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

POSTCARD 1 POSTCARD 2 POSTCARD 3 The three sets of old postcards from Darjeeling show Tibetan Mask dancers in their traditional costumes and instruments. The photographs includes instruments like Frame drum ( dhyangro ), Cymbals ( rol mo ), Shawms ( Rgya Gling ) and Hand Bell ( dril bu ). The dancers wears various animal masks. The publishers of the postcards was Nestor Gianaclis Ltd Calcutta and Master's Curios Darjeeling Simla Lucknow Bombay. Interestingly these postcards was printed in Germany and Japan.

Gyallu is the national anthem of Tibet. The anthem focuses on the radiance of Buddha. The words were written by Trijang Rinpoche around 1950 but it is unclear exactly when Tibet's anthem was first used, either while the country was still under the control of the Dalai Lama's administration or first adopted by the government in exile after the invasion by China. The earliest report of an anthem (presumably this one) is from the period of 1949 to 1950 (when the country was already facing the threat of a Chinese invasion), introduced under reforms set in place to strengthen patriotic feelings of the Tibetan people. Another report states that the anthem was presented to the 14th Dalai Lama in 1960, after he went into exile. Regardless of the adoption date, the melody is said to be based on a very old piece of Tibetan sacred music, and the lyrics by the Dalai Lama's tutor, Trijang Rinpoche. It has been used by Tibetans in exile ever since the introduction of the...

The Old Tibet national anthem was created in the eighteenth century. According to eminent Tibetan scholar Tashi Tsering, it was composed by Pholanas in 1745/46, at the time of the 7th Dalai Lama. Sir Charles Bell described it as Tibet's "national hymn". Ghang ri rawe kor we shingkham di Phen thang dewa ma loe jungwae ne Chenrezig wa Tenzin Gyatso yin Shelpal se thae bhardu Ten gyur chik English Translation:  Circled by ramparts of snow-mountains, This sacred realm, This wellspring of all benefits and happiness Tenzin Gyatso, bodhisattva of Compassion. May his reign endure Till the end of all existence Audio clip of namthar (opera aria) of National Hymn sung by Techung. Courtesy of Chaksampa. Download MP3 (6Mb) The eminent Tibetan scholar, Tashi Tsering citing the historical work Bka’ blon rtogs brjod , says that this verse was composed by the Tibetan ruler, Phola lha nas, (in 1745/46) in praise of the 7th Dalai Lama. “Reflections on Than...

Tsering Dorjee, a young Tibetan from Gangtok, Sikkim, was awarded black belt Go-dan degree from International Karate Do Gojukai Association (IKGA), World Headquarter, Tokyo, Japan after going through the rigorous test and competitions in Tokyo. Go-dan degree, equivalent to PhD degree is considered to be one of the highest accomplishments in martial arts world. source: www.phayul.com

I found this photograph inside a monastery at Gnathang, near Nathula Border. Very little is known about these people but the local people added that the person sitting was the Rimpoche of the Gnathang Monastery and the people surrounding were Sikkimese officials from British Administration.  Gnathang, situated at around 12,000 feet above sea level is the most crucial place in Sikkim that changed the political scenario of Sikkim's royal administration. A battle was fought between the British and Tibetans where with the defeat of the Tibetans, Sikkim too came under the scanner of becoming the British Protectorate. Thus Sikkim's administration went into the hands of the British. the year was 1890.  30.09.24: Mentioned on Facebook Page 'Naldjor' Tsampa Lama Ngathang Lingpa -  He is also known as Burma Lama (bur ma bla ma) as he later left Sikkim and went to Burma. Some even say he originally came from Burma. Actually some twenty years ago there arrived a letter from Ran...

--> Every time i look for Sikkim in Google search, unexpected results greet me. My eagerness to learn more about my Sikkim gets a new level of excitation. Like most of the time, I like sharing information with people around, and this time around I am here sharing about "Music Of Sikkim (ABC LP) Music Of The Earth Series", a promo LP ABC Command from the Music of Earth Series.  The information collected from different pages of websites says that the music for "Music Of Sikkim" was recorded in Sikkim between December 1969 and January 1970. The LP contains 8 selections. Its label number is COMS 9002 ABC Command and published from Los Angeles. The Record was released in 1975. It is very exciting to note down the names of local singers of those days. The sample is as follows A1 Ceremonial and Folk Music - Lepcha Band Ceremonial Music 5:28 A2 Sukhbir (A Narrative Singer) 3:34 A3 Lepcha Narrative Song 2:53 A4 Tibetan Folk Song 3:49 A5 Sherpa...

As always when I come across stories related to Sikkim history my feet have no boundaries. I had heard about a small war memorial at Gnathang along the Sikkim-Tibet border a few years back but due to unavoidable circumstances, I was not able to visit that place. So when I set foot at Gnathang this March I was very excited. Well, there is a War Memorial in Gnathang but more than that a neglected one. Despite its historic importance, I believe it has lost its existence. The dry overgrown grasses and the broken nameplates of the memorial speak of the negligence. World history remembers the event as the Sikkim Expedition in 1888. There are around 15 graveyards in the War Memorial of those soldiers representing the British Expeditionary Force that fought a war against the Tibetan Army in 1888 at Gnathang. The British Force stayed at this remote mountainous corner between 1888 to 1895 and the memorial reflects the determination and grit of those people most of whom were in their mid-20s and ...

SANJAY AGARWAL RANGPO, March 23: Some 300 activists from the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) on a peace march from Siliguri in West Bengal to the Nathula Border, in an attempt to join the protest movement in Tibet reached the Tar Khola, 10th Mile area yesterday. The marchers are planning to cover some 170 kilometers in eight days before reaching Nathula. The protesters are just 7 km from Rangpo on the West Bengal side. They will attempt to enter Sikkim at the Rangpo Check Post tomorrow at 10.30 am, the protestors said. However, the Sikkim government has already announced plans to stop the march from entering the State. Security at the border check Post here has been beefed up after the protestors started their march. Since yesterday, every passenger has to pass heavy security checks before entering the State. East District, SP Dr. MS Tuli, who was at Rangpo to oversee the security arrang...