Pandam Garhi and its surmise

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RUINS OF PANDAM GARHI

BY SHITAL PRADHAN

The stories of the legendary ruined walls at Pandam, a 16 km uphill climb from Rangpo, as I had heard from old folks a few seasons back, had ever since excited me to visit this place. Never in the pages of a history book do we come across its talk about when it was built or how it was constructed at the top of the hill? Over the years, many theories have evolved regarding its origin. Some theorists associate the fort with some Lepcha legends, while few disagree with it and have their own adage.

 They make us believe one of the Chogyals constructed it to stop the approaching Bhutanese army from entering Sikkim. The last theory to add up, already baffling and controversial, says it was one of the Gurkha Generals from Nepal who constructed the fort along with the Kalika Mandir, also called Nishani Mandir, just below it. With each theory making questions over my mind, I decided to have my second trek to the Pandam Garhi. I had with me a few friends, some canned foods, a few bottles of water, a few photographs from my last visit, and lots of excitement to carry my instinct toward the steep valley climb.

Garhi is a Nepali word for fort, but at least to me, I did not see any sign of a fort (to my limited vision or understanding) other than ruined boundary walls. Certainly, when I first glanced at the wall, the only thing that came to my mind was the resemblance to the other great wall, the Great Wall of China.

The last time I visited Pandam Garhi was a couple of years back, and it was just a walk across the mountain. What I recall the most of my last trek at Pandam; was a monkey following me just above the Kalika Mandir and a fall I had when I lost my balance and slipped over the dry tree leaves that were scattered around the path. Later, I discovered that the poor animal was after my banana, which I had carried in my hand. It was an exciting trip then, and on my second journey to that destination, I had prepared with whatever little information I could ever collect. Most of the information I had was more of an old folk saying told from one generation to another.

I do not know how others feel about the origin of the name “Pandam,” but what I have learned about the naming of this place is related to one of the most contentious episodes in Sikkim's royal history. Pende Ongmu, the half-sister of Chogyal Chakdor Namgyal, the third Chogyal of Sikkim, had successfully deliberated the murder of the Chogyal at Rabdanste and had gone hiding. She is believed to have been found at the fort of Pandam. As such, the name of the place is called Pendem, after Pende Ongmu, who was later taken to Namchi, where she was put to death. The more popular name Pandam of today could be the angelized name of Pendem.

There were six friends, and apart from me, Prem was the only one who had visited the place before. The other members of our so-called expedition were Sameer, Srawan, Gopal, and Roshan. When we reached Pandam bazaar, it was approaching midday, and yet we were firm enough to reach our destination on time and return to Singtam by dusk. While through the joyous mood, the valleys and mountains around us formed a magical illusion for our eyes. The two-and-a-half-hour uphill climb was not a pleasure with me, carrying along some extra bulk of fats I had with me. But it was that sheer excitement of walking on the track of Sikkim history; I had, in my mind, been bracing my nerves.

Re-constructing how the fort was shaped in those old days, we went along, giving each of us that added up-lifting of the spirit to pace aloft the ascending hill. With the newly made footpath through to the Kali mandir, I took a deep breath, recalling back when, in my last trek, I had an awful experience with a backache along the rising pathway. The beauty of the green algae-ridden dense woods made me sense as if I was in the Amazons, while the noticeable mountain range forming an outsized boundary wall opposite my standing had its own exquisiteness. I could even figure out the boundary fortification of the currency ink factory at Mamring, partly hidden among the valley was the Rangpo bazaar and to some extent partly hidden in the clouds was the geographical mountain series of the Darjeeling districts.

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When we reached Karmithang, a small village at the bottom of the gargantuan rock with the much-famous Kali Mandir on its top, the very first sight of the religious flag flying high across the tall branches of the tree on the rock gave me a pleasing thought and the sense that we were not that far. After more than an hour-long climb, we were all tired and went to one of the nearby houses to ask for a glass of water.

We were told about the ongoing repair of the walls at Garhi; the interesting part is that the people discovered a few rusted arrows, cannon balls, and a ‘jhatoa’ used for grinding grains. We were very excited to see those historical pieces but could not succeed in persuading them to show; they had all their layman's excuses. I believe these objects might have been recovered from this site. In a previous account, I had heard stories about the war between the armies of Pandam Garhi and the Namthang Garhi. They used to throw cannon balls and arrows across each other, and it is believed that a few busted walls found today are caused by the strength of the cannon balls thrown from Namthang Garhi. 

Though hard to believe since the distance between the two Garhi is far and wide, even more thought-provoking is to imagine the subject of weapon technology from a couple of hundred years back. If those busted walls found around had not occurred from the scuffle with the opposing armies of Namthang Garhi, we have no added option than to draw a conclusion that this Garhi might have bystander colossal combat in its foreground. How, when, and what about the Pandam Garhi shall always remain anonymous?

The first picture of the wall from a distance, I gasped and told myself that's it. The new stone wall erected to give the same feel as the walls constructed in those days was added, and some broken walls were repaired. My greatest fear was approaching with every footstep of mine. I was having a talk within myself; those restoration works might not have disturbed the actual past of the Pandam Garhi. But I was wrong; they had supposedly shut the walls with a small opening to keep the sentry and cannons. I feel sorry for myself. A page of history was buried.

I think about the old saying that the stone used to construct the boundary walls was not carried from the Rangit River base. Those stones were easily available from the rocks found at that construction site. We had encountered similar types of rocks in different places in the village. The so-called Pandam Garhi is more of a watch tower since the hilltop location is perfect for watching out for every movement of the neighboring territory.

When I discussed Pandam Garhi, I had just observed a single-sided fortification wall towards its western borderline and a little distance from a bunker-like space surrounded by a stone wall towards its outer edge. The people of Pandam talk about this small room; it was at this very place a king and queen was found hidden. Nothing more had been known or studied about that king and queen. Still, I find that those people might have been mistaken about the hiding place of Pende Ongmu, half-sister of the third Chogyal of Sikkim, and her partner in crime, the physician who had sliced the vein of the Chogyal Chakdor Namgyal, conspiring the murder of the Chogyal and had fled Rabdanste.

After lunch along the wildly grown lycopodium meadow, we made our way east towards Budang, a small village close to Pandam bazaar. Legend says that at Budang, there used to be a natural lake that suddenly vanished; we shall talk about this some other day. We stayed for some time, and through the forest path, we returned to Pandam Bazaar. When we reached Singtam, it was already 8 pm; everyone was tired. We had walked all our way from Pandam since we had not gotten the vehicle back to Singtam. But for me, there were a few unanswered queries and the thirst for me to visit this place again very soon.