikkim and Bhutan.{{cite book |author=Ramakant |author2=Ramesh Chandra Misra |title=Bhutan: Society and Polity |publisher=Indus Publishing |year=1996 |page=80 |isbn=978-81-7387-044-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8U94l6xHlYC&q=kalimpong+%22ethnic+communities%22&pg=PA80 }} The majority of the populace are ethnic Indian Gorkhas.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

Indigenous ethnic groups include the Bhutia, Limbus, Rais, Sherpas, Magars,{{cite web |url=http://darjeeling.gov.in/people.html |title=People and culture |publisher=Government of Darjeeling |access-date=3 January 2009 }} Chettris, Bahuns, Thakuris, Gurungs, Tamangs, Yolmos, Bhujels, Yakkhas, Sunuwars, Sarkis, Damais and the Kamis.{{cite book |first=Sarah |last=LeVine |author2=David N. Gellner |title=Rebuilding Buddhism |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2005 |page=25 |isbn=978-0-674-01908-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e9C1iF3MAYgC&q=kalimpong+Limbus&pg=PA25 }} The other non-native communities as old as the Indian Gorkhas are the Bengalis, Muslims, Anglo-Indians, Chinese, Biharis and Tibetans who escaped to Kalimpong after fleeing the Communist Chinese invasion of Tibet. Kalimpong is home to Trinley Thaye Dorje—one of the 17th Karmapa incarnations.{{cite web|url=http://www.vienna-dharma-projects.org/English/images/LETTER1a.pdf |title=Karmapa Charitable Trust: Announcement from the Council of His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa |date=17 May 2006 |access-date=16 January 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220024519/http://www.vienna-dharma-projects.org/English/images/LETTER1a.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2009 }} Kalimpong is the closest Indian town to Bhutan's western border, and has a small number of Bhutanese nationals residing here. Hinduism is the largest religion followed by Nijananda Sampradaya, Buddhism and Christianity. Islam has a minuscule presence in this region, The Oldest settlers include people residing since the mid of 19th Century and also mostly Tibetan Muslims who fled in 1959 after Chinese invasion of Tibet.{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sunday_Specials/Muslims_of_Tibet/articleshow/3008446.cms |title=Muslims of Tibet |date=4 May 2008 |publisher=Times of India |access-date=29 December 2008|first1=Atul|last1=Sethi }} The Buddhist monastery Zang Dhok Palri Phodang holds a number of rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures. There is a Mosque, Kalimpong Anjuman Islamia Established in 1887 in the bazaar area of Kalimpong.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050107/asp/siliguri/story_4221319.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526022623/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050107/asp/siliguri/story_4221319.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Prayers for tsunami dead — Tragedy unites Kalimpong faithful |date=7 January 2005 |publisher=Telegraph India |access-date=29 December 2008 |first=Reza |last=Pradhan}}

Local Hindu festivals include Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Tihar, Sakela Cultural Programme and the Tibetan festival of Losar. The official languages are Hindi, Bengali and Nepali, with English acting as the additional official language.

{{cite web |title=52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |website=nclm.nic.in |publisher=Ministry of Minority Affairs |access-date=10 March 2019 |page=85 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2017}}

{{cite web |title=Fact and Figures |url=https://wb.gov.in/portal/web/guest/facts-and-figures;jsessionid=JzdD9RHb7aMY5esZPtcsIVLy |website=www.wb.gov.in |access-date=10 March 2019}}

Languages spoken in Kalimpong include Nepali and Hindi, which are the predominant languages; Lepcha, Limbu, Rai, Tamang, and English. Though there is a growing interest in cricket as a winter sport in Darjeeling Hills, football still remains the most popular sport in Kalimpong.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070212/asp/siliguri/story_7379834.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526024527/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070212/asp/siliguri/story_7379834.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Cricket feast for hill sports freaks — Tourney draws the best of talent |first=Rajeev |last=Ravidas |publisher=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta |date=7 February 2007 |access-date=16 January 2009 }} Every year since 1947, the Independence Shield Football Tournament is organised here as part of the two-day-long Independence Day celebrations.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050803/asp/siliguri/story_5060715.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125053521/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050803/asp/siliguri/story_5060715.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 November 2005 |title=Soccer for I-Day celebrations |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=3 August 2005 |access-date=16 January 2009 }} Former captain of India national football team, Pem Dorjee Sherpa hails from Kalimpong.{{cite news |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kalimpong-boys-dream-big-after-subroto-cup-debut/73922-5.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229084341/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kalimpong-boys-dream-big-after-subroto-cup-debut/73922-5.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 December 2008 |title=Kalimpong boys dream big after Subroto Cup debut |first=Mendra |last=Dorjey |date=19 September 2008 |publisher=CNN-IBN |access-date=3 January 2009 }}

A popular snack in Kalimpong is the momo, steamed dumplings made of chicken, pork, beef or vegetable cooked in a wrapping of flour and served with watery soup. Wai-Wai is a packaged Thai snack made of noodles which are eaten either dry or in soup form. Churpee, a kind of hard cheese made from yak's or chauri's (a hybrid of yak and cattle) milk, is sometimes chewed.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=akYLOTMdCSEC&q=churpi+yak&pg=PA142 |title=IFIS Dictionary of Food Science and Technology |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |access-date=13 December 2012 |date=26 May 2009 |page=142 |isbn=978-0-86014-186-0}} A form of noodle called Thukpa, served in soup form is popular in Kalimpong.{{cite web |url=http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=409&destinationid=34 |title=Food |year=2008 |work=Outlook Traveller|publisher=Outlook |access-date=30 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104224514/http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=409&destinationid=34 |archive-date=4 January 2013 }} There are a large number of restaurants which offer a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from Indian to continental, to cater to the tourists. Tea is the most popular beverage in Kalimpong, procured from the famed Darjeeling tea gardens. Kalimpong has a golf course besides Kalimpong Circuit House.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041227/asp/siliguri/story_4177312.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526014955/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041227/asp/siliguri/story_4177312.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Kalimpong charms Tollywood tribe |date=27 December 2004 |publisher=The Telegraph |access-date=8 December 2008 }}

The cultural centres in Kalimpong include, the Lepcha Museum and the Zang Dhok Palri Phodang monastery. The Lepcha Museum, a kilometre away from the town centre, showcases the culture of the Lepcha community, the indigenous peoples of Sikkim. The Zang Dhok Palri Phodong monastery has 108 volumes of the Kangyur, and belongs to the Gelug of Buddhism.

Kalimpong has access to most of the television channels aired in the rest of India. Cable Television still provides service to many homes in the town and its outskirts, while DTH connections are now practically mandatory throughout the country. Besides mainstream Indian channels, many Nepali-language channels such as Dainandini DD, Kalimpong Television KTv, Haal Khabar (an association of the Hill Channel Network), Jan Sarokar, Himalayan People's Channel (HPC), and Kalimpong Times are broadcast in Kalimpong. These channels, which mainly broadcast locally relevant news, are produced by regional media houses and news networks, and are broadcast through the local cable network, which is now slowly becoming defunct due to the Indian government's ruling on mandatory digitisation of TV channels. The movie production houses like JBU films produces the movies on the nepali and other languages.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ndtv.com/topic/cable-tv-digitisation |title=Cable Tv Digitisation: Latest News, Photos, Videos on Cable Tv Digitisation}}

Newspapers in Kalimpong include English language dailies The Statesman and The Telegraph, which are printed in Siliguri,{{cite web |url=http://www.thestatesman.net/page.aboutus.php?usrsess=1 |title=About Us |publisher=The Statesman |access-date=24 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618081810/http://www.thestatesman.net/page.aboutus.php?usrsess=1 |archive-date=18 June 2008 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/section/others/aboutus.jsp |title=About Us |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |access-date=24 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904123840/https://www.telegraphindia.com/section/others/aboutus.jsp |archive-date=4 September 2017 |url-status=dead }} and The Economic Times and the Hindustan Times, which are printed in Kolkata.

Among other languages, Nepali, Hindi and Bengali are prominent vernacular languages used in this region. Newspapers in all these four languages are available in the Darjeeling Hills region. Of the largely circulated Nepali newspapers Himalay Darpan, Swarnabhumi and some Sikkim-based Nepali newspapers like Hamro Prajashakti and Samay Dainik are read most.{{cite web |url=http://www.goldentipstea.com/Darjeeling-Travel-Guide/Darjeeling-Travel-Guide-Oct-Dec-06.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090327015609/http://www.goldentipstea.com/Darjeeling-Travel-Guide/Darjeeling-Travel-Guide-Oct-Dec-06.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 March 2009 |title=Darjeeling, your travel guide |publisher=Golden Tips Tea, a company from Darjeeling |page=73 |year=2006 |access-date=30 January 2009 }} The Tibet Mirror was the first Tibetan-language newspaper published in Kalimpong in 1925.{{cite book |author=Dagmar Bernstorff |author2=Hubertus von Welck |title=Exile as Challenge: The Tibetan Diaspora |publisher=Orient Blackswan |year=2003 |page=172 |isbn=978-81-250-2555-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_lLiIvbf9S4C&q=newspaper+circulation+in+kalimpong&pg=PA172 }} while Himalayan Times was the first English to have come out from Kalimpong in the year 1947, it was closed down in the year 1962 after the Chinese aggression but was started once again and is now in regular print.

Internet service and Internet cafés are well established; these are mostly served through broadband, data card of different mobile services, WLL, dialup lines,{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030411/asp/siliguri/story_1860600.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526015147/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030411/asp/siliguri/story_1860600.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Net tax: pay more to surf in Kalimpong |date=11 April 2003 |publisher=The Telegraph |access-date=8 December 2008 |first=Reza |last=Pradhan}}{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060522/asp/siliguri/story_6252148.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526034106/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060522/asp/siliguri/story_6252148.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Link failure hits hotels, cafes |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=22 May 2006 |access-date=25 February 2009 }} Kalimpong News, Kalimpong Online News, Kalimpong Times and KTV are the main online news sites that collect and present local and North Bengal & Sikkim news from its own agencies like KalimNews and other newspapers. Besides this there are others like kalimpong.info, kalimpongexpress.blogspot.com and several others.

All India Radio and several other National and Private Channels including FM Radio are received in Kalimpong.

The area is serviced by major telecommunication companies of India with most types of cellular services in most areas.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041103/asp/siliguri/story_3953058.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526025232/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041103/asp/siliguri/story_3953058.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=BSNL trips on tourist rush |publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta |date=3 November 2004 |access-date=30 January 2009 }}

File:Kalimpong heliconia.jpg]]

The area around Kalimpong lies in the Eastern Himalayas, which is classified as an ecological hotspot, one of only three among the ecoregions of India. Neora Valley National Park lies within the Kalimpong subdivision and is home to tigers.{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Tiger_census_in_North_Bengal/rssarticleshow/3722908.cms |title=Tiger census in North Bengal this year |date=17 November 2008 |publisher=Times of India |access-date=8 December 2008 }} Acacia is the most commonly found species at lower altitudes, while cinnamon, ficus, bamboo and cardamom, are found in the hillsides around Kalimpong. The forests found at higher altitudes are made up of pine trees and other evergreen alpine vegetation. Seven species of rhododendrons are found in the region east of Kalimpong. The temperate deciduous forests include oak, birch, maple and alder.{{cite web|url=http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/wb/magnificantgreeneries_westbengal.html |title=Geography of the land |work=Department of Tourism |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=30 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091109225114/http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/wb/magnificantgreeneries_westbengal.html |archive-date=9 November 2009 }} Three hundred species of orchid are found around Kalimpong.{{cite news |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-26524682_ITM |title=The road to Kalimpong |date=28 October 2002 |publisher=Business Line |access-date=30 December 2008 }}

The Red panda, Clouded leopard, Siberian weasel, Asiatic black bear,{{cite book |others=IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Kana Moll, Joseph Moll |title=Bears: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan |publisher=Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |year=1999 |page=205 |isbn=978-2-8317-0462-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XXQ03uVmCAIC&q=kalimpong+forest+animals+panda&pg=PA205 |author1=Christopher Servheen |author2=Stephen Herrero |author3=Bernard Peyton |author4=Kristy Pelletier |author-link2=Stephen Herrero }} barking deer,{{cite web|url=http://www.wii.gov.in/envis/ungulatesofindia/ungulates.htm |title=Ungulates of West Bengal and its adjoining areas including Sikkim, Bhutan and Bangladesh |author1=N.C. Bahuguna |author2=J. K. Mallick |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date=30 December 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Himalayan tahr, goral, gaur and pangolin are some of the fauna found near Kalimpong. Avifauna of the region include the pheasants, cuckoos, minivets, flycatchers, bulbuls, orioles, owls, partridges, sunbirds, warblers, swallows, swifts and woodpeckers.{{cite web |url=http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=INggwb09&list=howardmoore |title=Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World: Lava (and Upper Neora Valley) |publisher=Avibase |access-date=10 December 2012}}

Kalimpong is a major production centre of gladioli in India,{{cite journal |url=http://www.arccjournals.com/pdf/Reviews/ar-28-4/ar-28-4-012.pdf |title=Dormancy in Gladiolus: The cause and remedy – a review |last1=Naveenkumar |first1=P |last2=Raju |first2=D V S |journal=Agricultural Reviews |volume=28 |series=4 |year=2007 |access-date=11 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619081513/http://www.arccjournals.com/pdf/Reviews/ar-28-4/ar-28-4-012.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2013 }} and orchids, which are exported to many parts of the world. The Rishi Bankim Chandra Park is an ecological museums within Kalimpong.{{cite book |author1=Sarina Singh |author2=Joe Bindloss |author3=Paul Clammer |author4=Janine Eberle |title=India |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_1/page/494 494] |isbn=9781740596947 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_1/page/494 }} Citrus Dieback Research Station at Kalimpong works towards control of diseases, plant protection and production of disease free orange seedlings.{{cite web |url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp11/tg11_hillarea.doc |title=Report of the task group on problems of hilly areas |date=April 2008 |work=Government of India |publisher=planningcommission.nic.in |access-date=9 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327015627/http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp11/tg11_hillarea.doc |archive-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}

Kalimpong is also known for their rich practice of cactus cultivation. Its nurseries attract people from far and wide for the absolutely stunning collection of cacti they cultivate. The strains of cacti, though not indigenous to the locale, have been carefully cultivated over the years, and now the town boasts one of the most fascinating and exhaustive collections of the family Cactaceae. The plants have adapted well to the altitude and environment, and now prove to be one of the chief draws of tourism to the township.{{cite web |url=http://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g503707-d1205655-Reviews-Kalimpong_Cactus_Nursery-Kalimpong_West_Bengal.html |title=TripAdvisor Review of Cactus nursery in Kalimpong |work=TripAdvisor |access-date=4 December 2015 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/campus/when-you-dare-dream-99154 |title=When You Dare to Dream |date=June 2015 |work=Md Sohel Rana |publisher=DailyStar |access-date=4 December 2015 }}

• Suman Kumar Dhar, professor
• Gyalo Thondup, brother of the 14th Dalai Lama

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book |last=Foning |first=A. R. |title=Lepcha, My Vanishing Tribe |year=1987 |author2=Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf (forward) |publisher=Sterling Publishers |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-207-0685-9 }}
• {{citation |editor-last=O'Malley |editor-first=L. S. S. |title=Bengal District Gazetteers: Darjeeling |publisher=Government of Bengal |year=1907 |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.2958 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|O'Malley, Darjeeling Gazetteer|1907}}}}
• {{citation |editor-last=Roy |editor-first=D. C. |others=D. H. E. Sunder |title=Survey and Settlement of the Western Duarsl in the District of Jalpaiguri 1889–1895 |publisher=N. L. Publishers |location=Siliguri |year=2013 |url=https://archive.org/details/sunder-survey-and-settlement-of-the-western-duars-in-the-district-of-jalpaiguri-1889-1895 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Roy, Survey and Settlement of the Western Duars|2013}}}}

• {{cite book |last=Jain |first=Sandeep C. |title=Guide to Kalimpong |edition=3rd |year=2002 |publisher=Himalayan Sales }}
• {{cite book |author=Sangharakshita |author-link=Sangharakshita |title=Facing Mount Kanchenjunga: An English Buddhist in the Eastern Himalayas |publisher=Windhorse Publications |location=Glasgow |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-904766-52-3 }}
• {{cite book |last=Tamsang |first=K. P. |title=The Unknown and Untold Reality about the Lepchas }}

{{Sister project links|Kalimpong}}

• [http://wbnorthbengaldev.gov.in/HtmlPage/Kalimpong.aspx Official government site]
• [http://www.kalimpong.info/ Daily Kalimpong News and Information]
• {{Wikivoyage inline}}
• [http://www.kalimpong.org/ Informative site on Kalimpong maintained by Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association (HORAK)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516194547/http://www.kalimpong.info/list-of-schools-in-kalimpong/ Comprehensive list of schools in Kalimpong]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070817094348/http://www.kolkatabirds.com/hillbirdsofind/kalimpong.htm Birds of Kalimpong area]
• {{cite news |title=Next weekend you can be at ... Kalimpong |first=Somen |last=Sengupta |date=3 September 2006 |publisher=The Telegraph |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060903/asp/calcutta/story_6691778.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605094054/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060903/asp/calcutta/story_6691778.asp |archive-date=5 June 2011}}

{{Municipalities of West Bengal}}

{{Kalimpong District}}

{{Authority control}}

{{West Bengal}}

Category:Cities and towns in Kalimpong district

Category:Hill stations in West Bengal