Monasteries and shrines · Khangchendzonga National Park
Walking the edge of Demazong
With a Yuksom guide, walk from Kathok Lake to Dubdi Monastery and the first stretch of the park trail, learning how the land around Kangchenjunga is held sacred as Beyul Demazong and why that shaped UNESCO's listing.
Photo: Kothanda Srinivasan · CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
UNESCO listed Khangchendzonga National Park partly for its sacred meaning: the Buddhist idea of Beyul Demazong, a hidden land blessed by Guru Padmasambhava, and the Lepcha people's relationship with its mountains, lakes and caves. Yuksom, on the park's edge, is the best place to understand this without trekking.
Start at Kathok Lake, associated with the sacred water used at the first Chogyal's consecration in 1642. Walk up through forest to Dubdi Monastery, dated to 1701 and often called the oldest in Sikkim. With a permit, continue a short way along the park trail past prayer flags and mani stones.
A local guide links the places into one story. Walk clockwise around chortens and mani walls, dress modestly at the monastery and keep your voice low.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
What is Demazong?
Beyul Demazong, usually translated as 'the hidden valley of rice', is the Buddhist name for Sikkim as a sacred hidden land, believed to have been blessed and concealed by Guru Padmasambhava. The area around Kangchenjunga is its heart, and its lakes, caves and peaks are places of pilgrimage. UNESCO's listing recognises this tradition.
Why is Khangchendzonga National Park a mixed heritage site?
UNESCO listed it in July 2016 under two natural criteria, for exceptional scenery and biodiversity, and two cultural criteria, for its role as a living sacred landscape for Sikkim's Buddhists and the Lepcha people. It was the first site in India listed for both natural and cultural value.
Do I need a permit for the Demazong walk?
Not for Kathok Lake or Dubdi Monastery, which are outside the park. If you continue beyond the park gate onto the trail, you need a park permit and should go with a registered guide. We arrange this in Yuksom. Check current status before you travel.
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