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

Snow lion paintings and sculptures , featuring a white body with a mane and tail colored in green or blue, have captivated me since childhood. Considered one of the four celestial animals in Buddhist culture , the snow lion adorns flags, coins, and stamps in Tibet . The other three celestial creatures— Garuda , Dragon , and Tiger —are collectively known as the Four Dignities . Simick Monastery, Khamdong The snow lion, also called Seng , embodies vitality, dignity, lightness, and purity. Mythical animal sculptures often grace the entrances of monasteries, depicting these creatures as protectors guarding sacred spaces. Although the earliest mention of this animal dates back to Wu Cheng'en 's book ' Journey to the West ' published in 1592 during the Ming dynasty , where it was represented by Yokai , a supernatural entity, the snow lion's significance in Tibetan culture predates this reference. Phodang Monastery Introduced by Chador Namgyal , the third Chogyal of Sik...

I first heard about the philatelic book ‘Buddhism on Stamps in an article published on one of the pages of Sikkim Express newspaper, the leading daily newspaper of Sikkim last year (2021). Since its release, the book has garnered praise across the philatelic circles and won various prizes in international competitions. As a collector of philatelic materials on Buddhism, I was very interested in going through this book's pages. Suyog with the book All thanks to Shri Lokeswara Rao, the author of the book. Upon contacting him through Facebook and WhatsApp, I finally had the book. This is the second philatelic book on Buddhism to my little knowledge after ' A Story of Gautama Buddha: As told through postage stamps’ written by Binod Shrestha from Nepal, published in 2018. Rao has narrated the story of Buddhism through 22 chapters, touching every chronological timeline related to Buddha, his life, doctrines, and teachings ; Buddhism as a spiritual journey, its evolution, and its prac...

Homai Vyarawalla, India’s first woman press photographer claimed to fame was her photographs that showed a transition of an Independent India in the first four decades. A winner of Padma Vibhusan , the second-highest civilian award of India, Homai Vyarawalla was an active press photographer from the 30s till the 70s when she finally retired She started her career from Bombay Chronicle and ended it with   The illustrated weekly of India . She passed away early this year at the age of 98.   Some of her poplar photographs included the celebration of the first Independence Day , Nehru lighting a cigarette on the lips of Ms. Simon, wife of the then British High Commissioner to India, funerals of great leaders in Gandhiji , Nehru, and others.    Interestingly it is written in Wikipedia that most of her photographs were published under the pseudonym “Dalda 13″. The reasons behind her choice of this rather amusing name were that her birth year was 1913, she got m...

Mass teaching by Dalai Lama at Gangtok Pic: Sikkim Reporter CM receinving Buddha image from Dalai Lama at Minktokgang. Mrs. Chamling looks on. Pic: Sikkim Reporter

His Holiness the Dalai Lama acknowledging the crowd after his talk at Buddha Park in Ravangla, Sikkim, India, on December 19th, 2010. His Holiness the Dalai Lama greeting the crowd at Buddha Park in Ravangla, Sikkim, India, on December 19th, 2010. His Holiness the Dalai Lama planting a tree sapling at Buddha Park in Ravangla, Sikkim, India, on December 19th, 2010. Traditional Tibetan dancers perform for His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Mani Chokhor Ling Monastery in Ravangla, Sikkim, India, on December 18th, 2010. All Photo: Tenzin Choejor/ OHHDL

from My Himachal Dharamshala : His Holiness Dalai Lama will give two-day teachings in Gangto, Sikkim (India). On the morning of December 21 he will teach on Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta (jangchup semdrel) & Quintessential Collection of the Mind Sadhanas from the 5th Dalai Lama’s Secret Teachings (thukdrup yangnying kundu).  On the morning of December 22 he will confer along life empowerment (tsewang) and be offered a long life ceremony. On December 23 & 24 Dalai Lama will give teachings on (Salugara, WB) Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva (laklen sodunma) on the afternoon of December 23 and confer an Avalokiteshvera Initiation (chenresig wang) on the morning of December 24 at Sed-Gyued Monastery.

Shared by Ram Kumar Shrestha Global Coordinator Kapilvastu Day Movement Global Committee As part of the World Peace Movement, Nepalese people living in different parts of the world last year decided to commemorate Lumbini and Kapilavastu, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, by observing Kapilvastu Day as a global holiday in order to spread the Buddha’s peace and nonviolence messages all over the world. The Buddha is revered as a Messenger of Peace. He is also known as the Light of Asia who is actually the Light of the world as his message of peace and nonviolence has become more relevant as the world is facing the problems of violence today. The world today has become more violent than ever before. Therefore, we have decided to spread the messages of the Buddha all over the world by observing Kapilvastu Day every year.   Originally, on December 1, 1896, Dr Anton Führer, a German archaeologist, had discovered the Buddha’s birthplace when he found the A...

Press Release by Yishey Doma Sogyal Rinpoche World renowned Buddhist teacher and author of the spiritual classic ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’ Teachings in Sikkim Thursday May 20, 2010, 4:30 pm at Chintan Bhawan Open to all The Heart Essence of the Buddha’s Wisdom and its Practical Application for transforming our Daily Lives   SOGYAL RINPOCHE BIOGRAPHY Born in Kham in Eastern Tibet, Sogyal Rinpoche was recognized as the reincarnation of Lerab Lingpa Terton Sogyal, a teacher to the thirteenth Dalai Lama, by the great Dorje Chang Jamyang Khyentse Lodro, one of the most outstanding spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. Jamyang Khyentse supervised Rinpoche’s training and raised him like his own son. Rinpoche continued to study with many masters, of all schools, especially Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He served as a translator and aide to Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche for many years and then began teaching under ...

Twice, I visited Pemayangtse Monastery, but when I got to read the century-old books about the place, the romance of those words was different. These days I am following Sir Richard Temple's visit to the Himalayan state of Sikkim in 1875 and his works about the Pemayangtse Monastery is just poetry. I appreciate those visitors who really tried their best to keep the correct pronunciation of the native places, rivers, mountains, and others to the closest best. Sir Richard Temple wrote "Pemyangchi" for the more popular Pemayangtse as it is known as better known worldwide. In the English language, as in recent English proficiency training concluded at Gangtok, Saroza Pradhan, my English resource person, taught me that in phonetic English, "ts" sounds as "ch," which makes the sound of Pemayang-"ts"e as Pemyang-"ch"i. It is not "Pemyang-say," as we say often, but it should be "Pemyang-chi," as correctly pronounced by t...

  The added attraction of the 135 ft tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse in South Sikkim finds one of the many reasons for the tourist to visit Sikkim. Around a hundred kilometers from Namchi the world’s highest statue of Guru Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche as he is regularly known has already become a pilgrim center for Buddhist followers in and around the state. The statue is made of copper and cement and the total cost of the statue is around Rs 6.76 crores. The total height of the statue from the ground is 151 ft. The foundation stone for the statue was laid by the His Holiness the Dalai Lama on October 22, 1997, and was formerly inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Chamling on February 18, 2004. Guru Padmasambhava is regarded as a patron saint and the force behind the introduction of Buddhism in Sikkim. He visited Sikkim in the 8 th century and did his meditation. He established the Nyingma Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Samdruptse has been a ...

BY SHITAL PRADHAN Pemayangste Monastery in west Sikkim near Pelling is the second oldest monastery in Sikkim after Dubdi monastery. One of the much sought after tourist destinations for its natural beauty and off course the cosmic charm of its monastery this heaven abode is at the height of 6840 ft and the wonderful view of Himalayan ranges and surrounding hills is a magnificent pleasure. Built by Gyalwa Lhatsun Chenpo this ancient two-storey masterpiece belongs to Nyingmapa sect of Buddhism and is 140 km west from Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim . This 300-year-old monastery yearly holds distinct religious chaam (dances) that it is favorites among the foreign tourists. Originally this monastery was used as an institution of preparing future monks. One of the major attractions of this three-century-old institution is the presence of “Sangtoedpalri”which means ‘abode of Guru Rimpoche’ on the second floor kept sealed in a glass. Lhatsun Chenpo conceived it where the eight m...