Sikkim

The Christmas holidays were near, but I was not feeling very homesick, even less so after hearing that the was not going to be a white Christmas in Helsinki. Thus me and Meghna decided to pack our bags and head out somewhere, where could at least see snow from a distance. The small kingdom of Sikkim sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan had fascinated me for a while already and a Christmas on the mountains with Buddhist monks and momos sounded like a decent way to spend the holidays. By now I can say the mountains have bar none become the thing for me in India. Here's a pictorial summary of our trip to the least populous and second smallest state in India. (Click on the photo for large)

Downtown Gangtok, the capital of the state of Sikkim.

Near the Rumtek monastery, a man is finishing a new set of prayer flags. 

Monks in Rumtek monastery overlooking the surrounding  mountains of Himalaya.

Tibetan monks usually spend the majority of the day studying Buddhist philosophy, logic , prayers and scriptures.

A prayer ceremony in process. At regular intervals, the monks would lift up their drums and beat them simultaneously while chanting and blowing the iconic long horns. The ceremony usually takes about 2 hours and the repetitive low frequencies of the drums, horns and chanting make it a rather hypnotic experience.

The backyard of a roadside tavern revealed a rural idyll complete with  a cow (left corner), bonfire and a modest backdrop.

Shot from a moving jeep, the sun was beginning to set on the hills, painting the landscape with  different shades of blue.

After sunset the temperature dropped close to zero, these local shopkeepers in the small town of Rabong were well prepared though.

One of the main attractions of Rabong is the Maenam  peak (ca. 3300m) , which  is a  nice 13km walk uphill, one way. The hike meanders through beautiful ancient pine forests, which allegedly house the Red Panda, which we never saw though. However, our guide had never seen one either, which made us feel slightly better about it.

On top of the Maenam peak was a small hut, where a lone monk was currently living and meditating.  Apparently  one of the monks who had gone there to meditate years ago, never came back. Nobody knew what happened to him.

Wind battered prayer flags against the snow-capped backdrop of the Kangchenjunga  range. Kangchenjunga  (8586m) is the third highest mountain in the world and considered a holy mountain and a protector of Sikkim.

A tribal woman having a cigarette.

A boy with prayer flags.

Old man weaving a basket.

Meghna chilling with some aspiring lamas.

The atmosphere in the monastery was warm and welcoming.

The Kangchenjunga range as seen from the town of Pelling; a small , but rapidly growing  destination with  a  panoramic view of the mountain range. Few years from now it may become the new hip backpacker destination in the lines of  Dharamsala.

Morgan House in Kalimpong, West Bengal, on the southern Sikkimese border. A residence of an erstwhile British jute  merchant from 19th century turned into a heritage resort. In proper pukka sahib style, we enjoyed a light lunch of cucumber sandwiches and Darjeeling tea in the garden while looking at the mountain range. A Christmas eve well spent.

A lord and his manor.

It seems my dog Boris (RIP) had reincarnated in a Buddhist monastery in north Bengal.

Demonic murals on the Tharpa Choling monastery in Kalimpong. 

Waiting for the prayer session to start.

"We're gonna do the be-bop routine tonight, so after the trumpet solo you go straight to the "skee bop de doo de dah", got it?"

The beginning of the prayer session, which we followed from start to finish. The session went on for a good two hours, which consisted of steady chanting recited in a low murmur accompanied with a regular crescendo of drums and horns.

The monks getting ready for the solo.

This time, the prayer session had mostly very young monks chanting.  The young man leading the reciting  must've been 18 at most.

A small man, a big drum.