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

This screenshot is from a 4-second video clip from the video of HH the   Dalai Lama 's visit to the Kingdom of  Sikkim  (1956). The photograph shows the escort vehicle entering  Singtam  and the gathered people prepared to welcome the His Highness Dalai Lama. The hour-long documentary of Tibetan Community Channel shows he was welcomed at different places of Sikkim on the route to  Gangtok , where there was a royal welcome.

More than 200 Tibetans silently walked past Singtam today morning around 8.30 am as their peace march heads for Salugara, Siliguri, West Bengal. The rally started from Namnang, Gangtok today early morning. The occasion marks the 30th birth anniversary of Pachen Lama (Gedhun Choekyi Nyima ) , an important Buddhist figure only next to Dalai Lama .

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...

  These newspaper cuttings belong from the personal collection of Late Pem Tshering and are now under her daughter Sabnam Lama. Late Pem Tshering had done marvelous work in putting off the newspaper cuttings that hit the headlines all over the world regarding the political turnover at Tibet in 1959 through the newspaper of Amrita Bazar Patrika, he passed away in 1975 and he was Inspector of Police, Frontier Check Post posted at Kalimpong.

These newspaper cuttings belong from the personal collection of Late Pem Tshering and are now under her daughter Sabnam Lama. Late Pem Tshering had done marvelous work in putting off the newspaper cuttings that hit the headlines all over the world regarding the political turnover at Tibet in 1959 through the newspaper of Amrita Bazar Patrika, he passed away in 1975 and he was Inspector of Police, Frontier Check Post posted at Kalimpong.

This newspaper cuttings belongs from the personal collection of Late Pem Tshring and now under her daughter Sabnam Lama. Late Pem Tshering had done a marvelous work in putting off the newspaper cuttings that hit  the headlines all over the world regarding the  political  turnover at Tibet in 1959 through the newspaper of Amrita Bazar Patrika, he passed away in 1975 and he was Inspector of Police, Frontier Check Post posted at Kalimpong.

All pic by Tenpa Transhimalayan Arts

This newspaper cuttings belongs from the personal collection of Late Pem Tshring and now under her daughter Sabnam Lama. Late Pem Tshering had done a marvelous work in putting off the newspaper cuttings that hit  the headlines all over the world regarding the  political  turnover at Tibet in 1959 through the newspaper of Amrita Bazar Patrika, he passed away in 1975 and he was Inspector of Police, Frontier Check Post posted at Kalimpong.

Starting from today i shall be sharing a newspaper cuttings from the collection of Late Pem Tshering who had done a marvelous work in putting off the newspaper cuttings that hit  the headlines all over the world regarding the  political  turnover at Tibet in 1959 through the newspaper of Amrita Bazar Patrika. Late Pem Tshering passed away in 1975 and he was Inspector of Police, Frontier Check Post posted at Kalimpong.

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 talks about the changing role of science in a clip from his opening address at the International Conference for Science, Spirituality and Education held in Gangtok, Sikkim, India, on December 20th, 2010.

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.

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...

  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 ...