Tours are not for mere sightseeing. They serve multiple purposes. What all they enable us to achieve it couldn't be said at all. I hadn't visited my eldest cousin's home at Calcutta at all through out his lifetime. I could visit at least my sister in law who was ailing & have her blessings in 2014 during my tour of north east of our country.
In 2014 , I had been to Odisha, West Bengal , Sikkim & Assam with my wife. It was an unforgettable tour. It was a tour covering four states. It was a hectic tour for we aged. We covered it with all modes of travel. We travelled by bus, car, jeep , train & aeroplane. Sometimes in company. Sometimes we were two only. Those 15 days are still memorable. It was our first visit to north east of our country together. It was November. It was winter & weather was biting cold. Heaters & woollen clothes were of of no avail. As places were so enchanting that we didn't mind that extreme weather at all. Our enthusiasm didn't wane even a little bit at all.
After visiting my cousins'home & having glimpse of important places in great Calcutta city, we boarded Darjeeling Mail to New Jalpaiguri at Sealdah Railway station. After disembarking at Jalpaiguri. We refreshed at a hotel in Siliguri. From Siliguri we travelled to Gangtok by bus. It was going up amongst beautiful scenes in hilly region.
Located in the Shivalik Hills and at an altitude of 1437 m. Gangtok is the capital and the largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim and is also known as the land of monasteries, as it has got maximum number of monasteries in the whole world. It is a significant Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre and Buddhist people visit this place every year. Gangtok is situated in the eastern Himalayan range, nestled within higher peaks of the Himalaya Mountain and having mild temperate climate year-round, Gangtok is the most important centre of the tourism industry of Sikkim.
It was 9th day of tour , we engaged a jeep to visit Tsomgo lake & Baba Mandir. They were at a distance of about 52 k.m from Gangtok. It was early morning. We were six in jeep. We two, driver, another couple & our guide. It was travel in narrow mountainous terrain. Roads were zig zag bumpy jumpy . We were inching forward carefully wondering what the most beautiful peaks are in the Himalayas.Early morning colourful view of mountains only poets can describe. We can only blink & relish.
After traversing over 2 hours we arrived at Tsomgo lake trembling & shivering. It is at an altitude of 13000 ft. Oxygen is scarce there. One may have breathlessness as a result also. I had completed 75 years of age.I had to use camphor whenever & wherever I felt breathing difficult.
Tsomgo Lake has perhaps one of the most beautiful landscapes in Sikkim. It.s also known as Changu Lake. Tsomgo Lake is regarded as a very sacred lake by the local Buddhists and the Hindus. Tsomgo Lake extends to 1 km in length, deepens to 15 meters and happens to be oval in its shape. Here, yak rides are available. One can have here Maggie noodles & tea also.
Nearby it is a pass on the Indo-Chinese border at an altitude of 14440 ft. It serves as a trade link between India and china. It is called "Nathula pass". A Gangtok local very rightly mentioned that coming to Gangtok & not visiting Nathula Pass is akin going to Agra without visiting the Taj Mahal. It's one of the highest motor able roads in entire India.Now a days Kailas Manasorvar Yatra is being carried on through this route too. Tourists are permitted to visit it on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. At the time of our visit we were charged Rs 200 per head for the permit . Further, we were issued a certificate for having visited Nathula Pass. Our jeep was allowed up to a certain point only from there were about 5o--60 steps to climb to reach till the top. It was the most strenuous part of the journey.
Here one can walk to the edge of the Indian border & see the Chinese post. Here we can shake hands with our soldiers as well as Chinese soldiers. Chinese soldiers in fact reciprocate our smiles. It reminds us of Shakespeare's quote" A man may smile & smile yet be a villain".
At Nathula pass we come across 1962 war Memorial for the soldiers who laid down their lives .How much poorly armed our soldiers were, how many of our soldiers laid down their lives the memorial discloses. Tears roll down from the eyes.
Myself & my wife were proud to climb "Nathula pass"and we were issued certificates also.
After Nathula Pass we visited Baba Mandir. It is located between Nathula & Jelepla pass . Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple is popularly known as Baba Mandir. It is at an elevated place. One way is there to go up to it & another way is there to come down from it. It is a calm serene place. With no hustling bustling whatsoever. Several Himalayan peaks are visible& attract everybody there. Further, nature is at its best there & one wouldn't wish to leave the place at all.
There is a touching story associated with this temple. Harbhajan Singh was a Sentry of Punjab Regiment and was posted here as part of border patrol force. The border with China is nearby. In October 1968 he disappeared. It is said that while escorting mules carrying provisions, he fell into a stream and drowned. After a few days he reappeared in the dreams of one of his sentry colleagues and asked him to make a memorial here on his name.
The sentries then made a samadhi and later this temple was built. Although Harbhajan Sing is no more, the sentries and guards here believe that his spirit is still alive and he is therefore treated as a living being. They all believe that Harbhajan will guard and protect them in this very difficult terrain.
In fact there has been reports that Chinese soldiers across the border having seen a turbaned sentry doing his rounds at night. Many sentries here believe that Harbhajan comes here every night as his camp bed sheet gets crumpled every morning and his polished shoes turn muddy by the evening.
While Harbhajan Singh is dead since long, his live memories have resulted in several actions from the army which is rarely seen. Out of sheer belief that he his spirit is still around, he has been promoted to the rank of honorary Captain.
Every year during his annual leave, Harbhajan is known to visit his hometown in Punjab even today although he is well past his retirement age. Two soldiers actually accompany his uniform in a jeep up to Siliguri then in a train to his hometown. In fact his salary is still sent to his home.
After Sikkim I toured Assam & flew back to Bangalore from Guwahati. At Guwahati I saw for the first time great Brahmaputra river.