After a long journey up and down steeply cut river valleys, we crossed the border to spend two days in the former kingdom of Sikkim. This small country was annexed (aka invaded0 by India in 1975 to become its 22nd state. This thumb-shaped landlocked state nestles in the Himalayas with Nepal to the west, the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China to the north & east and Bhutan in the South East - to the South is the Indian state of West Bengal.
With just over 500,000 permanent residents, it is the least populous state in and the second-smallest state after Goa. Despite its small area (2,740 sq. miles), it is geographically diverse due to its location in the Himalayas. The climate ranges from sub-tropical to high alpine. Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, is located on the border with Nepal.
Legend has it that the Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche visited Sikkim in the 9th century, introduced Buddhism and foretold the era of the monarchy. Indeed, the Namgyal dynasty was established in 1642. Over the next 150 years, the kingdom witnessed frequent raids and territorial losses to Nepalese invaders. It allied itself with the British rulers of India but was soon annexed by them. Later, Sikkim became a British protectorate and merged with India following a referendum in 1975.
We visited the great Pemayangste Monastery, the chief in Sikkim, is the second oldest and one of the 60 still active and has an exceptional collection of religious artworks. Established in the 8th century by the famous Indian teacher Padmasambhava, its members are devotees of a mystical type of Tantric Buddhism, characterised by the red caps they wear. Their religion is derived from Tibetan Lamaism, a curious mixture of Mahayana Buddhism, mythology and magic. It has been a focal point for the sectarian tensions that characterise the Karmapa Controversy.
The Karmapa is the head of the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa (Tibetan Bka' brgyud), itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Since the death of the sixteenth Karmapa in 1981, two candidates have been put forward. Both have already been enthroned as 17th Karmapa, and both independently have been performing ceremonial duties in the role of a Karmapa. They have not met, though both have expressed a willingness and desire to meet. The situation has led to deep division among Kagyu followers all over the world and despite the involvement of the Dali Lama and a court case, the problem still remains.
The monastery was originally built in 16th century but when the 16th Karmapa arrived in Sikkim in 1959, after fleeing Tibet, the monastery was in ruins. Despite being offered other sites, the Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek. To him, the site possessed many auspicious qualities and was surrounded by the most favourable attributes. For example, flowing streams, mountains behind, a snow range in front, and a river below. With the generosity and help of the Sikkim royal family and the Indian government, it has been built by the 16th Karmapa as his main seat in exile.
After four years, construction of the monastery was completed and is currently the largest in Sikkim - a home for a community of monks and where they perform the rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage.
As we left, the sun set over the mountains and the who place was bathed in a pink glow throwing long soft shadows.
We also visited techeopelri or the Wishing Lake, considered to be the holiest lake in Sikkim. The lake is a sacred for both Buddhists and Hindus and is believed to be a wish fulfilling lake - its local name for the lake is Sho Dzo Sho, which means "Oh Lady, Sit Here". The lake is an integral part of the much-revered valley of "Demazong" meaning valley of rice.
The Lake is also part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit involving the Yuksom, the Dubdi Monastery in Yuksom, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Sanga Choeling Monastery, and the Tashiding Monastery. An interesting feature of the lake is that leaves are not allowed to float on the lake, which is ensured by the birds that industriously pick them up as soon as they drop into the lake surface.
After a short inspection of the lake shore, some of us embarked upon a walk up a steep hill side to a local village - it took us about 30 minutes but locals seemed not to notice the gradient at all. At the top was an isolated group of houses that appear to be only accessible on foot. We had tea in a house that offered home stays - its walls were plastered with postcards from past visitors : mainly it seems from France and Israel. We also met the Dali Lama's former cook - a charming wrinkly old man who was proud to show us his photos of his past life and have, in turn, his picture taken by us. We were also offered popcorn by a local lady and were invited to inspect her kitchen whilst she cooked it : very basic but very well tidy and organised.
We paid a short visit to the ruins of Rabdentse - originally the second capital of the former kingdom of Sikkim - from 1670 to 1814. It city was destroyed by an invading Nepalese army who arrived over an 'inacessible' pass through the mountains. Although the ruins of the palace and the chortens give only the barest indication of what was once there, they remain part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit.
Travelling, via semi tropical forests, cardamom plantations and small villages to the present day capital of Sikkim - we arrived in Gangtok. This is spectacularly set on a long ridge flanking the RanipoolLepchas and Bhutia. The precise meaning of the name Gangtok is unclear, though the most popular meaning is "hill top".
Gangtok rose to prominence as a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site after the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840. In 1894, the ruling Sikkimese Chogyal, Thutob Namgyal, transferred the capital to Gangtok. In the early 20th century, Gangtok became a major stopover on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and cities such as Kolkata (then Calcutta) in British India. After India won its independence from Britain in 1947, Sikkim chose to remain an independent monarchy, with Gangtok as its capital. In 1975, after the integration with the union of India, Gangtok was made India's twenty-second state capital.
I walked down, through the town, to the indoor market to have a wander around and take some pictures. Here I was highjacked by a little old lady in a pink & white turban who insisted that I took her picture and then of the surrounding stall holders. The market had the usual selection of fruit & veg on the ground floor with clothing, cloth etc on the other two floors. Tucked away were a couple of glass partitioned rooms full of (mainly) men sitting at old Singer type sewing machines. Walking back up the hill to the hotel I took a short stroll along a wide traffic free boulevard - an oddity in rural India.
After the evening meal in the hotel, some of us went off to a local bar : Cafe Live & Loud which had advertised live music - "urban funk". It turn out to be somewhat of a time-warp establishment with pictures of the Beatles, AC-DC and Jimi Hendricks on the wall. The band was a four piece (keyboards, drums & guitars) with a girl lead singer : their songs were not really 'funky' - especially their rendition of Louis Armstrong's "It's a wonderful world" !
With just over 500,000 permanent residents, it is the least populous state in and the second-smallest state after Goa. Despite its small area (2,740 sq. miles), it is geographically diverse due to its location in the Himalayas. The climate ranges from sub-tropical to high alpine. Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, is located on the border with Nepal.
Legend has it that the Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche visited Sikkim in the 9th century, introduced Buddhism and foretold the era of the monarchy. Indeed, the Namgyal dynasty was established in 1642. Over the next 150 years, the kingdom witnessed frequent raids and territorial losses to Nepalese invaders. It allied itself with the British rulers of India but was soon annexed by them. Later, Sikkim became a British protectorate and merged with India following a referendum in 1975.
The Karmapa is the head of the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa (Tibetan Bka' brgyud), itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Since the death of the sixteenth Karmapa in 1981, two candidates have been put forward. Both have already been enthroned as 17th Karmapa, and both independently have been performing ceremonial duties in the role of a Karmapa. They have not met, though both have expressed a willingness and desire to meet. The situation has led to deep division among Kagyu followers all over the world and despite the involvement of the Dali Lama and a court case, the problem still remains.The monastery was originally built in 16th century but when the 16th Karmapa arrived in Sikkim in 1959, after fleeing Tibet, the monastery was in ruins. Despite being offered other sites, the Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek. To him, the site possessed many auspicious qualities and was surrounded by the most favourable attributes. For example, flowing streams, mountains behind, a snow range in front, and a river below. With the generosity and help of the Sikkim royal family and the Indian government, it has been built by the 16th Karmapa as his main seat in exile.
After four years, construction of the monastery was completed and is currently the largest in Sikkim - a home for a community of monks and where they perform the rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage.
As we left, the sun set over the mountains and the who place was bathed in a pink glow throwing long soft shadows.
We also visited techeopelri or the Wishing Lake, considered to be the holiest lake in Sikkim. The lake is a sacred for both Buddhists and Hindus and is believed to be a wish fulfilling lake - its local name for the lake is Sho Dzo Sho, which means "Oh Lady, Sit Here". The lake is an integral part of the much-revered valley of "Demazong" meaning valley of rice.
After a short inspection of the lake shore, some of us embarked upon a walk up a steep hill side to a local village - it took us about 30 minutes but locals seemed not to notice the gradient at all. At the top was an isolated group of houses that appear to be only accessible on foot. We had tea in a house that offered home stays - its walls were plastered with postcards from past visitors : mainly it seems from France and Israel. We also met the Dali Lama's former cook - a charming wrinkly old man who was proud to show us his photos of his past life and have, in turn, his picture taken by us. We were also offered popcorn by a local lady and were invited to inspect her kitchen whilst she cooked it : very basic but very well tidy and organised.
We paid a short visit to the ruins of Rabdentse - originally the second capital of the former kingdom of Sikkim - from 1670 to 1814. It city was destroyed by an invading Nepalese army who arrived over an 'inacessible' pass through the mountains. Although the ruins of the palace and the chortens give only the barest indication of what was once there, they remain part of Buddhist religious pilgrimage circuit.
Travelling, via semi tropical forests, cardamom plantations and small villages to the present day capital of Sikkim - we arrived in Gangtok. This is spectacularly set on a long ridge flanking the RanipoolLepchas and Bhutia. The precise meaning of the name Gangtok is unclear, though the most popular meaning is "hill top".
Gangtok rose to prominence as a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site after the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840. In 1894, the ruling Sikkimese Chogyal, Thutob Namgyal, transferred the capital to Gangtok. In the early 20th century, Gangtok became a major stopover on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and cities such as Kolkata (then Calcutta) in British India. After India won its independence from Britain in 1947, Sikkim chose to remain an independent monarchy, with Gangtok as its capital. In 1975, after the integration with the union of India, Gangtok was made India's twenty-second state capital.
After the evening meal in the hotel, some of us went off to a local bar : Cafe Live & Loud which had advertised live music - "urban funk". It turn out to be somewhat of a time-warp establishment with pictures of the Beatles, AC-DC and Jimi Hendricks on the wall. The band was a four piece (keyboards, drums & guitars) with a girl lead singer : their songs were not really 'funky' - especially their rendition of Louis Armstrong's "It's a wonderful world" !
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