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| Eerie night creeping in Kurseong |
Tommy Singh, a good old friend of mine entered my hotel room in
Siliguri (West Bengal) and threw the morning news paper on my bed.
"We are finished", he almost shouted and dumped himself on the sofa near my bed.
"Darjeeling is shut. There is a "Bundh" (a local strike).
"What to do now?" he said dejectedly.
I looked at him and pondered. Then a thought struck me.
"Tell me Tommy, have you ever been to Karseong?" I asked.
"Well, I have heard about the town but..", replied Tommy and stopped.
"I will tell you", I said and continued,
"Ceded to the British by the King of Sikkim in 1835, as a small village, Karseong gained prominence in 1880, when the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway was extended to it on 23rd August, 1880, it was made Headquarters of the Sub-Division. An exotic, clean and a well kept town of Kurseong is half way up the ladder at an altitude of 4,860 ft and is 33 km from Darjeeling. Kurseong is a perfect place for people who want to derive the pleasures of being in an alpine surrounding without worrying about higher altitudes and bone-chilling cold weather. Really, Karseong is a heaven!"I paused and looked at Tommy Singh. And he got it. He looked at me and his eyes smiled.
He asked,
"can we go? And what about traveling on the heritage Himalayan Toy train to Karseong?" "Where there is a will, there is a way", I said getting up. I picked up room phone and asked for the manager, Mr. Banerjee...
The toy train comes from New Jalpaiguri station to Siliguri. The weather in Siliguri being on planes was warm enough in March but we had taken out warm jackets anticipating that mercury may drop as we climb up the mountains. It was a memorable joy ride!
The ascent started form Sukna station. From Rangtang station onward it was a beautiful landscape of, wow!... wooded mountains, tea gardens, tea factories and forests! Finally, passing through Gidhapahar( Eagle's Craig) and viewing an excellent valley, we reached Karseong. Oh, what a journey it was!
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| Cochrane Place |
Our hotel on the outskirts of the main town of Kurseong was Cochrane Place, (http://www.imperialchai.com)a re-created and restored stately British Colonial home. I found that the hotel was nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas away from the town, with awe-inspiring views of the majestic Kanchenjunga and surrounded by the wafting aromas of the finest Darjeeling tea. I loved it and so Tommy Singh.
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| Dow Hill School. Haunted? |
Later we decided to take a walk in the town into nearby woods and visit "Deer Park" on Dow Hill road. I had heard about two great once British schools Dow Hill Girls and Victoria Boys school located near "Deer Park". We took the road from the forest offic toward Deer Park. There were few people on the forested road who stared at us when we tried to exchange pleasantries with them.
Queer, I thought!
It was late evening and the shadows gradually were lengthening on the road. We quickened our steps (why? I don't know. Definitely not because it was getting dark). Suddenly, we saw it! Dow Hill School! Wow! it was a glimpse of the British era with its architecture and elegance, in a beautiful location surrounded by pine trees. A true Victorian looks! We walked a bit closer. There was a silence all around. The school was shut. Holidays, I believe. "Look up kiran! At the window...look, there is somebody looking at us", whispered Tommy breathing heavily. I looked up. I just saw nothing. Just an eerie silence and the majestic school building.
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| Sinister Path in woods |
As it was getting dark we returned without visiting the "Deer Park'.
The forested road, suddenly was looking sinister. I paced up my otherwise leisurely walk and didn't notice that Tommy Singh was walking behind me and no more at my side. After a while, I stopped and looked back. Tommy was NOT behind me! Where the hell he is, I thought, my mind racing? Then I saw his dark figure running to me and heard shouting my name. He was panting. "I heard foot steps behind me and when I turned back, I saw someone turned and ran away." said Tommy, his eyes gleaming and popping! I petted him on his shoulder and said, "So what? He must been scared looking at your huge body in the darkness."
Tommy stared at me for a while and replied in a deep tone, "No Kiran, what I saw...you may not believe...it was a..a.. headless man running away".
I shouted back at him,"Oh, shut up Tommy! Get your f***in eyesight checked up"! The rest of the walk back to the main road and then to our hotel was in silence. Both of us engrossed in our own thoughts.Next day we visited some very nice places like:
Eagle’s Craig view point – This view point was located near the town seemingly perched on a cliff. One can have a sweeping view of the surrounding mountain, hill, hamlets and slopes from here.
Forest Museum – The forest museum was also located in Dow Hill and is overseen by the forest department. You will get to know the types of animals that inhabited the forest area here in the past when you visit the museum.
Giddapahar view point – Giddapahar view point in Giddapahar, a few kilometers from Kurseong, provides a great view of the mountains.
Then we found out from locals the myth or facts on "Haunted Dow Hill of Karseong" which I'm summarizing below:
Dow Hill, Kurseong, West Bengal:
"A number of murders have taken place in the woods here, leaving the hills with an uneasy feeling. On the stretch between Dow Hill Road and the Forest Office, woodcutters claim to have seen a headless young boy walking and then disappearing into the trees. Many locals have also heard footsteps in the corridors of Victoria Boys School during the December-March vacation."
References:
Related post:
Haunted ancient fort of Bhangarh, Rajasthan