Along the Teesta Trail
It
rained incessantly throughout the night at Gangtok. The possibility of
embarking on our scheduled trip to Gurudongmar next morning was growing
uncertain with each passing moment.
Gurudongmar
is one of the highest lakes in the world at an altitude of 17,300 ft in the
north of the state of Sikkim in India. This lake is very sacred to Buddhist
Lepchas as the revered Buddhist saint Padmasambhava is believed to have
prayed here. It is believed that Guru Nanak Dev, the first Guru of the Sikhs
had stopped and blessed the lake on his way to Tibet. The legend goes that
local yak grazers from this place met Guru Nanak Dev Ji and expressed their
difficulty in getting water here. Guru Nanak Dev Ji broke the ice of the lake
with his ‘dang’ (long stick) and decreed that the water of this lake
would never freeze. This lake then came to be known as Gurudongmar. To this
day, Lamas from this region continue to visit the Golden temple at Amritsar to
pay respects to their beloved Guru Nanak Lama.
Many of you must have
traveled along the river Teesta past Siliguri on the way towards Gangtok or
Kalimpong. Once you cross Sevak, the route becomes wild and beautiful. You can
see the Teesta in its full beauty, dancing and frolicking among the rocks
surrounded by thick green forests.
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| Teesta, on the way from Siliguri to Gangtok |
This
scenic beauty is sometimes marred by the fact that there is the odd car or two around
that probably missed a turn and got stuck in a boulder or a tree way down
below. You can only hope and pray that your car does not end up like that as
you watch your driver negotiating the impossibly sharp turns one after another.
This time our aim was to travel
further upwards near the source of Teesta. On reaching Gangtok in the evening,
we were greeted by torrential rains. It was not very cold in the month of May
but everything all around was soaked and dripping with rainfall. It was still
raining heavily in the morning. We set aside our fears and boarded the car
hoping that the rains may subside at higher altitudes.
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| Map of Sikkim (Source: sikkimtourism.gov.in Official website of Sikkim Tourism, Govt of Sikkim) |
Teesta is formed by the
combination of two mountain streams Lachenchu (the big stream) and Lachungchu
(the small stream), the confluence being at a place called Chungthang (little
valley). Our destination for the day was Lachen. The route towards Lachen is
stunningly beautiful and there are numerous waterfalls along this route coming
down the hills with the occasional rainbow strewn across them.
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| On way - Gangtok to Mangan |
You may
like to spend a whole day at any of these places. Having banned the use of
plastic bags throughout the state, Sikkim is significantly cleaner than
neighboring West Bengal. Though rich in natural beauty, it still is not very
well known to outsiders as a popular tourist destination.
We halted for breakfast at a
small local eating joint. These places are mostly run by Lepcha families and
are often a part of their living quarters. Sometimes you are invited to take
meals inside the family kitchen. You feel being treated like family members
among these rugged yet simple people. Lepcha homes are usually decorated with
beautiful flowering plants and orchids hangings from doors and window sills.
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| Guests eating at a Lepcha family kitchen |
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| Flower at Eatery balcony |
We crossed Mangan and reached
Singhik. It is a small place opposite to a deep long gorge and offers a
breathtaking view of the Kanchenjunga massif. You can get a good accommodation
here and may like to spend a few days to enjoy the Kanchenjunga view quietly. I
was fortunate to view a gorgeous sunrise at this place on an earlier trip about
30 years ago.
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| Sunrise at Kanchenjunga from Singhik (digitized from old archive) |
This time we had no luck as the
canyon was filled up with grey clouds. Leaving Singhik just before Chungthang,
you can see the confluence of Lachenchu and Lachungchu merging into the river
Teesta which starts her journey at this point. We took a left turn, crossed a
bridge and moved along the stream Lachenchu and reached Chungthang.
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| Chungthang |
Just before crossing the bridge
is the confluence of the two streams Lachenchu and Lachungchu.
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| Deep canyons, green forests and rumbling water near the confluence of Lachenchu and Lachungchu at Chungthang |
Chungthang is a small village
that seems to be spared of the ravages of modernity. However, the incursions of
mobile towers indicate that civilization is slowly but surely making inroads
into this pristine setting. A little above the main road at ChungThang,
there is a huge black rock about 30ft high and 100ft in diameter. One side of
this rock is a natural spring through which fresh water oozes out. Guru
Nanakdev is believed to have visited this place during his journey to Tibet. It
is said that he had rested on this rock and was having his meal of rice packed
in a banana leaf. Some curious villagers gathered around and wondered
what the meal was because rice and banana was unknown here. Guruji shared
his meal with them. The villagers not familiar with the strange objects
sprinkled the rice over the meadow and buried the banana leaf on a field. Today
these areas are blessed with a rich crop of rice and banana. There is a small
old Buddhist shrine on the rock. Beside the image of Avlokiteswar Buddha, the
shrine also contains the image of Guru Nanak revered here as Rimpoche Nanak
Guru. A Gurudwara has been constructed near the rock. Further up at Lachen
Gompa, Guru Nanak’s footprints, a robe and a water-carrying utensil are
preserved. This lovely little village shows how religious beliefs overlap and
for common man religion is never a strict boundary.
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| Chungthang shrine |
We had a simple lunch at a
Chungthang village eatery and reached Lachen in the afternoon.
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| Chungthang village |
to be continued...
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