Namchi district · Experiences
Culture in South Sikkim
Palaces, institutes, bazaars and the people who keep them
Photo: anonymous · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Walks through Sikkim's history with people who live it: the Chogyal era, the old trade towns and the communities behind each valley. 11 experiences below, each with its time, cost and the best hour to go.
Culture
The Buddha's life in the spiral museum
Inside the statue's base, a museum's spiral gallery tells the Buddha's life in sequence, from birth at Lumbini to enlightenment and final …
Culture
A day at Jorethang's Maghe Sankranti mela
Join thousands of families on the Rangeet riverbank for Jorethang's Maghe Sankranti fair, held since 1961: a morning dip for the devout, …
Walk across the Teesta from Bengal into Sikkim
A short walk over the bridge that joins Melli Bazaar in West Bengal to Melli in Sikkim, with the Teesta below and …
Culture
Walk to old Ralang, Karma Rabtenling
Most visitors stop at the big new monastery and leave. Walk on to Karma Rabtenling, the original Ralang monastery founded in 1768 …
Culture
Pang Lhabsol cham at Ralang
On Pang Lhabsol, the day Sikkim honours Kangchenjunga as its guardian, Ralang's monks perform masked cham dances in the courtyard. Warriors, protectors …
Culture
Ralang's winter cham in the 10th month
Ralang's second great dance falls on the 29th day of the 10th Tibetan month, usually in December. Clear winter skies, fewer tourists …
Culture
A morning walk through the Tibetan settlement
Walk from the market to the Tibetan refugee settlement about a kilometre away: prayer flags, a small monastery, a school and homes …
Culture
Hang prayer flags on Samdruptse
Buy a string of lungta flags in Namchi market and hang them on the windy ridge at Samdruptse, as Sikkimese families do …
Culture
Cherry blossom and the Cherry Tea Festival
In November, wild Himalayan cherry trees along Temi's estate road flower pink against the green tea and the snow peaks. The state …
Culture
Tendong Lho Rum Faat on the summit, 8 August
Join the walk up Tendong on the Lepcha festival day, when community groups climb to pray to the hill that saved their …
Culture
Lepcha, Gurung and Yangang monasteries on foot
A half-day walk linking three of Yangang's monasteries, each tied to a different community in this mixed village. A gentle introduction to …
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