The majestic beauty of the Himalayas is legendary. Darjeeling, at the end of a breathtakingly beautiful journey through the mountains, has reigned supreme as the queen of Hill Stations. Facing the towering Himalayas and surround by high green hills covered with coniferous forests, Darjeeling is perched at an altitude of 2134 mtrs amidst the shadow of the mighty Kanchanjunga. The town of Darjeeling is
a
maze of steps and terraces. It is studded with exotic little
bazaars, lovely villas, forests and gardens. Some parts of the city
air is filled with the aroma of the world famous Darjeeling tea,
which is processed here. The view of the Kanchanjunga from the Observatory Hill, the sun's play on the Everest seen from the nearby Tiger Hill are unforgettable experiences. A walk through the gardens growing the finest tea in the world, a ride down to the valley, or just relaxing on the Mall road are all exquisite experiences.
Sikkim has often been described as the nearest thing to paradise. Here the swift Teesta river cleaves her serpentine track through precipitous slopes of bamboo and wild banana, rising to forest of orchid festooned trees towering like cathedrals. Overlooking the mountain clinging Capital City of Gangtok, is the mighty Kanchanjunga-the snow mantled regal protective deity of Sikkim.
The people of Sikkim cocooned for centuries by protective mountains, had countless generations to develop their own lifestyles untouched by the hurrying world outside. They structured their dress, folklore and cuisines around their ancient faith in their green home which rises from 250 mtrs to frigid 8,500mtrs, where nothing grows and the ice never melts, Their sense of colour was honed by their orchids and butterflies, blue poppies and wild rhododendrons. Their dance captures the savage force of nature in which waterspouts over icy lakes became dragons of the air swishing their scaly tails.
DARJEELING
Darjeeling has some very fascinating places of interest. The Botanical Gardens that contain a representative collection of Himalayan plants, flower and orchids. The hot houses are very interesting. The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre established in 1959 to help rehabilitate Tibetan
refugees
who fled from Tibet produces superb carpets, woollens, wood carvings
and leather work. You could walk through the workshops and observe
the work in progress. The weaving and dyeing shops and the
woodcarving shop are particularly interesting and the workers, very
friendly - the women have very beautiful and expressive features.
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute set up to train mountaineers,
also has a museum containing an interesting collection of historic
mountaineering equipment, specimens of Himalayan flora and fauna and
relief model of the Himalayas. An early morning drive to Tiger Hill
for a breathtaking dawn view over Kanchanjunga and other eastern
Himalayan peaks is a fantastic experience. On your way back you may
visit the Ghoom monastery, which is the oldest and the most famous
monastery in Darjeeling. It enshrines an image of the Maitreya
Buddha (the coming Buddha). Another must in Darjeeling is a visit to
the Happy Valley Tea garden. Here tea is still produced by the '
orthodox' method as opposed to the 'curling, tearing and crushing'
(CTC) method adopted in the plains. The process is a fascinating one
to observe with possibilities of lots of good pictures. Darjeeling
offers plenty of options for walking. Of special mention is the
circular walk around the Observatory Hill for breathtaking scenes of
natural beauty of the Himalayas and the city below. The shopping
options of Darjeeling are revealed once you visit some of the curio
shops along Nehru Road. All things Himalayan are sold here-'thankas'
(paintings), brass statues, religious objects, jewellery,
woodcarvings, woven fabrics, carpets etc. However, bargaining is the
order of the day, so be prepare to jostle with the shopkeepers.
PEMAYANGTSE (2085M)
One
reaches Pemayangtse only through one of the most incredibly
beautiful journies in the world. The views afforded by the journey
itself is worth the effort. The views of snow capped Himalayan range
is unbelievable. One has to just draw the curtains of one's bedroom
and lo behold! You could almost touch the range. Even the shadows of
the great peaks are clearly visible. Sunrise here is soul stirring!
The reflections of the rising Sun on the snow capped peaks is
magical and cannot be duplicated in words. One may also visit the
Pemayangtse monastery, which is the second oldest monastery in
Sikkim and belongs to the Tantric -Nyingma-Pa sect established by an
Indian teacher. The sects monasteries are characterised by a
prominent image of the teacher along with two female consorts, and
this monastery is the head of all others in Sikkim. The sect
followers wear red caps. GANGTOK
A spectacular journey, on undulating
roads with hair pin bends caressing the mighty Himalayas, through
tremendous landscapes of terraced fields on the slopes of the
Himalayas, swiftly flowing Teesta river down the valley and wild
banana plantations as well as through quaint Sikkimese villages
bring us to Gangtok, the capital of the Sikkim state occupying the
west side of a long ridge flanking the Ranipool river. The scenery
is spectacular and there are excellent views of the entire
Kanchanjunga range from many points in the vicinity. There are
several places of cultural interest here. The Tsuk- la -Khang chapel
is the Buddhist principal place of worship and assembly and the
repository of a large collection of scriptures. It is a beautiful
and impressive building, its interior covered with murals. Lavishly
decorated alters hold images of the Buddha, bodhisattavas, and
tantric deities. There are also several interesting wooden carvings.
The Namgyalk Institute of Tibetology established in 1958 is a unique
monastery built in a traditional style and promotes research on the
language and traditions of Tibet, as well as on Mahayana Buddhism.
Then, enclosed by a peaceful forest, is an orchid sanctuary, which
has a majority of 454 species of orchids found in Sikkim A kilometre
away is a huge white chorten with a golden apex. Next to it is a
monastery for young lamas with a shrine containing a huge images of
an Indian teacher of Buddhism in Tibet. The Institute of Cottage
Industries specialises in producing hand-woven carpets, blankets,
shawls, Leapcha weaves, patterned decorative paper and Choktse
tables, exquisitely carved in relief.MARTAM VILLAGE RESORT (RUMTEK)
Described
as 'paradise on earth', a holiday in Martam Village Resort is a
unique experience. Situated in the breathtaking and tranquil country
side of East Sikkim in the foot hills of the mighty Himalayas, the
resort overlooks a beautiful valley of rice terraced fields, bounded
by forest covered hills. The accommodation is ethnic in thatched
cottages built in traditional Sikkimese style to blend with the
surrounding villages. Being next to nowhere, but for nature, Martam
Village Resort is the perfect location for visitors who love nature.
There are also great possibilities for wonderful nature walks here.
It would be a wonderful idea to visit some ethnic Sikkimese villages
untouched by civilisation and enjoy the fabled Sikkimese
hospitality. The world famous Rumtek Monastery is a ten-minute drive
from Martam. The monastery enshrines all that is best in traditional
Tibetan monastic architecture. When seen in the clear light of
Sikkim, this magnificent building with its red pillars, brilliantly
painted fretwork and superbly glowing murals glitters like a jewel
set in the green hills.