Nestling in the lush greenery of the Himalayas is Gangtok (5,800 ft), the small capital city of Sikkim, where Buddhist prayer flags flutter in the mountain breeze, exotic orchids and chirruping birds run riot in a colourful melee. Visit Gangtok for a peek at the profusion of blooming rhododendrons in the deepest of reds and savour the serene cool beauty of the snow clad peaks in an ambience enhanced by the cheerful bustle of a warm, hospitable, pleasant and hard-working people.

Gangtok is a blend of the traditional and modern, where modern concrete multi-storeyed structures clinging to the hillside stand alongside ‘chortens’ (stupas) and monasteries; young college girls in trendy dresses rub shoulders in the market place with elderly matrons clad in traditional 'bakus' and lamas in colourful maroon and mustard robes play football with youngsters in blue jeans and T-shirts.

History

Who one knows how the Lepchas came to Sikkim, but their can be traced back to the animist Nagas of the Indo-Burmese border. Buddhism which arrived from Tibet in 13th century took its distinctive sikkimese from four centuries later when three Tibetan monks disenchanted with the rise of the reformist Gelug -Pas, migrated south and gathered at Yoksum in western Sikkim. Over the centuries territory was lost to Bhutanese, the Nepalese and the British. Sikkim originally ceded Darjeeling to the east India Company as a spa in 1817, but was forced to give up all claims to it in 1861, when kingdom was declared a protectorate of the British. After Indian independence, the reforming and intensely spiritual eleventh chogyal, Tashi Namgyal, strove hard until his death in 1962 to prevent the dissolution of his kingdom. The chogyal remained as a figurehead until his death in 1981. Today the Sikkim democratic Front forms the government of Sikkim and while life in Sikkim remains generally contended affecting the state infrastructure. 

How to get there

Best time to visit

Dining Out

Shopping

Tourist Offices