Travelogue: Spiritual Sikkim
By Kartik Lokhande
Sikkim is known for its beautiful landscapes, flowers,lakes, snow-clad mountains.
But, of late, it is also acquiring the reputation of being one of the fastest
emerging states in the area of religious tourism. Apart from Buddhist tourist
centres, there are new centres like Siddheshwar Dham at Solophok that are
attracting tourists from all over the country. Of course, many more sites are
still under development. Here are glimpses of some major religious and
spiritual sites:
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| Pics by Kartik Lokhande |
Rumtek
Rumtek’s main attraction is its Tibetan Buddhist monastery, which has been
designated as an important ‘Dharma Chakra Centre’ – the International
Headquarters of Karma Kagyu sect of Mahayana Buddhism, and the main seat of His
Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa in Exile. It is home to some of the most sacred,
rare scriptures and religious objects.
According to references available, the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje originally
built it in the 16th century. But in 1959, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, fleeing
from Tibet found the monastery in ruins and decided to rebuild it. The
construction was completed in four years with the patronage of the royal family
and the Government of India. The sacred items and relics brought from the
Tsurphu Monastery of Tibet, the original seat of glorious Karmapas, were
installed within and in 1966, it was inaugurated as ‘The Dharmachakra Centre’.
In fact, this monastery is a replica of Tsurphu monastery in Tibet.
It is the largest monastery in Sikkim and later monasteries were modeled on its
architectural style. The complex at Rumtek also includes a monastic college and
a nun’s hostel among other institutions. It also came into limelight in 2000
for geopolitical reasons when the 17th Karmapa, one of the four holiest lamas,
escaped from Lhasa (Tibet) and sought refuge in Rumtek.
The prayer wheels all along the road leading to the monastery from its entry
gate, depiction of Buddha in various meditational forms in the wall paintings,
and security of armed personnel catch the eye immediately. One finds that apart
from colourfully decorated interiors, Buddha statue, and religious scriptures,
there are magnificently detailed paintings on every inch of the outer entrance
wall of the monastery’s main hall. Interestingly, image of Lord Ganesh also is
painted on this wall. There is a big courtyard with a stone pillar standing in
the middle. During winters, the mountains around are snow-capped. During our
visit in June, we found beautifully decorations made from edible items for the
Vajra Kilaya practice. The smiling student-lamas offered us a ‘lucky stone’
also as blessing from the monastery.
Samdruptse
Situated near Namchi in South Sikkim district, Sikkim Government has come up
with Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling’s ‘dream project’ – a huge tall statue
of Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse. In Bhutia language, Samdruptse means ‘wish
fulfilling hill’.
Samdruptse is at a distance of 75 kms from Gangtok. A gigangtic 135 feet tall
statue of Guru Padamasambhava is installed atop Samdruptse. It is the highest
statue of Guru Padamasambhava in the world. His Holiness the Dalai Lama laid
the foundation stone of the statue in October 1997, and it took around three
years to complete the work.
Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rimpoche, is known to have blessed
Sikkim more than 1,200 years ago. The statue is a tribute to this patron saint
of Sikkim. When we went there, clouds engulfed the statue. We could see the
statue in its full grandeur only when the sunrays managed to melt away the
floating blanket of clouds.
Samdruptse is still under development as a tourist destination. There is a
parking lot, public conveniences, restaurants, souvenir shops etc at the
location. Sikkim Government plans to make Samdruptse an international
pilgrimage centre on completion of meditation huts, ropeway library, guest
house, etc around the towering statue. The statue of Guru Padmasambhava is
visible from other hills also.
Solophok ‘Chaar Dhaam’
Conceptualised in 2005, completed in 2011 and inaugurated in the year 2013,
‘Chaar Dhaam’ or ‘Siddheswar Dham’ temple complex is the latest tourist
attraction in Sikkim. Developed atop a mountain in Solophok in Namchi in South
Sikkim, it is visible even from a long distance with its 108 feet tall statue
of Lord Shiva as the Presiding Deity.
The entire temple complex, which has been developed keeping in mind all
facilities for tourists, comprises replicas of four most revered ‘Dham’ of
Hindus -- Jagannath, Dwarka, Rameshwaram, and Badrinath located in different
directions of the country. Besides, it has replicas of 12 Jyotirlinga temples,
and a main hall atop which is installed the imposing statue of Lord Shiva. It
is spread over 29.9 hectares of land.
Towards the entrance of the complex is a statue of Kirateshwar with a bow in
his hand. The entire landscape is so beautifully and neatly developed that one
does not get tired even after climbing stairs to visit various temples. The
whole place is adorned by flowering plants, adding charm to the atmosphere. The
large specks of white clouds and blue sky provide a perfect scenic backdrop to
the view. There are prayer halls and a meditation hall of Brahmakumaris also.
It is a place worth visiting if one is looking to get a feel of spiritual
centres of India at one single place.
Chhangu Lake
Chhangu Lake or Tsomgo, as it is called by locals, is one of the biggest lakes in East Sikkim. Apart from being one of the major tourist attractions, it has got a religious significance. It is located at a height of 3,757 metres. It literally means ‘source of lake’ in Bhutia language.
Located about 40 km away from Gangtok, the lake is about one
km long, oval in shape, 15 meters deep, and is considered sacred by the locals.
The surrounding high mountains add to the beauty of the lake. Locals hold
festivals around the lake. Chhangu is home to a large variety of fish. This
sacred lake freezes from December to March (sometimes, up to April as it
happened this year) and derives its water from rain and glaciers. On the
lakeside is a small temple of Lord Shiva.
The name Tsomgo means ‘Above the Lake’. This name was given by Yak herders. According
to folklore, the lake was in a place called Laten in olden times, and the place
where the lake is today, was actually a ‘Goth’ (cattle shed), where the herders
kept their Yaks. One night, an old woman was told in her dreams to leave the
place quickly as it would be filled with water. The next morning she warned other
herders, who refused to believe her. As she left the village, she saw a lady
with flowing hair, believed to be the guardian deity of the lake, enter the
valley. Soon, the place was filled with water. Thus, Tsomgo lake was formed.
The other herders, however, perished in the water along with the herds of Yak.
Today, the lake is worshipped by people, who make religious offerings
especially during ‘Guru Pournima’.
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| Published in 'Travel' section of The Hitavada's sunday supplement 'Insight' on July 6, 2014 |
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