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CHAMONG TEA ESTATE

The original inhabitants of the Darjeeling region converted to Buddhism many centuries ago. Buddhist monks have for centuries found this area a spiritual haven, conducive to prayer, meditation and heavenly contemplation. In the summer months, little whistling birds called “Chamoo” gather here, monk-like in their quest for tranquility and harmony.

It is said that there was a pond in the Chamong tea estate. The clear, sweet waters of this pond provided drinking water to the estate’s residents. Sometimes, leaves and twigs fell into the water, making it dirty. The Chamoo birds would help clean the pond by taking away the leaves and twigs for their nests and the estate took its name from these birds.

Our flagship garden, Chamong, became a tea plantation as early as 1871. It was one of the first Darjeeling gardens to be acquired by the Lohia Group. Stretching over 332 hectares of land, Chamong is set into the side of a hill and its altitude ranges from 1150 meters to 1850 meters above sea level. Only about 132 hectares of this space is given to tea plantation, while a small area holds a tea factory and a village for laborers.

Most of the property is forest-land filled with a great variety of flora and fauna. The incredible splendor of this area has to be seen to be believed. As you walk through the tall, deciduous forest, liquid gold pours from the sun in streams from the broad, mystery-green Sal leaves as carefree monkey-families frolic in the dappled sun-spotted undergrowth of ferns and shrubs.

The tea that is born in Chamong is steeped in the magnificence of its surroundings. It is delicate, yet distinctive; full of both flavor and character; historical and full of majesty and unforgettable—just like Chamong.