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Hanuman Temple
Situated about 5 km uphill from White Hall on a
bifurcation road of the Gangtok-Nathula Highway, is a temple
devoted to Hanuman, a God worshipped by the Hindus. On
selected points on the road to the temple, breathtaking views
of Gangtok and the adjoining rolling hills can be seen.
From the temple
itself, the snowy peaks of Khangchendzonga present a panoramic
picture. One also gets a birds eye view of the Selep
waterworks, which supplies drinking water to the Gangtok town,
a few hundred feet in altitude below Hanuman Tok. The temple
at Hanuman Tok is maintained by a unit of the Indian Army and
can be found to be spick and span.
A short distance
before the stair case leading to the Hanuman Temple is the
cremation ground of the erstwhile royal family of Sikkim. The
cremation ground has stupas and chortens each marking the
place where the mortal remains of the departed souls were
consigned to the flames.
Ganesh Tok Temple
It is a very small
temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh, a diety worshipped by Hindus.
The temple is so small in size that it can hardly accommodate
one person and one has to crawl to get inside it. It is
located on the hill adjoining the TV Tower. It is on a hillock
on Gangtok-Nathula Road. From here you can get a panoramic
view of Gangtok town and the Raj Bhawan Complex and on a clear
day you get a breathe taking view of Mt. Khangchendzonga.
During the tourist
season, a small cafeteria is opened for the convenience of the
visitors. Just adjoining the Ganesh Tok is a pinetum garden
containing pine trees. A walk on the footpath amongst the pine
trees is refreshing.
Rumtek Monastery
A short drive
from Gangtok through the beautiful countryside one finds
themselves in Rumtek Dharma Charma Chakra Centre. It was
constructed by His Holiness the late 16th
Gyalwa Karmapa in 1960. It is believed that the monastery is
an excellent replica of the original Kagyurpa Monastery in
Tsurphu, Tibet. 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. His Holiness late Gyalwa
Karmapa lived in this monastery till the completion of the
Rumtek Dharma Chakra Center.
The annual dances
also called the Tse-Chu Chaams are held on the 10th
day of the 5th month of the Tibetan calendar around
June. Dances called the Kagyat are also held here on the 28th
& 29th day of the tenth month of the lunar
calendar.
Pemayangtse Monastery
Pemayangtse is situated in Pelling, West Sikkim and commands
an impressive view of Mount Khangchendzonga. It was originally
a small Lhakhang built by Lhatsun Chempo in the 17th
Century. Later during the rule of the third Chogyal Chakdor
Namgyal, Jigme Pawo, Lhatsun Chenpo's third reincarnation
extended it and rebuilt the structure. It is perched at a
height of 2085 mts and is the second oldest and perhaps the
most important monastery in Sikkim. This monastery belongs to
the Nyigma order and all other Nyigma order monasteries in
Sikkim are subordinate to it.
The monastery houses
numerous religious idols and other objects of worship, most of
which are precious because of their antiquity. On the top
floor of the monastery there is a wooden sculpture depicting
the Maha Gurus Heavenly Palace "Sanghthokpalri". This master
piece was completed by the late Dungzin Rimpoche, who took
five years to craft it single handed.
Phensong Monastery
This monastery in North Sikkim was built during the time
of Jigme Pawo. Belonging to the Nyingmapa order, this
monastery, first established in 1840, stands testimony to the
dedication of its monks who reconstructed the monastery within
a year after it was burnt down in 1947.
The monastery is
situated on a gentle slope stretching fom Kabi to Phodong in
north Sikkim. There are around 300 monks under the monastery
and is famous for the main annual Chaam (monk dance) performed
on the 28th & 29th days of the tenth
month of the Tibetan Calendar which normally corresponds to
the month of December. Its name translates as "The excellent
Banner" or "Good Bliss". |
