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Browsing through the
intriguing accounts of Botanical Surveys of the Himalayas in search
of wild orchids, I came across a description of the Sikkim forests
and was fascinated by it. From then on, like most nature-lovers, I
had my mind set on the tantalizing northeastern Shangri-la that
Sikkim truly is. My fights of fancy included, besides viewing wild
orchids and exotic butterflies, a chance sighting of the rare red
panda. I was no less inquisitive about the sights and scenes.
However, regretfully, some of the finest snow-bound mountainous areas
with loftey passes, serene glacial lakes and lush landscape remained
out-of bounds for me and have not been opened for tourists to date.
The most blissful sight
of the Kanchenjunga range at sunrise from my suite window at the
luxurious Siniolchu Lodge made me forget the exhaustion of the
seemingly interminable journey from Delhi to Gangtok. This was my
first glimpse of the third highest peak in the world at about 8444
metres (28200 feet). Mount Kanchenjunga dominates the Sikkim
landscape entirely. It is also revered by the Sikkimese as their
protective deity and is believed to be the abode of a God by the same
name, supposedly a fiery character, depicted with a red face, wearing
a crown made of five skulls and riding a snow lion. The local legend
has it that at the Kanchenjunga peak, this god has buried five sacred
treasures-salt, gems, holy books, medicines and a suit of
impenetrable armour.
Amidst the grandeur of
the imposing mountain peaks, lush valleys, fast flowing rivers and
terracesd hills, Sikkim offers her visitors a rare and singular
experience. Within a matter of hours one can move from the
subtropical warmth of the lower valley to the desolate mountain
slopes- reaching almost the permanent snowline! The elevation ranges
from a low of 245 metres to about 8500 metres above sea level. Even
areawise Sikkim is just a nestling state, a total of just 7215 square
kilometers-measuring 100 kilometres north to south and 60 kilometres
east to west. But the variety of flora and fauna, regional landscape
and the diversity of local tribes is just immense.
As I moved around in the
permitted areas in the north (up to Dzongu, Managan) and east (up to
Phadong monastery) before my final sojourn in the beautiful west, I
began realizing the interesting demographic pattern in Sikkim. Till
about the 18th century Sikkim was inhabited by Lepchas, tribals of
Mongol origin who migrated from Tibet in the 8th century
and also from the adjoining Assam hills around the 13the century.
They were then followed by Bhutyas (also from the Tibetan highlands).
Today, of a population of about 250000 about 18 per cent are
Lepchas, 75 per cent Nepalese and the rest Bhutyas and Indians from
various northern states. The Hindu and Buddhist population has a
ration of 60:30. Obviously, Nepali is the main spoken language, but
I did not encounter any problems as both English and Hindi are widely
understood everywhere in and around the capital city of Gangtok.
Unlike the erstwhile
capital towns (only prior to 1800 A.D.) of Yoksum and Rabdantse,
Gangtok (meaning the hill made flat) , wutg a oioykatuib if aviyt
14000, looks very modern and rapidly advancing. The capital city and
the surrounding areas eaven have an independent T.V. channel.
Gangtok indeed is the nerve-centre of today’s rapidly striding
Sikkim with its strange mix of the modern and the traditional. The
entire town is beautifully landscaped, occupying the west side of a
long ridge flaking the meandering Ranipool. River. My place of stay,
Tourist or siniolchu Lodge, was close to the 200 year old Enchey
monastery perhaps the best place around for a view of the majestic
Kanchenjunga range. Enchey is the site of the annual religious
dances, usually performed in December. Formerly British and later
the Indian Residency, the picturesque Raj Bhawan is located to the
north, below the tourist lodge and Enchey monastery. Royalty is very
much a part of contemporary Gangtok. Lower down along the ridge is
the Palace of the Chogyal and its royal Chapel (Tsuk-La-Khang).
Talking of royalty, the first kings of Sikkim were the Namgyalks,
descendants of the Minyaks of Tibet. Having imposed their control
over the Lepchas, the Dalai Lama (in Lhasa) appointed Penchoo
Namagyal as the first king of Sikkim in 1641.
Though the Royal Chapel
is open to visitors, the Palace itself opens only once a year,
usually during the middle of September for the colourful Pong-Lhabsol
festival in which the lamas wearing masks perform a dance to the God
Kanchenjunga around a banner pole. The Chapel, in fact, is the
principal place of worship and assembly for the local Buddhists, and
is an invaluable repository of a large collection of ancient
scriptures. Its interior is covered with murals and lavishly
decorated altars holding multiple images of the Buddha, Budhisattva
and numerous Tantric deities. I regrettede not being allowed any
photography here, perhaps the most important spot of Buddhist
significance. Close to New Year the famous Black Hat dance is
performed at the good over evil.
I preferred walking
around in Gangtok though private taxis run by cheerful jean-clad
youngsters are easily available. Strolling down the city ridge, I
found the Namgyalk Institute of T9ibetology (also called the Research
Institute of Tibetology) built in 1958 by the last Chogyal. A
friendly monk showed me around an impressive collection of more than
30000 books relating to astrology, medicine, philosophy and Mahayana
Buddhism and innumerable, delicately done silk-embroidered thangkas
(Tibetan religious paintings on cloth). To my delight, I found an
Orchid Sanctuary in the vicinity of the Institute. It was said to
have about 50 species which bloom in April and May but I could only
find tow or three as it was late December. Soon I reached the main
thoroughfare, the busy road from Darjeeling linking finally with the
great, old Hindustan-Tibet road-providing a nostalgic wak through
the labyrinth of lanes and thatched houses. All the main
facilities-hotels, cafes, bazzars, bus stand, post office etc. are
along this main road. The hub of all market activities is,
undisputedly, the ever-so- busy Lal Market-noisy, pulsating and with
an amusing assortment of goods on sale. A sight certainly not to be
missed on Sundays, so advised my local friends.
Without doubt the most
interesting tourist detour around Gangtok includes the popular Rumtek
and Phadong monasteries. Actually, Rumtek, also called the Dharma
Chakra Centre, can even be sighted from Gangtok itself on the other
side of the Ranipool valley. This monastery, built as a replica of a
Tibetan monastery of the 1960s (destroyed during the Chinese
takeover), belongs to the Yellow Hat Karmapa sect, a reformist branch
of Tantric Buddhism founded in the 15the century. Rumtek, in fact is
the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa, the head of the Kagyupa sect of
Tibetan Buuddhism, and has several Tibetan style religious paintings.
One gets totally absorbed viewing the daily proceedings and
interesting Buddhist rituals. Answering the call of the beautiful
environs of Rumtek, I visited it on foot (almost a tow-hour exercise)
and even found another noindescript yet interesting monastery
following the tarmac road beyond Rumtek. The old Rumtek, I
discovered, is just beyond the new one and has a very interesting
interior. The Phadong monastery, located at Thumlong about 40
kilometres north of Gangtok, is just below the famous Labrang Gompa
and this is the farthest one is permitted in Eastern Sikkim.
The gay folk festivities
of the Sikkimese are indeed as heterogeneous as their colourful hill
tribes. The Hindu-Nepalese observe their great festival, Dassain
with a lot of dancing and revelry. Immediately thereafter begins
Tychar-another colourful extravaganza. In the evenings groups of
people go around neighbouring houses singing bailo songs. For the
Buddhist there are two religious festivals oof special significance:
The Pong-Lhabsol and Kagyat Chaams. Dancing and general revelry is
the centre of most religious festivals. Tales and legends of
Buddhist history and mythology are depicted vividly in the festive
dance-drama. Warriors vanquish the demons and believers drive out
the non-believers-all done dramatic, pulsating and colourful dances
with splendid masks and costumes. There are also many ordinary folk
dances celebrating the harvest time or just expressing the joyous
mood of the locals. In the entire Sikkim belt the orchid bonanza and
the meandering Teesta River and its tributaries provide a virtual
feast to the eyes against the imposing backdrop of Kanchenjunga.
With almost 550 species of gorgeous butterflies, above 4000 varieties
of flowering plants and about 600 types of exotic orachids, Sikkim is
indeed a naturalist’s delight. In screen, one sees huge
plantations oof oranges, bamboo, cardamom, tea and tree after tree
loaded with cherry blossoms. Beyond Pemayangtse one finds dense
forests laden with moss, lichen, a variety of ferns and the ever-so
pernicious leeches-to be countered only with lighted cigarette butts
or by sprinkling salt!
The farmed Kanchenjunga
National Park in Sikkim occupies almost 10 per cent of the entire
land area and possessess a huge range of habitats and diversity of
flora and fauna. The Park was established in 1977 with an area of
about 850 square ki8lometres. It boasts of leopards, musk deer, red
panda, binturong, the flying squirrel etc. One also sees the curious
acorns of the evergreen oak, delicate orchids growing on fallen oaks,
oaks festooned with mosses and beautiful epiphytic orchids and
innumerable other natural splendours. The floral wealth is simply
breathtaking.
Of the few areas open to
tourists, I founda short trek to Dzongri (Western Sikkim) most
exhilarating. It is indeed appropriately called the Western Sikkim
Shangri-la trek. The starting base is Pemayangse (6840ft.) with the
premier monastery of Sikkim belonging to the Nyingma-pa sect. This
Tantric sect was established by the Indian teacher, Padma Sambhava,
in the 8th century. All such monasteries in Sikkim have
images of Padma Sambhava with two female escorts. The followers of
the sect wear red caps (unlike the YellowHats at Rumtek). This
monastery, being the second oldest (built in 1705), is the head of
all others in Sikkim, with walls and ceilings bearing frescoes of
gods and demons. An interesting feature of Phemayangtse monastery is
the depiction of sangthopalri or heaven. Sculptured on wood by a
single monk, it took about five years to complete! Pemayangtse
seemed to me just the perfect base for the traveler heading for an
insight into the unspoilt charm of west Sikkim. And the luxurius
hotel Mount Pandim where I stayed seemed just the right place to
enjuoy the serene grandeur of Phemayangtse. Since it was almost the
end of December, I was strongly advised not to venture up to
Dzongri. I did meet a party of foreigners appearing tired yet almost
exalted after their Dzongri trek. A one-day trek led me to the
Tashiding Nyingma monastery (built in 1706), standing at an idyllic
spot ion the tip of a hill between the Rangit and Ratong rivers,
supposedly the point where a rainbow emanating from Mount
Kanchenjunga comes to an end. After Tashiding as the bridle path
approaches Kanchenjunga base, the altitude rises from 10000 to about
14000 ft. and terraced rice-paddies and barley fields give way to
apple orchards, fir trees and mountain lakes like tiny jewels.
Yoksum, reached after six hours form Tashiding is a small quaint
township where the first Chogyal was crowned in 1642. It also has a
small Himalyan Mountaineering Institute. I found a cosy shelter at
the local tourist lodge. Five hours away is Bakhim (3005 metres), a
virtual storehouse of wild plants (including orchids), butterflies
and birds. All along the mosscarpeted trek route, the leech menace
had quietly started, and I discovered two painless bleeding punctures
on one of my legs as I retired into my tent for the night. Next
morning I had to trek about six hours to cover 11 kilometres to reach
Dzongri (4030 metres.) as my final destination-providing perhaps the
closest views of Mount Kanchenjunga, Mount Panddim, the Khangla Ridge
and the lush Gorchala Valley. For the more adventurous tourists,
Thangsing (11 kilometres) at the base of Jopine peak and Zimathang
(10 kilomtres) located at the base of three peaks can be tow more
enchanting halts in their quest for the Five Treasures of Eternal
Snows as the peaks of Kanchenjunga are popularly known in Sikkim!
The bountiful natural
panorama is interwoven with the local folk life right from the lowly
riverine valley till the sparsely inhabited pockets at higher
attitudes close to the snow peaks. The people are hospitable and
friendly- quite aware of the beautiful land they live in, a veritable
heaven ina wilderness, a true Shangri-la. On my way back form
Gangtok to Bagdogra I took the much publicised helicopter flights of
Sikkim Tourism and was glad that I did so as I withnessed recorder
the breathtaking aerial views of mountains, forests, rivers,
monasteries, Kalimpong and Kurseong-all in a fst-changing half hour
panorama, a fitting finale to my memorable sojourn to this tiny
jewel-like state.
VISITING SIKKIM GETTING THERE
By Air
Bagdogra (West Bengal) is the nearest airport (124
kms.) to Gangtok and is linked by twice-a –day helicopter
service. There are regular scheduled flights of Indian Airlines from
New Delhi and Calcutta to Bagdogra. Taxis are available outside the
airport for the 5-hour road journey to Gangtok, Sikkim. Nationlised
Transport (SNT) plies a regular Snow-Lion mini bus service to and
from Gangtok.
By Rail
Silguri (114 kms) and New Jalpaiguri (125 kms) are
the closest railheads to and from Calcutta, Delhi and other cities.
Both SNT and private buses ply regularly between these stations and
Gangtok.
By Road
Gangtok is connected with Darjeeling, Kalimpong,
Kurseong, Siliguri, New Jalpaiguri and Bbagdogra. SNT and private
buses and taxis are available. SNT has a booking office in Gangtok
below the Tourist Information Centre. The transport wing of the
Department of Tourist provides cars, luxury coaches and jeeps etc. on
hire by prior booking.
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