Rising from behind the Mall, Observatory Hill is an ideal place to get a 360 degree view of Darjeeling and the peaks surrounding it. The Mahakal Temple, the central temple of Darjeeling of all faiths is located on top of the hill where the original Dorjeling Buddhist Monastery once stood. Close to Chowrasta OR The Mall, the Observatory Hill is another prominent place in Darjeeling from where you can capture magnificent views of the snow-clad peaks, including Kanchendzonga and its sister peaks. It is approximately 10-15 minutes of uphill walk from the Mall. Atop the hill is the Mahakal Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and also holds three gold plated icons of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar. It is one of the major Hindu pilgrimage sites. In Darjeeling that was built after the invasion by the Gorkhas in the 19th century. Originally this place was the home to the Dorjeling Monastery that was relocated in 1861 to its present location, which is some 2 kilometers down from the Mall. Around the Observatory Hill you fill come across the Sai Baba Temple and Hanuman Temple and several Hindu priests and Buddhist monks.
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Mahakal Mandir Temple at Darjeeling
Mahakal Mandir at Darjeeling
Foreigners must obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Sikkim. These can be obtained from all Indian Missions, Sikkim Tourism Offices at New Delhi, Kolkata, District Magistrates Office of Darjeeling, Siliguri, and Rangpo on the strength of an Indian Visa. The 30 days duration Permit is issued on the spot without any delay provided photocopies of the passport and visa along with two pass port photos of the applicants are made available. The permissible duration of the stay for foreign tourists is 30 days initially.
The State Government is authorized to extend the same by a further period of 30 days. The extension of the permit can be obtained from FRO at Gangtok and office of Superintendent of Police of the North, West and South Districts.
For those interested in going for trekking in the interior region of the state, the Tourism and Civil Aviation issues Protected Area Permit (PAP) at Gangtok which is available for certain specified area for groups consisting of two or more foreigners subject to condition that the trekking programme is arranged through a registered travel agency.