Eagle’s Crag – The Highest Point of Kurseong

Discover offbeat Himalayan trails of Bengal with our travel expert Reetwika Banerjee.

Kurseong is an amazing hill station in the East Himalayan belt. With an altitude of 5000 feet above mean sea level, it experiences moderate climate round the year. Aerially ascending 300 feet above the town, there is a historic view point adored by Tagore and Bose, known as Eagle’s Crag. Surprisingly, unlike Kurseong town, the meteorological aspects are such here that it remains capped in mist even in summer and that adds a mystic touch to the place.

Cloud capped road to Eagle's Crag from Kurseong

Where the road from Kurseong takes a turn towards pine dhupi, right at the bend one can find Eagle’s Crag. Many copper water pipelines are typically found along the park side road, few seen leaking during our visit. The water source is a spring inside the woods. However, the pipe connections at this part of the hill station date back to 19th Century when Tagore, Bose and Sister Nivedita had been staying at nearby private residences.

Crag at the bend

Many of the old cottages could be found even today, but being private properties, they are not much frequented by tourists.

Cliff view from Eagle's Crag

We parked our car by the cliff and looked around. A flight of red tiled stairway beckoned us to the arched entrance.

Flight of red tiled stairway to the viewpoint

Arched entry gate

It is a well maintained park full of gardened flower plants and watch towers. The area was covered in dense mist even at the noon time.

A stroll to the park

Misty surroundings

A tall octagonal watch tower at the centre of the park offers stunning views of the surroundings. The glance of Kurseong town from the top is a lifetime view.

Octagonal watch tower

There is also a monument with a kukri at the top (traditional Nepalese knife), titled ‘Shahid Smarak’ which has been recently built in memory of the Gorkha war victims.

Gorkha Shahid Smarak with a kukri at the top

Inside the park, you can find a small cafeteria offering freshly made tea and snacks – so apt to the cloudy charm of the place! We had been there in the afternoon. Ordering Darjeeling tea and onion pakoda, we waited for the dusk.

Snacks time at observatory

Chirping of an unknown Himalayan bird, a hazy maze of Siliguri plains at the horizon, dim lights of Kurseong houses on right made it one of our best spent afternoons in the hills.

View of Kurseong town from observatory

How to reach:

There’s no public transport in this route. One can take a long walk from Kurseong Dow Hill Road or hire a car from local taxi stand and include in itinerary as part of local sightseeing, like we did.

Road to Kurseong as seen from top