Windamere Hotel
Encyclopedia
Windamere Hotel, built in the 1930s, is a heritage hotel situated on Observatory Hill
, in Darjeeling, India
.
tea
planters in Darjeeling, in what was then British India, in the late 1930s. It was acquired by Tenduf La, a Sikkimese
of Tibetan
descent, who turned it into a hotel with the name Windamere. The hotel became more widely known as Darjeeling became India's summer capital. It expanded and took over a new wing, formerly the Loreto Convent, where the actress Vivien Leigh
had spent some years in childhood.
In 1959, Palden Thondup Namgyal
, Crown Prince of Sikkim
, met his future wife Hope Cooke
for the first time in the Windamere Hotel.
The hotel is also known for its the views of the tea plantations below and of Mount Kangchenjunga
, the third highest peak in the world. In 2007, The Sunday Times
named it as one of the "world's best colonial hotels".
Observatory Hill, Darjeeling
Observatory Hill is a hill near Chowrasta square, or The Mall as it is popularly known, in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Magnificent views of snow-clad peaks, including Mount Kanchenjunga, are visible from the Observatory Hill. The Bhutia Busty monastery was originally located here...
, in Darjeeling, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
History
The hotel started out as boarding house for bachelor BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
planters in Darjeeling, in what was then British India, in the late 1930s. It was acquired by Tenduf La, a Sikkimese
Sikkimese
Sikkimese may refer to:* Of or related to Sikkim* Sikkimese language* Sikkimese people...
of Tibetan
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
descent, who turned it into a hotel with the name Windamere. The hotel became more widely known as Darjeeling became India's summer capital. It expanded and took over a new wing, formerly the Loreto Convent, where the actress Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
had spent some years in childhood.
In 1959, Palden Thondup Namgyal
Palden Thondup Namgyal
Palden Thondup Namgyal was the 12th and last Chogyal of Sikkim.At six, Namgyal became a student at St. Joseph's Convent in Kalimpong, but had to terminate his studies due to attacks of malaria...
, Crown Prince of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, met his future wife Hope Cooke
Hope Cooke
Hope Cooke is an American socialite who was the "Gyalmo" of the 12th Chogyal of Sikkim. But Palden was to be the last king of Sikkim as a protectorate state under India. By 1973, the country and their marriage was crumbling; soon Sikkim was annexed by India. Cooke returned to New York City...
for the first time in the Windamere Hotel.
The hotel is also known for its the views of the tea plantations below and of Mount Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over...
, the third highest peak in the world. In 2007, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
named it as one of the "world's best colonial hotels".