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

Funeral photographs of the Late Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal (29th January, 1982) Photo shared by Bijay Sharma, Singtam Also read: Photograph of the the last King and Queen of Sikkim The AC3PT: A story of the deleted country The last Chogyal (King) of Sikkim

Sikkim Mahinda Thero BY SHITAL PRADHAN I first heard about S Mahinda Thero in 2005 while in Kolkata when I was asked by one of the stamp dealers whether I was interested in a 20 paisa stamp of S Mahinda Thero issued by the Sri Lankan Postal Department in the early 1970s. I collected philatelic items on Buddhism, but I never understood who he was talking about. He told me, as I was from Sikkim, I might be interested to know more about the person, and he went on to add it was Sikkim Mahinda Thero, a Buddhist monk who is regarded as a national hero, a famous poet in the Sinhalese language whose poetry promoted patriotism and the revival of Buddhism to this part of the Island. He promised to send me the stamp of S Mahinda Thero from Colombo through the mail, but I have never heard from him since then. However, regarding my limited concern, it was enough to know that such a person keeps the name Sikkim with honor and pride in Sri Lanka. I had the name...

International Conference on Sub-Regionalism Approach to Regional Integration in South Asia: Prospects and Opportunities Organized by Sikkim University in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, New Delhi The three-day International Conference organized by Sikkim University and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, New Delhi, began on 19 December 2008 and is now on its second day.  The four sessions, held on 20 December 2008 at Hotel Royal Plaza, focused on Sub-regionalism: Trade and Investment, Energy, Tourism,  and Natural Resources and Environment. The first session, Sub-regionalism—Trade and Investment, was chaired by Mr. Kishalaya Bhattacharya, Bureau Chief, New Delhi Television, Guwahati. In his address, the chair suggested that the section ought to be called ‘Opportunities and Crisis’ in view of the existing scenario in Northeast India and the neighbourhood. In this session, Prof. Jayanta K. Gogoi, head of the Department of Economics at Dibrugarh Univers...

BY SHITAL PRADHAN   When I started my blog on Sikkim, I had it clear in my mind that this blog shall help people look out for knowledge on Sikkim. I always wanted a knowledge house only about Sikkim, it's past, present and future. I do not know over the years how much did I succeed but my determination to let others understand my Sikkim is always giving me a push. I had over a time collected trivia on Sikkim from different sources and used to share it on Sikkimonline.info the best forum site on Sikkim that is very close to me. I here share this Sikkim trivia with the readers who follow my writings too. Sikkim corner: Toppakhani Tunnel is the first motorable tunnel in Sikkim. Burn and Burn Company Pvt Ltd, Howrah built one of the oldest iron bridges in Sikkim, the iron bridge of Singtam in 1929. Gyamptso Sangdarpa is the real name of VC Ganju Lama. Rabindra Nath Tagore, a noble laureate had visited the Rinchepong Dak Bangalow where he composed parts of...