Kalimpong is a hill station nestled in the Shiwalik Hills in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong subdivision, a part of the district of Darjeeling. A major forward base of the Indian Army is located on the outskirts of the town. Kalimpong is well-known for its many educational institutions, which attract students from all over North East India, West Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. In recent times, Kalimpong has become an important tourist destination owing to its temperate climate and proximity to popular tourist locations in the region. Kalimpong is also famous for its flower market, especially the wide array of orchids. It houses several Buddhist monasteries holding a number of rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1327: Teenaged Edward III was crowned King of England, but the country was ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_III_of_England)

1554: Jesuit priests José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbrega established a mission at São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga, which grew to become São Paulo, Brazil. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Paulo)

1924: The first Winter Olympic Games opened at the foot of Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games)

1971: General Idi Amin seized power in Uganda from Milton Obote, beginning eight years of military rule. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_Amin)

2004: Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed on Mars and rolled into Eagle crater, a small crater on the Meridiani Planum. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MER-B)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"While fame impedes and constricts, obscurity wraps about a man like a mist; obscurity is dark, ample, and free; obscurity lets the mind take its way unimpeded. Over the obscure man is poured the merciful suffusion of darkness. None knows where he goes or comes. He may seek the truth and speak it; he alone is free; he alone is truthful, he alone is at peace." -- Virginia Woolf in Orlando (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf)