Life Positive — January 2018

The bazaar is popular for its
wide display of saleable items
such as bags, watches, and
clothes, mostly imported from
neighbouring places. The other
places worth a visit in Sikkim
are its western and eastern
parts, which showcase the
beautiful Himalayan state in
its full glory. The picturesque
lakes surrounded by snow
all year through, present a
spectacular view.
The Nathula Pass is one
of the three open trading
border posts between India

and China. A lot of pilgrims

flock to this region to trek

the beautiful mountains and

enjoy the scenic beauty of the

valley. The majestic Coronation

Bridge, over the mighty river

Teesta, was built by the British

to celebrate the coronation

of King George VI and Queen

Elizabeth, and is the lifeline

connecting Darjeeling, Siliguri,

Jalpaiguri, and Bhutan. It is

also known as Sevoke Bridge.

The Rumtek monastery

The Buddhist altars, the prayer

wheels, the pigeon feeding

grounds in Gangtok, and the

Rumtek monastery, truly make

Sikkim a visitor’s paradise—a

place to live in and learn from.

With my camera and quest

for Buddhist nectar, I visited

Rumtek and stayed there to

observe the daily lives and

basic practices of the Buddhist

monks as well as their ways of

meditation.

This was in itself a great

learning. The simplicity of

thought and the practice of

Vipassana—the methodology

of maintaining silence and

quieting the thoughts through

meditation to achieve a state

of thoughtlessness—gave a

whole new meaning to my life.

This 12th century monastery,

with layered golden curtains

hanging on the sides, houses

a big idol of the Buddha

seated at the centre, depicting

inner peace, tranquillity, and

stillness.

An air of harmony permeates

the monastery as the chanting

of Buddhist sutras by the

monks reverberates in the

atmosphere. People from

across the world visit Rumtek,

to be one with the Buddha

Kirateshwar Mahadev at Solophok hill

54 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2018^