Darjeeling Polytechnic was established in the year 1964 as the only Institute in the district of Darjeeling (including erstwhile Kalimpong sub-division) offering technical education. Shri S.N. Pradhan was the first principal and the Institute offered only a single diploma course in Civil engineering. Later in the year 1995, the department of Electrical engineering was initiated. Subsequently, in the year 2000 under the aegis of then principal Shri M.S. Giri a third department was introduced offering a diploma course in Computer Science & Technology. 
For almost four decades the Institute catered to students from North Bengal, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan and the North-East until government norms changed and only students from North Bengal were admitted. After government takeover under the Department of Technical Education in 1978 construction of present infrastructure was initiated and completed by 1984. The Institute has been functioning from there ever since.