Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim is the destination, I recently visited with my two friends. Me, Denial and Albert were on India tour last month. Located in the Shivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, Gangtok was the perfect destination for all three of us due to our love for adventure.
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| Rumtek Monastery |
We decided to go by air and landed at Bagdogra airport in West Bengal. From Bagdogra, we drove towards Gangtok which took around 4 hours to reach. As we wanted to make this Gangtok tour the cherishable affair for us, we stayed in a luxury hotel. The modern amenities and warm hospitality just made our mood light and helped us to relax at its best.
Surrounded by beautiful view of the mountains, Gangtok just stole away our heart. We devoted the whole day of sightseeing of the famous monasteries of the city.
Situated on a hilltop Enchey Monastery, two hundred years old monastery was the first place that we visited. It is an important seat of the Nyingma order of Buddhism. While going inside, we saw many images of Gods, Goddesses and different other religious objects.
Then, we headed towards the Rumtek Monastery, located 24 km from the town. This monastery belongs to the Kagyupa sect of Buddhism. It is the seat of the 16th Gyawla Karmapa, who was the head of the Karma Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. We also got to see the Golden Stupa, which holds the cherished relics of the Sixteenth Karmapa.
The next gompa we went to was, the Pemayangste Monastery. We enjoyed an exciting trek to Pemayangtse. Built in the 17th century by Latsun Chempo, this monastery relates to the Nyingmapa sect of Buddhism. Before going there, I had read about the monastery. So I was bit eager to see the magnificent sculptures and beautifully decorated paintings. Well, as read, the monastery justified the description. Denial is very fond of visiting museum and the unique collection. The ancient Buddhist antique statues and scriptures caught his attention.
Albert, being a wildlife lover insisted us to visit the Deer Park there, which we could not refuse. Based on our experience, I would say that the park was worth to pay a visit. Offering spectacular view of nature, the park has an open enclosure housing where we could see the animals like deer, Himalayan bear and Red Panda.
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| Tsomgo Lake |
The day was tiring yet excited and in the evening when we came back to the hotel. Our evening was devoted to the discussions of attractions that we visited that day. Next day, we went for shopping as our other friends (who could not accompany us to this tour) had asked us to bring the specialties of the place. On being searched a lot, we shop for some local specialties like handicrafts, Alpine cheese and tea for them.
On our Tour to Gangtok, the beautiful Tsomgo Lake captured our attention not because of the religious significance but because of its scenic beauty. The tranquility of the lake just took away my heart and I enjoyed the atmosphere for long time. On the banks of the lake, we could view a number of flowers.
At last, we started our favourite section of the Gangtok tour. The exciting adventures of mountain biking and yak safari also became a part of our experience with the help of the state tourism department of Sikkim.
Due to the limited time in hand, we had to bid goodbye to Gangtok. The beautiful shots of the place that we visited kept me delighted throughout the tour.
