hemanarayan

[...attempted to capture the medley of Motion, Vibrancy, Colors, Flowers and Action, here at the City Market] 

There are very few places in the world that make you feel like being in Paradise, when you step foot on it.  Gangtok is one such that made me feel so; or perhaps paradise is seldom recognized as such until it is considered from the outside?  There was simple abundance in everything I could lay eyes on; simple in form and abundant in its impact on me.  

One of the first things that strike a visitor in Gangtok is the usage of the word, Tok, the closeness to the sacred Mt. Khangchendzonga and the sight of the monasteries and. They make an impressive appearance every now & then, here & there.  As our jeep made its final stretch on the grid-lock traffic on the Bagdogra-Gangtok route, I was sure that this journey is going to be worth a “Gang Talk!”

River Teesta that flows thru and thru from Bagdogra to Gangtok

Tok of the World
Having made an entry into Gangtok which is located in the Shivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, at a height of 4,700 odd ft, I truly felt on Tok of the world – why not, when Tok in the local language meant ‘Top’ .  Not just this, the very thought of being able to see eye-to-eye with the third largest mountain in the world, Mt Kanchenjunga puts one, on Top of the world. One of the view points, called Tashi View Point is every visitor’s anticipated point. So was it for me, impatiently waiting to reach the View point, which is around 4kms away from Gangtok city.  History has it that late King Tashi Namgyal constructed this view point so people could get a fine perspective and view of the opposite hills, besides Mt.  Kanchenjunga. Early mornings, the sun is supposed to make its tip covered with a golden pink hue. So breathtaking is the sight supposed to be, that tourists from all over fight the morning chill, to wake up early and rush to Tashi. The weather God needs to be kind though, for one to see the sacred mountain, else it’s just a play of hide and seek!

                                           A Look at Gangtok: from Tashi View Point
With a cup of hot coffee, and a plate of sumptuous momos, I waited with bated breath to cast my eyes on the mountain, but alas! the weather God had its own plans.  Yet I must admit that the modest cafeteria in a perching shed did great justice to the food it offered.

Gangtok means, ‘Hill Top’ and being amidst the higher peaks of the Himalayas, sceneries all around can mesmerize a visitor. Such is the location of Gangtok - beautifully nestled with year-round mild temperate climate.  It shares its border with West Bengal – a slim river acts as a boundary and a divide and one needs to cross the bridge to get to Gangtok. 

Toks were our next hop

                                          Look Down Upon Gangtok from the Rope Way Cable Car
Having struck a mark on me, it was imminent that a few temples or Tok’s had to be seen.  Hanuman Tok was the first among them. Wondered what could it be? As the name signifies, it’s a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman, at a height of 7200 ft. Having driven 11 kms from Gangtok, we reached this unique place – with the temple having a distinct architecture and the deity of the Hanuman clad in orange attire. Down in South India, seldom the idols of Hanuman are clad in any clothing. To me it seemed like a difference in cultural beliefs. From the top of this hillock, the view of the town is caught in my pictorial frames.  When talking to the priest, he mentioned that this temple is managed by a division of the Indian Army; perhaps the reason why it was so neat and clean.

                                    Abode of Lord Hanuman - The Hanuman Tok

After Hanuman Tok, it was the turn of yet another famous temple of Gangtok – named Ganesh Tok.  I was interested to visit this one since it had an interesting location – on the hillock on Gangtok –Nathula pass road. Nathula pass is one place I had read and heard about so much, that the mere mention of it, got me to see Ganesh Tok. Although a small temple, one can get a bird’s-eye view of the town and Mt from here. Savoring the moment, stood at the edge to breathe in fresh Himalayan air.

Popular Buddhist pilgrimage

It is believed that Gangtok rose to prominence as a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site after the construction of Enchey Monastery in 1840. I learnt that today, it is a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture & learning, with the presence of several monasteries, religious educational institutions and Tibetology centers.  Enchey seemed a simple, relatively smaller, well architected monastery – young Buddhists walking past the colorful doors of Enchey told me that the literal meaning of this is “Solitary Monastery”.  

                        Prayer Wheels - at the Entrance of the Enchey Monastery
Enchey seems to have a legend of certain protecting deities residing in the monastery, and so goes. Due to this religious significance this Monastery is deeply ingrained in every household here – they believe that these deities fulfill wishes of the devotees.

The attire of Buddhists is worth a mention – clad in dark red/maroon they make a rather a lovely contrast against the colors of a monastery and also on the streets, against the backdrop of hilly ranges.  They chant hymns in succession each morning – a part of their schooling process, I realized.

Talking of hymns, I caught a rare spectacle of monks chanting their pre-lunch hymns and drumming, in the famed Ranka Monastery. Popularly also called the Lingdum Monastery, its vast with a sprawling complex, set amid serene forested hills – a true specimen of sacred architecture. Particularly impressed with the exquisite murals, statues & adornments, and the scale of the edifice of the Lord – made some memorable pictures inside the prayer hall too. This is a Buddhist center in the tradition of the Zurmang Kagyud lineage. 

                                    Monks chanting Hymns inside the Ranka Monastery  

While Ranka had its style, Rumtek Monastery had its own traditional designs of  the Kagyurpa monastery in Tibet.  It is said that Rumtek is the seat of Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism and also the largest monastery in the Eastern Himalaya. This is a maginificent gompa and inside the arena are quarters where age old Buddhists live. I met with a 98 year old Buddhist old man, who had all teeth (those left!), in smile for me, when I picked my camera to photograph him and his son.  Such peace of mind can be felt in these monasteries. 

The monastery hopping culminated with our visit to Do Drul Chorten. Evening was setting as we stepped into this  biggest stupa in Sikkim. Built in 1945, this holy stupa was built under the direction of Late Truslshi Rimpoche (difficult names to remember, so I literally wrote them down!). Here, there is close to 108 ‘Mani Lhakor’ or Prayer Wheels, which is a prominent feature in all monasteries. Buddhists turn the wheels and it implies that as they do it, they chant the mantras engraved on them.  Mostly, while turning wheels, something to the nature of "hail to the jewel in the lotus" is chanted; this is spoken to summon ‘Bodhisattva’.

Gangtok – in between

M G Marg – the famed Mahatma Gandhi road, seen in most cities was here in Gangtok as well. It truly swept me off my feet – simple three reasons being, never seen a M G Marg as clean as this, as beautiful as this, and one on which no vehicle moved. The whole street seemed architected to win every visitors heart – a cobble stone pavement, hanging baskets of flowers, stylish lamps, variety of shops on both sides, and so much more. Gangtok Momos, sweets, special drinks could all be had here.  Not having enough of it in day light, I came back to M G in the night – an even more overwhelming street it seemed.

Bhanjhakri Falls – Gangtok has several energy projects, so I learnt through our driver and a profound fact seemed to be that there are hardly any days, when the people of Gangtok go without power - something that we Bangaloreans cannot be proud of. A visit to the Bhanjhakri Falls endorsed this fact – it was an energy park as well as a shamatic theme park.  Located amidst lush green valley spread over couple acres of land, it is surrounded by trees and a gushing mountain river. And why not – when it is almost at 7000 feet receiving rainfall almost for 8 months during the year. 


                                                    Bhanjhakari Falls

Himalayan Zoo – close to Ganesh Tok was a Zoo with rare Himalayan species of animals living here. No matter how many animals we have seen, seeing Tiger, a bear, a leopard, a Tapir or even a rare peahen is a magical feeling.

In a nutshell

Sikkim seemed a fascinating & captivating Himalayan state; abode to the mighty Mt. Khangchendzonga is truly a mystical place.  The magic of the mountain extends to its inhabitants too. The ethnic communities of this place still have faith in magical realism, no matter how far science has progressed. 

With a heavy heart I bid bye to Gangtok. Just as if Gods were trying to cheer me up, as we passed by the river Teesta for the second time, we caught some rafters in action. Brave hearts were in their rafting boats taking a long ride along the Teesta – the thrill one can get from anything that is fast. Pace of Life...

Amidst the clouds, in the airplane taking me home, I reeled under the impact of this city of Gangtok.  It left a mark so deep, of Simple Abundance – everything was simple, but abundant in its beauty & value. I was sure, this journey is going to be one of my all-time-memorable one. And I could not wait for the plane to land, as I was impatient to engage in a tete-a-tete with friends – and to have a Gang Talk about Gangtok!

A few pictorial excerpts from Gangtok: www.flickr.com/photos/elzi/sets/72157624491828800/