Pedong

Template:Infobox Indian jurisdiction Pedong (pop. 19,000 est.) is a town in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal, located at 27°09′00″N 88°37′00″E / 27.15°N 88.6167°E / 27.15; 88.6167. It lies twenty kilometres east of Kalimpong on the way to Lava at an altitude of 1,240 metres (4.071 feet). The town which is located on a ridge, commands a panoramic view of the Kanchenjunga and the Himalayan mountains. The town is divided into two parts, Upper Pedong and Lower Pedong. Pedong lies on the historic Silk Road that connects India to Lhasa via the Jelepla Pass.

Near Pedong are the ruins of Damsanggudi, a fort built in 1690. Built by the Lepchas it was at the centre of the long standing feud with the Bhutias. Later, it was used to ward off the forces of the British East India Company. After the Anglo-Bhutan War of 1864, the fort fell into decay. Another highlight of the town is the Cross Hill, placed by priest Augustine Desgodins in 1882 on his way to Tibet. It is considered to have miraculous powers and is a pilgrimage site for the local Christians. St. George's School is one of the famous boarding schools in the region. So many different nursery schools are in high competition with their best efforts for the better education systems. Different villages as Sakyong, Kasyong, Dalep, Kagey, Upper Menchu, Lower Menchu have surrounded this place with their different beautiness of nature. Pedong monastery is another visited location, established in 1837.

Pedong nowadays is coming up as a prominent tourist hub. Plenty of tourist lodges and restaurants are being made to meet the demand of the tourists who visit this place basically twice, once during the autumn and again during the spring.

St. George's Higher Secondary school is one of the most famous school of Pedong. Started by the Roman Catholic priests during the pre-independence days, it continue to serve the locality with quality education at the most reasonable cost. Students from Pedong, and its adjoining villages and towns do study here along with those from far flung places like Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, or South Bengal.

Pedong is rich in avifauna. Various types of himalayan birds, low land birds can be seen while walking along the hill paves around pedong.