Culture and history · Chimney
The 1839 chimney on the old road
See the lone brick chimney that gave the village its name, the last part of a dak bungalow that local accounts date to about 1839. A short stop, and a good story about how people reached Darjeeling before the railway.
Dak bungalows were the travel lodges of British India: plain rest houses at intervals on main roads where officials and travellers could sleep, eat and change horses or porters. The one at Chimney stood on the Old Military Road, the early route to Darjeeling that climbed over the ridge above Kurseong.
Local accounts say it was built around 1839. Once the Hill Cart Road opened in the 1860s and the railway in 1881, traffic moved below and the old road and its bungalow were abandoned. The building crumbled; the chimney, about 7 m tall, did not.
Today the chimney stands in a small fenced park with benches. Look at the old brick, then walk a little along the road either way to see how the route keeps to the ridge.
Cost: Free or a small fee
Questions people ask
Good to know
Why is the village called Chimney?
Because the most visible thing left from its past is a single brick chimney, about 7 m tall, from a British dak bungalow that local accounts date to around 1839. The rest of the building fell into ruin after the old road was abandoned, and the village took its name from what remained.
What was the Old Military Road?
It was the early road to Darjeeling, used before the Hill Cart Road was built in the 1860s. It climbed through the forest over the ridge above Kurseong, past places such as Dow Hill and Chimney. Today parts of its line are quiet local roads used by walkers and village jeeps.
Is there an entry fee for the Chimney park?
It has been free or a very small fee in recent years, collected locally. The park is small and takes 15–30 minutes to see. Check current status before you travel, especially if you plan to arrive late in the day.