Gangtok

Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim state and is a hill station in the Himalyan region. Gangtok is famous for its natural beauty and culture. Gangtok is the nerve center of many tourist spots around this small and beautiful state of Sikkim..Gangtok, the land of monasteries, is also the largest town of Sikkim. Situated in the Shivalik Hills and lying at an altitude of 1437 metres, it’s an important Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre. Gangtok gained religious significance among the Buddhists after the construction of the Enchey Monastery in the latter part of the 19th century.  It was an important trade centre between the British and Tibet during the 19th century. Gangtok was made the capital of Sikkim in 1894 by Thutob Namgyal, who was a monarch under the British Rule. When India gained independence in 1947, Sikkim chose to be an independent monarchy and Gangtok continued to be its capital. However, in 1975, after a period of strife and struggle, Sikkim was finally made an Indian state and Gangtok was made its official capital. The city suffered a major setback in its trade relations with Tibet after the Nathu La Pass was closed following the Sino-Indian war of 1962. However, the Pass has been opened in 2006, and Gangtok has again started functioning as a major trade point between India and Tibet. The region enjoys mild temperature conditions with the maximum temperature not going beyond 22-25° Celsius throughout the year. This is characterised by the presence of temperate as well as deciduous forests of birch and oak in the region.Most of the economy of Gangtok depends on tourism. A large part of the population of the town is employed in the tourism sector. Of late, eco-tourism has picked up in the region with tourists being offered the opportunity of trekking, rafting as well as mountaineering. Apart from the tourism industry, cottage industries form the other major portion of Gangtok’s economy which deals in watch making, handicrafts and local alcohol processing.The town has people from different ethnicities. The presence of Buddhists, Chinese, Tibetans as well as Hindus gives Gangtok a colourful ambience and every festival is celebrated here with the same fervour..........

                                                

                                                  Gangtok cabel car .............Ropeway

Pelling

Pelling is about 133 km away from Siliguri and 125 km from Gangtok.Here are a few pictures from my Pelling trip in April, 2011. Pelling, the laid back, scenic, but rapidly swelling hamlet is situated at 2,085 m above sea level about 2 km beyond Pemayangtse. Pelling is famous for the magnificent view of the snow-capped mountains of Khangchendzonga.Pelling itself consists of little more than a road junction, Helicopter pad and numerous hotels, creating the so-called "Bengali Boulevard", a strip of highly unimaginative identikit concrete blocks. Luckily, from most angles this development is hidden by the forested slopes and Pelling offers numerous attractive walks and hotel terraces from where one can gaze in awe at the world's third highest peak.

Pelling gives a spectacular views of the Mount Khangchendzonga, the Guardian Deity of Sikkim and the worlds third highest mountain along with other sister mountains bowing before the Godly figure in reverence. Pelling is an ideal getaway for tourists as its vicinity has numerous waterfalls, soft trek routes, villages and soothing atmosphere for all discerning.......

                        

                               Pemayangtse Monastry ........ The famous Monatry 
We headed off towards the Pemayangtse Monastery, located 3 kms above Pelling. The monastery was established by Lama Lahatsun Chembo and is considered to be one of the oldest monasteries in Sikkim. We climbed up to the monastery amidst yellow prayer flags dancing in the mist. Pemayangtse Monastery contains rare Buddhist artifacts, the walls are covered with fine murals, old sculptures and ancient scriptures adorn the first and the second floor of the monastery. On the top floor we saw a magnificent wooden structure, a seven tiered depiction of the heavenly palace of Guru Rinpoche. The monastery also afforded a beautiful view of distant hills, flowing streams and the ruins of Rabdentse, the second capital of Sikkim.  

                                         Rimbi Falls............The Natural Beauti of Pelling....

                                                             The Famous Kechoparilake .....

Khangchendzonga Falls......... the pelling fastest falls 

 

                                                      Rock Garden......... Its Me (2011)            
           

                                        The Singshore Suspension Bridge......... Dentam,Sikkim
Which is located near Dentam some 25 kms from Pelling. The bridge is an engineering marvel and connects two densely forested hills. It is over 100 m high and spans, without support over 20o metres. The bridge affords a breath-taking view of the hills with waterfalls everywhere. As we stood on the bridge we could feel the wind in our hair, the thrill of being suspended high up in the air between two magnificent mountains and it was magical. We had delicious momos at the food stall adjacent to the bridge and decided to climb up further to the village of Uttarey, beyond which lies Nepal. The ride to Uttarey was wonderful and the village itself is a tranquil hamlet. We were running out of time and had to return to Pelling by the evening.  Thus, we descended quickly to the Singshore bridge and drove over it on our way back to Pelling......

                                                     The Beauti Of Sikkim