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.
‘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.”
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