Darjeeling is set to celebrate its 'birthday' for the first time on February 1 this year. The initiative aims to highlight the hill town's rich history and honour Captain George Alymer Lloyd, who is credited with laying the foundation of modern-day Darjeeling and is buried there.
The Chogyal, or monarch, of Sikkim signed the deed of grant transferring Darjeeling to the British East India Company on February 1, 1835.
“We plan to mark Darjeeling's 'birthday' on February 1. This is the first time that we are celebrating this day. The aim is to focus on the history of the hill town and to clean George Aylmer Lloyd's tomb, which is at a cemetery along the 18, Lebong Cart Road,” said Palzor Tshering, a social activist who is organising the project with another activist, Anant Sharma.
As part of the celebration, a massive cleaning drive will be carried out at the cemetery, which suffers from poor maintenance. Various social organisations will be attending the event.
Darjeeling was originally a part of the kingdom of Sikkim, which extended to eastern Nepal. In the 1700s, Nepal attacked Darjeeling and established control over the area up to the Teesta river.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the East India Company defeated Nepal in war and signed a treaty at Sugauli in 1816, forcing it to cede 4,000 square miles (10,000 sqkm) of its territory.
The British returned Darjeeling to Sikkim, but a dispute again arose between Nepal and Sikkim a decade later. Two officers — Captain Lloyd and J.W. Grant — were sent by the East India Company to broker peace between the two countries in 1828.
Upon reaching Ghoom — also called the Old Gurkha Station — Lloyd was charmed by Darjeeling. It was his responsibility to negotiate a lease of the area with the Chogyal.
In 1841, the East India Company granted Sikkim an allowance of ₹3,000 in compensation. The amount was later raised to ₹6,000 in 1846.
Lloyd continued to live in Darjeeling. Archibald Campbell — a member of the Indian Medical Service — was entrusted with developing the area and setting up a sanatorium. Campbell, the first superintendent of the area, also introduced tea cultivation in the hills.
Lloyd died at the age of 76 in 1865 and was laid to rest near the old cemetery on Lebong Cart Road. The ASI (Calcutta circle) declared the site “to be of national importance” under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Acts, 1958.
“We would want Lloyd’s burial site to be conserved well and maybe we can develop it as an interesting destination for tourists,” said Palzor.
The neglected final resting place of Darjeeling’s "discoverer" is a few metres away from the well-preserved tomb of Alexander Csoma De Koros — a renowned Hungarian Tibetologist who was a member of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta.
Koros's tomb was also declared a site of national importance by the ASI. Residents say the Hungarian government consistently expends effort for the upkeep of the tomb. “Every year, people from the Hungarian embassy visit the place to ensure that it is preserved well. It would be great if Lloyd’s cemetery is restored and maintained well,” said Palzor.