Culture · Kalimpong, Darjeeling & Kalimpong
Dr Graham's Homes and old Kalimpong walk
Trace Kalimpong's mission and trading history: the campus of Dr Graham's Homes, founded in 1900 below Deolo, the Katherine Graham Memorial Chapel of 1925, and the old market lanes where Tibet traders once dealt in wool.
Photo: Subhrajyoti07 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsJohn Anderson Graham, a Church of Scotland missionary, arrived in Kalimpong in 1889. On 24 September 1900 he opened St Andrew's Colonial Homes below Deolo hill in a rented cottage with six children, mostly of mixed British and Indian parentage, who had few other options. The Homes grew into a village of cottages named after benefactors, with a farm, hospital and school. By the 1920s it housed 600 children.
Graham built 44 buildings in the first twenty years. After his wife Katherine died in 1919, he built a chapel in her memory, dedicated in 1925. Both are buried on the campus. The Homes, renamed Dr Graham's Homes in 1947, are still a working school, so view the campus from public roads and the chapel exterior unless you have permission to enter.
Continue into the old town around the market. This was where traders from Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and the plains dealt in wool, furs and grain until the Jelep La closed in 1962. Look for old shopfronts, Tibetan noodle makers and the local cheese. A local guide adds the stories that buildings alone do not tell.
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Questions
Before you book
Can tourists visit Dr Graham's Homes?
Dr Graham's Homes is a working residential school, so access is limited. You can usually see the campus from roads that cross it and view the chapel exterior. For any visit inside buildings, contact the school in advance. Do not photograph students without permission.
What was the Jelep La trade?
Before 1962, mule caravans carried wool, furs and grain between Tibet and India over the Jelep La, a 4,390 m pass on the Sikkim–Tibet border. Kalimpong was the main contact point on the Indian side. The pass closed after the 1962 war, and the trade ended.
Do I need a guide for the old town walk?
Not essential, but helpful. A local guide can explain buildings, families and the trade history and take you to food shops you would miss alone. Half-day guides cost about ₹1,000–1,500. Ask your hotel for a recommendation.