Dow hill
Introduction
In my earlier article (Part IV), I told you about the Makaibari Tea factory. When I left the tea factory, the mist had covered the hills. The scene was hazy. The sun hid under the cloud. We had to make it to Giddapahar, where a huge Hanuman idol is located. Pradip was of the opinion that fog would ruin the view of the valley below the hilltop. So we should postpone visiting the Giddapahar to the next day.
The Makaibari was close to Giddapahar. So, as suggested by Pradip, we went to Dow hill. Dow hill is far from Makaibari. There was a chance that the sun would bloom when we reached there. My guess turned true. After we drove a few kilometers, the sunlight glowed out of a clear sky. It is your luck to have pleasant weather when visiting the hills.
I introduced Pradip to my readers in part 4 of my Kurseong travelogue. Pradip is passionate about driving and works in the state tourism office. He had an exciting piece of information about Kurseong. Pradip worked for the Air Defence wing of the Indian Army before he joined the tourism department.
Visit the sight of paranormal activities on the journey to Dow hill.
Dow hill is well-known for its supernatural activities. So I went to Kurseong to seek mysterious stories. Pradip spoke about his experience. I have a nature. When I am on tour, I listen keenly to the local people. I do not interrupt them.
“My father worked as a clerk in Dow hill school. In those days of the early 70s, our family lived in the quarter on the premises of Dow hill school. We didn’t have electricity in our quarter. The surrounding gets dark in the evening. In the winter, the darkness turns early. We heard the weeping of women from our quarters. But could not precisely locate the weeping woman”, said Pradip.
“Bangle thumping, the cry, and scream of women, rattling of ghongroo, haunted the quarters. We came out of the quarter scared. Then, after a while, everything quieted, and we got inside the quarter again. What to do? We needed to stay in the quarter,” asserted Pradip.
We reached the Victoria Boys school while talking to Pradip. The authority locked the gate that led to the church at the top of the hill. According to Pradip, the hilltop gained infamy for its paranormal activities. So people from the outside don’t go.
We reached a creek on Dow hill. Pradip said that the people of those days knew the creek as Kholi, number 14. People panicked in those days of the 70s. While crossing the creek, Dow school employees saw a headless ghost and stones falling from trees. Many people lost their lives because of panic.
The lonely forest road between Dow hill and the Kurseong forest museum may evoke a feeling of the supernatural as you travel from here.
Dow hill school
We reached 140 years old, a British-timed Dow school. It has two sections, secondary and primary. It has a dormitory. “Possibility of snowfall in winter, from November, runs high. The roads become a block. So the school remains closed. You can collect the admission form around September. By October, you may get a call for admission on fulfilling the requisite conditions of admission norms. Pradip said the new academic session begins in February-March.
Up to class 8th, the school provides free education. However, the boarding charges for the dormitory are around seventy thousand. Also, one has to pay for the books and stationery.
Trident-shaped Pine tree providing water for local usage.
There is a trident-shaped pine tree outside the school premises. It absorbs water (moisture) from the air. The pine tree we were looking at, absorbs water content/mist. Right through its roots, the absorbed watery content passes underground and falls into the nearby gorge. The locals used the water.
Forest Museum
In the woods of Dow hill is the Forest museum. The two-storeyed building gives an insight into the forest product. Tiger skin, forest photography, and artifacts are on display. Nature lovers may find the museum fascinating.
Your mobile phone won’t work here. Pradip’ an ex-Air Defence man’ said about installing a radar-like instrument at a strategic location near the museum. There is a pin on the device. It is on the roof. Its rotational movement can detect any nefarious activities in the range of 300 kilometers. A blip/dot will appear on the control panel screen as an alert. The primary purpose of this device is to watch the movements of the enemy country. It can detect foreign devices like mobile and act as a blocker.
Conclusion
We ended our third-day tour after visiting Chimney park and SOJOS (Society of Jesus, Agriculture, and Social Institute).
Summing up our day’s visit, Saikat has made a video. You can see the video footings for the best detail. The video, you can find at the beginning of the story.
In the next part, I would come up with our visit to the Hanuman statue, the tea garden in Gidda Pahar, and the iconic Netaji museum.
