A white capped redstart at 13000ft at Ganthang

Gnathang at the height of 13000 ft is a beautiful place compared to Ladhak in north India. I have been to this place few times and each time the charm of this silent valley attracts me. Be it the famed British cemetery or the Baba Dham nearby, this place do have visitors all the year.

My last visit to Ganathang that was on 14.09.2014 had something new to add to my readers. I came upon a white capped redstart. Basically, I had been much familiar with this bird species at Shantinagar, Singtam, my home that I find every time I visit the nearby river. The elevation of my place is around 1400 ft and it did amaze me to find one at the height of 13000 ft. Later I get to know that that this bird was in a breed phase. It was normal for this bird to reach for higher altitudes for breeding. Only one bird was found at an undergoing construction house, moving around.

White capped redstart is popular river water bird and can be prominently distinguished with its white pattern on its head and brown red spots under its wing.

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JANHA BAGCHA TEESTA RANGIT

This was a national song of Sikkim sung in the Nepali language during the monarchy system. During the merger with India, the song got banned and later re-released. Two words on the 8th para, which earlier said 'Rajah rah Rani,' were replaced with "Janmah bhumi." This song was dedicated to the King and Queen of Sikkim. The song lyrics were penned by Sanu Lama, and the music was composed by Dushyant Lama. The song was first sung on the birth anniversary of Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal on April 4, 1970, at Gangtok by Aruna Lama, Dawa Lama, and Manikamal Chettri. JANHA BAGCHA TEESTA RANGIT, JAHAN KANCHENDZONGA SEER YEHI HO HAMRO DHANA KO DESH, TAPAWAN HO PYARO SIKKIM INTERLUDE PHULCHAN YEHA AANGANAI MAA, CHAAP , GURAS, SUNAKHARI SWARGASARI SUNDAR DESH KO HAMRO PYARO PYARO JANMAHBHUMI JANHA BAGCHA…… BATASHLE BOKCHAA YAHA, TATHAGAT KO AAMAR WAANI ...

Pandam Garhi and its surmise

--> 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 ...

Snake like fish caught in Singtam River

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Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

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