FESTIVALS OF SIKKIM

Fabulous Festivals

Kagyat dance(28^Th -29^th days,10^th Tibetan month) Dances at several monasteries. Effigies are burnt representing destruction of evil and inviting an auspicious new year.

Lossong: celebrating Sikkim New Year, Family gathering archery contests.

Enchey Chaam
(18^th -19 th days, 11^th Tibetan month) Ritual dances at Enchey monastery, with elaborate costumes and masks.

Maghe Sankranti
(1^st day .Nepal Month Maghe) Hindus ritually bathe at a holy Spot celebrating spring’s arrival.

Guthor Chaam
(2 days prior to losar) dances at Rumtek and Pamayangtse monasteries welcome the Tibetan New Year.

Losar :( Tibetans New year’s day) celebrated for several days at home and in monasteries.

Bum-Chu: (15^th day, 1^st Tibetan Month) Blessing and celebrations at Tashiding.The Bum-Chu is a scraed water vessel whose water level tore tells the luck of the year ahead.

Flower Festival
(Through out spring) White Hall.Gangtok.

Saga Dawa
(15^th day full moon, 4th Tibetan month) the triple blessed festival, celebrates Buddha’s incarnation. Enlightenment and Mahapri-Nirvana, Procession of monks and Buddhist devotees carrying the Holy Scriptures in most of the important monasteries of Sikkim.

Tse-chu-chaam
(10^th day, 5^th Tibetan month) spectacular black hat dances at Rumtek Monastery.

Drukpa Tseshi
(4^th day, 6^th Tibetan Month) prayers at the main monasteries in Sikkim celebrated Buddha’s first teaching of the four noble truth.

SIKKIM- The Last Shangrila.

Kingdom of Flowers,Switzerland of the East, The jewel in the Crown are some of the adjectives used to describe Sikkim.
Sikkim,home to the three ethnic communities of Bhutias, Lepchas and Nepalis is also known by several histirical nomenclatures. For Bhutias it is Denzong or Beyul Demazong-the Valley of Rice, Sukhim (New home) to the Limbus and the Nepalis or Mayel Liang (the abode of the gods) for the Lepchas.

Nestled in the lap of Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim a former Himalayan Kingdom joined as the 22nd state of India on 16th May 1975 after a referendum to merge with the union.
Prior to that Sikkim was ruled by the Chogyals of the Namgyal dynasty, the lineage dating back to 333 years.
The first ruler of Sikkim Chogyal Phuntshok Namgyal was consecrated King in 1642 at Norbugang, Yuksom in West Sikkim by three high Lamas (Buddist saints) who reached there from Tibet.

While little is known or documented of the ancient history of Sikkim, it dates back to 13th century when a prince from Tibet, Guru Tashi was summoned in a vision to go to this country in the south of Tibet and seek his fortunes. The reference was then made on Bayul Demazong, the Valley of Rice. Guru Tashi along with his five sons traveled to Sikkim.
Their travel, the signing of the blood brotherhood between the Lepchas and Bhutias is a seperate story.

It was also called Nya mel liang for the Lepchas, the original inhabitants of Sikkim which means abode of gods.

Sikkim is said to have derived its name from Su-khim which in Limbu means new home.

Sikkim is inhabited by three ethnic communities of the Lepchas,Bhutias and the Nepalis. While the Lepchas were the original inhabitants, the Bhutia who derive their ancestry from Bhot in Tibet were later the aristocrats and the ruling class in Sikkim. With the advent of the British and their influence in the region, many Nepalis also migrated to the State and the three communities today live in peaceful harmony and co -existence.

Today, this land where the Khangchendzonga ( Th world third highest Mountain) is located is fast developing and for adventure tourism State in the country.

With peace and tranquility being its biggest USP, Sikkim is also fast developing as a major tourist destination to both foreign and domestic tourists who come in large numbers each year. Infact, Sikkim has become a preferred destination for who love nature and adventure.

Sikkim shares three international border. it is flanked by Nepal on the western side, Bhutan on one side and the Tibet autonomous region of China in the North and East. Being a border state peace and tranquility prevails here unlike other border states of the country.

Sikkim covering just 7,096 sq. kilometers which is 0.22% of the land mass in the country is home to over 550 species of orchids, 150 mammals, 552,birds,690 butterflies,48 species of fish, 4500 flowering plants, 424 medicinal plants and herbs, 362 ferns, 60 kinds of primulas, 11 species of oak, 16 species of conifers, 23 species of bamboo, 28 mountains and peaks, 21 glaciers, 104 rivers and streams, 227 lakes and wasteland, and has 46 percent forest cover. It has 166 smriti vans and 13 herbal gardens.

Sikkim is a ideal destination for eco-tourism, adventure tourism, mountaineering,treks and a sojourn to the lap of the nature with beautiful landscapes and abundance of flora and fauna. It is also a pilgrim centre for the devouts, a land blessed by Guru Padmasambhava or Guru Rimphoche, the patron saint of Sikkim.

Explore Sikkim- The land of untouched beauty!

General Information About Sikkim

GENERAL INFORMATION

SIKKIM

Total Area : 7,096 sq.Kms.

Latitude : 27-28 North

Longititude : 88-89 East

Population : 5, 70,077

GANGTOK

Altitude : 5,500 ft.

Temperature : Summer- Max.21 degree C/Min 13 degree C

: Winter- Max.13 degree C/Min 05.3 degree C

Annual Rainfall : 3,894 mm

Best Season : Sikkim can be visited throughout the year.

Clothing : Summer- Light woolens.

: Winter- Heavy woolens.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

Nearest airport is Bagdogra in North Bengal which is 124 kms, and approximately 4 hours drive from Gangtok. There are Indian Airlines and other Airlines services operating from Bagdogra linking Kolkata, Guwahati and New Delhi. Sikkim Tourism operates daily five seater helicopter service between Gangtok and Bagdogra connecting all Civil Flights.

RAIL

The two closest railway stations are Siliguri (114 kms) and New Jalpaiguri (125 kms) connecting Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, Lucknow and other important cities in India.

ROAD

Gangtok is connected by road to Darjeeling,Kalimpong,Siliguri and also to all the district Headquarters within Sikkim.The Sikkim Nationalized Transport and other private buses, Taxies plies regular services from Gangtok to all major cities and towns in North Bengal and within the State.