My trip to the land of happiness-Sikkim’: Short Note by Ananya Ambrit, Apeejay School, Nerul

If you are looking for the land of adventure sports to shoot up your adrenaline, seeking to trek up steep and sharp hills or having a peaceful vacation admiring the mountains, glaciers and several monuments, then Sikkim’s got your back.

Sikkim is the second smallest state after Goa in India and also the least populous state. Although, as they say, ‘Do not underestimate anything because of its size’, Sikkim is a literal utopia. From the hypnotic beauty of the snow capped mountains, some of the world’s highest freshwater lakes and the breathtaking and ethereal pine forests to the hustle and bustle of the main cities’ marketplaces and the many ancient monasteries, Sikkim has something for everyone.

On 5 May, as we reached Bagdogra airport in West Bengal, we were expecting Bagdogra to be chilly but it was humid… Our reason for coming to Sikkim was to escape the scorching heat of Mumbai, but Bagdogra was even hotter than Mumbai. We made our way to the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok from there. On the way, we had lunch at a club. And, then I was getting the feeling of being in Bengal when I saw those juicy rosogollas anticipating my arrival. After having lunch, we went off to Gangtok, enjoying the serene river Teesta flowing on one side while the evergreen pine forests bowing to us on the other.  

After 6 – 7 hours of uninterrupted journey, we finally reached the bustling city of Gangtok. It is a picturesque hill station that is nestled on 5200ft. The word ‘Gangtok’ means on top of the hill. Our hotel “Days Inn” had an unparalleled view of the entire city. It was magnificent. After resting for a while we had dinner and were fast asleep.

The second day was devoted entirely to the local sightseeing of the city. First up we headed to the renowned Rumtek Monastery. Situated in the tranquil settings of the glorious mountains, it is the largest monastery in Sikkim. To reach here we had to climb up a straight road. The monastery was founded in 1734. I adored the palatial architecture, stimulating paintings of Buddhist deities and even Lord Ganesha and its gigantic collection of rare religious artefacts. A few yards away from the main complex is the Nalanda institute. It is simply a marvellous place and a significant part of the complex. When we went inside, 7-8 monks were sitting inside and playing some instruments and chanting mantras. Each of them had a thick book with them. They were looking intently at the huge statue of Buddha. 

 Next, we took a break at Shanti view point to enjoy the awe – inspiring view. After that we headed to the Dodrul Chorten Stupa and Institute of Tibetology. There was a whole museum in there, with many things like clothes of monks from thousands of years ago. Next up, we had the Flower exhibition which housed not only orchids but a plethora of charming flowers like roses and Jasmines.

Next, we drove to the Hanuman Tok, a charming Temple which was in close proximity to the Indo – China border. Close to it was the Ganesh Tok, it was drizzling by the time we reached. It was beautiful. After that, we retraced our steps towards familiar paths and returned to our hotel, had our dinner and zzz., we dozed off..

The next day I was up and ready in no time. I was really excited to visit the Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple. I’d heard all about him, but my instinct was telling me that there was something wrong. After we commenced the journey, our tour guide told us that our visit to the temple was cancelled because of heavy snow and increased chances of landslides in the higher reaches. 

So, we had to visit Tsomgo lake instead. I was pretty upset but still happy at the prospect of seeing the breathtaking snow clad mountains. The entire area was covered in a thick blanket of snow. It was the most serene drive I ever had. When we reached the lake, it was freezing cold. Half my body went numb but the view was magnificent. So the cold was entirely worth it.

Surrounded by tall mountains, the half frozen lake looked very tempting to swim in but of course it was not allowed. We roamed the mountain side and climbed up a small paddock and had fun sliding down it. We returned to our hotel tired but rejuvenated. It was our last night in Gangtok. I was crestfallen to leave the enchanting town behind.

The next day we headed towards Pelling. I was very disappointed about leaving Gangtok behind. On the way, we visited the Char Dham at Namchi. It had the replicas of the original chardhams, Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameshwaram and Puri. It also had replicas of all the 12 Jyotirlingas. Next up, we visited the Buddha Park at Ravangla. It was a large sprawling garden and a splendid 130 ft high statue of Buddha. The roads of Pelling were more twisty and turny than I had ever encountered. After taking a quick stop to have lunch, we journeyed through the bumpy roads tearing past the dense forests seeing forest fires from afar and reached the small hamlet of Pelling. Our hotel, Sumi Yashshree, had a charming view of the mountains and forests. We were entertained by a few dancers of the Pelling Dance Academy who presented the local dance of Sikkim.

The next day we were going to the local monuments. First up, we travelled to the Pemayangtse monastery. It is built on the outskirts of Pelling. It is an impressive 3 storied structure which houses several statues and pictures of monks and even Guru Padmasambhava ( the lotus born). The monastery was built around 300 years ago and offers the seeker a reflection of the rich, vintage architecture. Next up, we visited the wish-fulfilling Khecheopalri lake, holy to Hindus and Buddhists alike. It was huge and surrounded by prayer flags each with a different but equally significant meaning. 

We headed next to the Kanchenjunga waterfall. It is believed that the pristine waterfall originates from the glaciers of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world. It was gushing down with great speed.

After that, we visited the world famous Skywalk of Pelling. It is the first bridge of its kind to be built in India. It is a glass bottomed bridge perched on 7200 feet. It offers a thrilling view of mountains and if you look down, you feel like you are literally falling down. It is mind-blowing. Next to it is the largest Chenrezig (Guru Padmasambhava) statue in the world. It had a twisty turny road inside which led to the top offering a fabulous view. It was our last night in Pelling. I’d definitely miss the lush green forests of this gorgeous little town.

The next day we travelled to Darjeeling, known for its beautiful tea gardens and great views of Mt. Kanchenjunga. I was really dispirited to leave the resplendent land of Sikkim. But we had to move on and Darjeeling was awesome. All the little homes on the hills were an amazing sight. We stayed at the Crescent resort and the view at night with all the lights from the homes twinkling was too good to be true. We had our dinner and hit the sack soon after.

The next day we headed to the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park. It was named after Padmaja Naidu, the daughter of the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu. There were a variety of animals like the red panda, black bear, snow leopard, leopard, Himalayan wolf, langurs, barking deer and last but not the least the Royal Bengal Tiger. They all were so majestic. And so peaceful except perhaps for the tiger who was emitting ear splitting roars every now and then. After that, we attended the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. There was a 3D display of the top 10 tallest mountains. of the Himalayas. The third one being India’s very own, Kanchenjunga.  Next, we watched the documentary show on Mission Antarctica. We paid our
respects at Tenzing Norgay’s samadhi outside. Up next we visited the Tenzing Rock and did some rock-climbing. The rock was 500 mts high and it was an adrenaline pushing experience to climb to the top.

After that we paid a visit to the world famous tea gardens of Darjeeling, especially the oldest one: Happy Valley Tea Estate. We dressed up in traditional clothes and clicked hundreds of pics. After that we had lunch.

Next up we headed to the Japanese Temple which looked extravagant thanks to its unique architecture. Right next to it was the Peace Pagoda which contained pictures of all the major events of Buddha’s life. Last but not the least we visited the Batasia Loop which was a war memorial and had the names inscribed of all the soldiers who
died fighting for our nation. There was a binocular stall which offered a view of the entire city and it was simply fantabulous! Then we headed back to our hotel and dozed off but not before having some delicious ice cream.

The next day was the final day of our tour. We woke up at the crack of dawn at about 3 am. We travelled to Tiger Hill which is basically an under construction building but offers just perfect views of the sunrise on the majestic Kanchenjunga. But unfortunately it started raining at the exact moment we had to see the sunrise and everything just became too foggy and cold and we had to drive but the good side
was that I got to have some of the best coffee of my life. There were also people selling umbrellas and mats in the bitter cold and without wearing countless layers like me! So brave of them!

The whole day was dedicated to shopping and packing. The next day we woke up kinda early and left Darjeeling. I was broken to leave my quaint hometown. We drove to Bagdogra Airport & the thing which upset me the most was the immediate and
noticeable change in climate!

We boarded our plane soon after and were shipped off back to where we started. I have no idea why, but Mumbai’s heat felt very homely. So that was it… The most magical week I ever had.

Did you know?
Sikkim in the local language is called ‘Sukkim’ which translates to the
land of happiness.