Sikkim

Tribal Tour of Sikkim

One of the most enchanting states in India; the traveller’s much-loved destination, this incredibly beautiful state has been given many names to its inhabitants for all the right reasons. The Lepchas, the original inhabitants called it Nye-mae-el or ‘paradise’. The Limbus named it Su Khyim or ‘new palace’ while to the Bhutias it was Beymul Demazong ‘the hidden valley of rice’. Alsoin Hindu religious texts, Sikkim is known as Indrakil, the garden of the god of war, Indra.

Sikkim isa wonderland in the bosom of Eastern Himalayas with its avant-garde surroundings and spectacular tableau of The Shangrila and Mt. Kanchenjunga, making it a charming land representing a concoction of Buddhism and Tibetology. Everywhere you look, you’ll find Buddhist monasteries and ruby clad monks, whose smiles awaken the love for peace in your heart. For nature lovers, the state has eminent orchid sanctuary where over 500 indigenous species of orchids are found. Sikkim is also a popularbase for mountaineering expeditions and, a perfect place for trekking to see many quaint dales and mountain lakes.

Among the high mountain ranges of Eastern Himalayas is a beautiful region, embroidered with lush green jungles of flowering plants and trees dotted with rippling streams of glittering rivers and magnificient high mountains studded with sparkling snow, ice slopes and glaciers where Yeti and Shippi prowl.

The 22nd state of India is guarded by virgin diety Khan-chen-dzonga which is the third highest peak of the world.

The territory of Sikkim forms part of the Inner Himalayan Range of mountains which project southwards. The Singalila and Chola ranges which run southwards from the main chain separate Sikkim from Nepal or the West, and from Tibet and Bhutan on the East. The main pass on the Singalila range is Chiabhangjang La (La is the Tibetian word for a pass). The lofty Chola range leaves the main chain at the Denkhya Range (15,000 – 17,000 ft). A number of easy passes, like Tangkar La, Nathu La and Jelep La run through it into the Chumbi (upper Torsa)) valley, ‘which forms a salient of Tibet between Sikkim and Bhutan’. This is perhaps the shortest and easiest route into Tibet leading directly to Gyantse and Lhasa.

‘The Chumbi carried as much trade as all the rest of the Indo-Tibetan routes put together’.

Nestling as it does in the Himalayan mountains, the state of Sikkim is characterised by mountainous terrain. Almost the entire state is hilly, with an elevation ranging from 280 metres to 8,586 metres. The summit of Kangchenjunga – the world’s third-highest peak – is the state’s highest point, situated on the border between Sikkim and Nepal. Numerous snow-fed streams have carved out river valleys in the west and south of the state. These streams combine into the major Teesta River and its tributary, the Rangeet, which flow through the state from north to south. About a third of the state is heavily covered by forest.

The Himalayan mountain ranges surround the northern, eastern and western borders of Sikkim. The state has 28 mountain peaks, more than 80 glaciers, 227 high-altitude lakes (including the Tsongmo, Gurudongmar and Khecheopalri Lakes), five major hot springs, and more than 100 rivers and streams. Eight mountain passes connect the state to Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal.

Sikkim’s hot springs are renowned for their medicinal and therapeutic values. Among the state’s most notable hot springs are those at Phurchachu, Yumthang, Borang, Ralang, Taram-chu and Yumey Samdong. The springs, which have a high sulphur content, are located near river banks; some are known to emit hydrogen. The average temperature of the water in these hot springs is 50 °C.