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Pages from the Gangtok trip diary

We boarded the Darjeeling Mail from Sealdah at 10.30 pm. As the train began its journey to the foothills, we pored over whatever information we had about Gangtok and chalked out a plan for the next three days.

Day 1

We reached Siliguri next day around 9.30 am. Fresh after a good night’s sleep and raring to go,

we booked two tickets in a Gangtok-bound Mahindra Max, which started off around 11.30 am. The four-hour drive was scenic. The river Teesta, emerald in colour, kept us company almost till the end. The driver, a sprightly man in his 30s, started playing Nepali numbers. We did not mind because it gelled so well with the region we were traveling through.

The first stop was Rangpo, the Bengal-Sikkim border. A huge, ornate gate welcomed us to Sikkim. “Dus minat,” the driver yelled at us as we got out the jeep. Rangpo is a busy little stopover. We checked out the shops and found nothing interesting.

We reached Gangtok around 4 pm. We checked into Hotel Delamare. After a quick wash and tea, we decided to explore the town. We checked out the shops and walked till Raj Bhavan, which is located at one end of the town. The estate is huge and beautiful and we cajoled the guard to let us in. He called his superior, checked our ID cards and then impressed on us the importance of official procedure. By that time it was already pitch-dark and we decided to head back to the main town. The main thoroughfare, M.G. Road, is dotted with souvenir shops and eating joints. We booked a car for the next day’s sightseeing.

A friend had told me a lot about the local fare served Hotel Tibet. So, Hotel Tibet was the destination for dinner. After walking so much (almost two hours), we were famished. The cocktails were good (though the alcohol content was very low) but the ‘momos’ and ‘thupka’ pretty bad. They serve better ‘momos’ in Chanakyapuri or Delhi Haat.

Day 2

We knew Day 2 would be hectic because we had to cover Tsongmo Lake, Baba Mandir and Rumtek. We started around 8 am. We could not go to Nathula because it was closed for tourists on that particular day.

Baba Mandir: “Baba” Harbhajan Singh was a soldier who died near the Nathula Pass during the 1961 war with China. Soldiers who have built a temple in his honour revere him. ‘Baba’ is reported to have granted favours to the soldiers, and guard them in the inhospitable terrain. He was the first casualty of the 23rd Punjab Regiment, and a manhunt was launched to find him. He was found after three days and cremated with full military honours. According to legend, it was Harbhajan who led the search party to his body, and later, instructed one of his colleagues in his dreams to build a shrine after him.

The temple is located at 14,000 ft. After visiting the temple and clicking the mandatory photos, we sat at a tea stall quietly watching the crowd. Some wanted to shake hands with the soldiers guarding the temple while others wanted photographs with them. The soldiers obliged them smilingly.

Tsongmo Lake: Next stop was at 12,210 ft. We had passed Tsongmo while going to Baba Mandir and I wasn’t too impressed. However, I must admit that the lake grows on you; it pervades your senses and then makes a place for itself in your memory. The oval lake is about a kilometer long and 50ft deep. This is an alpine zone and snowbound from December to April.

We stood staring at the sheer beauty of the lake and the mountains around it and breathed in some crisp fresh air. Then we hired two yaks for a round of the lake. The ride was a bit scary but enjoyable. We reached the other side of the lake and tried to climb the snow-covered hill. Soon other tourists joined us. The result of such an adventure was hilarious. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves though. I walked till the edge of the lake and touched it. Its snow-casing cracked and I could feel the ice-cold water. After spending am hour at the lake, we started for Rumtek. The road was beautiful with traces of snow all around.

Rumtek Dharma Chakra Center: Built in 1960 by the late 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, it is a replica of the original Kagyurpa Monastery in Tsurphu, Tibet, the seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa Rinpoche, head of the Karmapa sub sect of Kargyudpa order of Tibetan Buddhism. It now functions as the headquarters of the Dharma Chakra Religious Centre. Located within the complex are the main monastery, the memorial stupa of the XVI Gyalwa Karmapa inlaid with gold plate and semi precious stones, Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies and the Jamyang Khang Primary School. The centre houses some of the world’s most unique religious scriptures, manuscripts and religious art objects.

A fifteen minute walk downhill from Dharma Chakra Center takes one to the Old Rumtek monastery which was originally built in 1730 by the ninth Karmapa but was destroyed by fire and had to be reconstructed to the present state. Rumtek is nice and quiet with only Budhhist chants floating in the air. You will need an hour to see the center, which is guarded by the ITBP.

By the time we got out of Rumtek, it was already 6 pm. We were very tired and were keen to have some good dinner. We decided to go to Glenarys on M.G. Road. The Chinese food was very good and the funky ambience suited our mood.

Day 3
We had few more hours left in Gangtok. We had planned to leave around 2 pm for Siliguri. Before that we had to take a ride on the ropeway that would take us to Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. The ropeway ride to the institute was fantastic and gave us a bird’s eye view of the city. Since its establishment in 1958, the Institute has sponsored and promoted research on the religion, history, language, art and culture of the people of the Tibetan cultural area. Its library holds one of the largest collection of Tibetan works outside Tibet and a museum of Tibetan iconography and religious art.

Our trip over, we started for Siliguri at 2 pm. Once we crossed Rangpo we realized that it was actually over. The only way left to keep our spirits high was to start planning for another trip to the mountains. Till then…