Discover India

Sikkim

The Himalayan Shangri-La
Sikkim, tucked away in India's North-East corner, between Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal is, without question, a very special part of India beautiful, unspoilt, green, full of orchids, mountains, butterflies and monasteries, and home to some of the gentles t people you could wish to meet.

Just getting there is half the adventure. The first stage is to fly to Bagdogra, in West Bengal. from Bagdogra you reach Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, by road - either by Sikkim Nationalized Transport buses, or by a private car or taxi, which you can e asily fix up at Bagdogra airport. Whatever the mode of transport, count on at least a 4 - 5 hour bumpy drive.
The drive is spectacularly beautiful: once out of the plains and the rice paddies of West Bengal, the road becomes very wooded, and zigzags its way up into the mountains, hugging the Teesta river valley. Along the way, monkeys sit by all the bends on the road: they know exactly where the cars have to slow down - with any luck, they'll get a biscuit or a banana.

Until 1975, Sikkim remained an independent kingdom, ruled by the Chogyal, whose palace is tantalizingly hidden by trees, and is inaccessible to the public. The Tsuk-La-Khang, or Royal Chapel, is not always open to the public - it's better to go and ask, for depending on the guard on duty, you may be able to gain admission.
Gangtok means, aptly enough "hill top" and the little capital of Sikkim is perched at 5,500 feet, high on the ridge of a valley. From Gangtok, you look over the hillside, down and across to terraced fields, with tall, white Buddhist prayer flags flutteri ng in the wind, and endless vistas of many shades of green. The town careers wildly and very steeply up and down the hillside, and no matter how you arrange it, you'll always end up at the top of the hill when you want to visit the little restaurant at t he foot of the hill, or you'll be at the bottom of the town, and remember you have to do some shopping at Cottage Industries, right at the top-just resign yourself to lots of steep climbs, and being a lot trimmer at the end of your stay!

Gangtok is full of tall, brightly decorated houses and is a happy, bustling place-you'll meet Nepalese, Tibetans, Lepchas, Bhutias, Bengalis from the plains and even dhoti-ciad Tamils, and they are all, without exception, welcoming and friendly. In all m y years in India, I don't think I've gossiped as much with people, nor answered as many detailed questions about myself, nor seen my children plied with quite so many toffees and biscuits as in Sikkim.
If you love the atmosphere of Indian hill towns, then you'll love Gangtok, with its sweater-clad locals; trekkers loaded down with equipment; and the busy Lafi Market, selling everything from luggage to dried cheese on strings.

My children loved the deer park, to which we had to make a p ilgrimage nearly every day, to see the deer, and the red panda. They also fell in love with the yellow fire engines at the Fire Station, but you can probably omit that from your itinerary!

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in Gangtok, is a "must". It is housed in a beautiful building, built in the traditional Tibetan style, with murals,decorated columns and a wonderful smell of beeswax polish from the creaky wooden floor. The staff of the institute are knowledgeable and delighted to show you their stunning collecti on of silk thangkas (Buddhistpaintings), statues and manuscripts.

Having seen the exquisite thangkas of the institute, go and visit the Cottage Industries Emporium, which is high up on the hill leading to Raj Bhavan: in the workshops, you can watch young students being taught the traditional art of thangk a painting, al ong with weaving, wood-carving, and carpet making. Once again, the gentleness of the staff and their willingness to explain their crafts ensures that you'll walk back down into town with a sheaf of addresses of your new friends, many more photographs tha n you'd meant to take and, who knows, maybe a thangka of your own.

The Tourist Office on the main Darjeeling Road is staffed by very helpful young people, and is open until quite late every nightbut, unfortunately, they have very little literature that they can give you. If you come across a good map or guide-book befor e you leave for Sikkim, do buy it and take it with you. Before hiring a taxi to go on any trips around Gangtok, first check the list of fares displayed in the tourist office.
As far as food is concerned, do go to the prettily-decorated Snow Lion Restaurant of the Hotel Tibet, and eat typical Tibetan food and Sikkimese momos (a snack akin to steamed dumplings). The restaurant of the Hotel Mayur has good food, and lovely views. ; and on the steep road climbing up to Raj Bhawan, on the left, there is a little hotel called the Himalchuli-sitoutside on their little terrace in the evening, have tea and samosas (a deep fried snack), and watch the sun set over the valley.

454 types of orchid, over 600 species of butterflies, 500 species of birds, red pandas; snow leopards Sikkim is a naturalist's paradise, and there are many wildlife parks and sanctuaries. The largest and most famous of these is the Kanchenjunga National Park, covering an area of 850 square kilometres and whose centre piece, naturally, is the sacred mountain of Kanchenjunga.

The best times to see orchids in bloom are April-May, July-August, and November. The Orchid Sanctuary in Gangtok, and the lpecac Garden, 14 kilometres downhill from Gangtok, have large displays of the state flower.
Buddhism is an integral part of Sikkim and its culture, and many of the recommended trips around Gangtok have a monastery as their ultimate destination. The monasteries that are closest to gangtok are Enchey, Rumtek and Phodong : much further afield is t he monastery of Pemayangtse, 140 kilometres away from Gangtok.

Enchey Monastery is three kilometres out of Gangtok, near the tourist bungalow. Follow the road up the hill towards Raj Bhavan, and then at the round-about, ask for further directions. Enchey is a beautiful monastery, in an equally beautiful setting, ap proached along an avenue of hundreds of multicolored prayer flags.
Although, on an absolute scale, everyonewe metin Sikkimwasfriendly, if i had to choose winners, it would be the monks of Enchey, who fussed endlessly over my children, and even wanted them to take one of the monastery puppies home as a present!

Rumtek Monastery is 24 kilometres out of Gangtok, on the other side of the Ranipool valley, and is easily accessible by car or taxi. The monastery is very large, and many of the local children study there: the children sit outside in the courtyard, study ing their homework, and reciting their lessons for the older monks, basking in the sunshine.

Phodong Monastery, in eastern Sikkim is a must - the monastery is small, but interesting but the drive is absolutely beautiful. The 28 kilometre drive to Phodong takes 2 hours each way, and the road is fairly good, though there are one or two hair-raisin g sections, where water-falls seem to have swept most of the road away.

The bus timings are impractical, involving an overnight stay, so negotiate a taxi from the main rank in Gangtok which is outside the Tourist Office. Phodong is the furthest you can go in eastern Sikkim on your permit. There is supposed to be a restauran t there but, when we went, everything was closed so take drinks and snacks with you.
Pemayangtse is the worthwhile focal point of a two-day trip to west Sikkim. The 18th century monastery commands a stunning view of Kanchenjunga, as does the Hotel Mount Pandim, whose gardens face the mountain. The Hotel Mount Pandim is the only hotel at Pemayangtse, and is very busy, with both serious trekkers and overnighters staying there, so it's essential to book. There is also a P.W.D. guest-house. On the way to Pemayangtse, visit Kechopari Lake, or the "Wishing Lake". Legend has it that whenever a leaf drops onto the surface of the water, a bird will instantly swoop down to pick it up and, indeed, despite the surrounding dense forest, the surface of the lake stays remarkably smooth and clear.