Observatory Hill

Observatory Hill rises above Chowrasta, the square at the head of the Mall in Darjeeling, and is topped by the Mahakal Temple, an old shrine to Shiva. The hill is linked to two stories about the town's name. One traces Darjeeling to the Sanskrit Durjay Ling, Shiva of unconquerable power who rules the Himalaya. The other notes that the Bhutia Busty Gompa first stood on this summit, and that its monks may have named their site Dorje-ling, the place of the thunderbolt.

The summit is also a viewpoint. On a clear day Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, stands out against the sky, along with a dozen other peaks over 20,000 ft. October and November usually give the clearest outlook, though mist often hides the range and visitors may have to wait for it to lift.