The King Edward Memorial at Gangtok, Sikkim

 

The Ridge in Gangtok, known for its long and narrow hilltop, is widely popular today as Ridge Park, a must-see destination for tourists. Some twenty-three years ago, while working as a news reporter for Weekend Review, I first heard of the King Edward bust at Ridge Park and the small, traditional memorial house associated with the King Edward Memorial.

Since then, I have struggled to find documents to support this claim. However, I am pleased to have finally found a reference to the King Edward Memorial in the 1922 book, A Concise History of the Darjeeling District Since 1835 with a Complete Itinerary of Tours in Sikkim and the District by E. C. Dozey.

While much remains unknown about the original King Edward bust, it was eventually replaced by a bust of John Claude White, which was later succeeded by a bust of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Interestingly, about ten years ago, I discovered the original bust of J.C. White sitting under a tree on the premises of a restaurant at Smileland, near Ranipool.

Here is the extract from the book…”On the Ridge at Gangtok will be seen the memorial to the late King Edward VIL which was unveiled by His Highness the Maharaja of Sikkim in June, 1917. The bronze bust of His late Majesty stands on a masonry pillar which has four brass plates let into it bearing the following inscription in English, Tibetan, Nepalese and Bhutia:

‘To the memory of His late Majesty Edward VII, King - Emperor Erected by His loyal subjects in Sikkim’’.

These plates are embellished by emblematic designs of the sun, moon, the national flower of Sikkim, and a rhododendron. Below the inscription is the eight-spoked wheel of Tibet with a scroll and motto. The floor of the Kiosk is of polished coloured files, while the octagonal roof of wood and its railings are beautifully carved and painted by Tibetan artists who have blended, with pleasing effect both as regards colour and proportion, their different mystical signs.

When the Ridge is fully embellished, as it will soon be, with carved Chinese arches at either end, avenues of trees, graceful feathery bamboos, and flowering shrubs, the silent memorial will stand to the memory of a great King perfect in its picturesque surroundings and beauty.”