Skywatch Friday - World's tallest statue of Guru Padmasambhava

It was pleasant drive from Gangtok. We drove on the winding roads through the tea gardens of Sikkim to Namchi town. We were on our mission to see the world's tallest statue of Guru Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Buddhists in Sikkim.

At 118 feet tall on Samdruptse hill on the outskirts of the town, this is the tallest statue of Guru Padmasambhava in the world. It virtually soars into the sky as you can see in this picture. ( click on the picture to see it in original size) On a clear day, you can see lovely Kanchenjunga in the horizon from the hill .

 World's third largest statue of Shiva is on the opposite hill known as Siddheshwar Dhaam.

If you are visiting Sikkim, don't miss this small but interesting town. It can be easily covered on the way to Siliguri from Gangtok.

You may also look at this post which has details on Shiva statue in Siddheshwar dhaam

Skywatch Friday - Two tallest Shiva statues in the world!

While in Sikkim, we went for a spectacular drive to Nathula the border post on India - China border. The details of our experience is captured in this post. Please click on the link below.

Nathula - A Spectacular drive to China border in Sikkim

You may also look at other interesting posts in Skywatch Friday series here.

Skywatch Friday

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Skywatch Friday - Rumtek on a Cloudy day!

A trip to Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim - the largest in the state - is a must do on every visitor's list to this lovely state. We too were allured by its charm after seeing many picture and reading about it.

The drive to rumtek is most fascinating as we leave behind Gangtok and start climbing up. At many places, you can get a lovely glimpses of the city. The drive through the woods and small villages leads to the monastery.

Here is a picture of Rumtek we clicked on a cloudy morning. Very colourful and quite a contrast to the sky above!

This place deserve a separate post. We will do justice soon.

Dont miss to check out our fantastic drive to Nathula, the last post on India - China border here.

Nathula - A Spectacular drive to India - China border!

Happy Skywatching! For more Skywatching posts in this blog, please click here.

Skywatching Friday

For lovely pictures of Sky around the world, please click on this link.

Skywatching around the world!

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Nathula Pass - A Spectacular drive to China border in Sikkim!

Driving in the hills is always fun. Many a time it is the drive which is more enjoyable than the final destination. One of our agenda when we went to Sikkim during Christmas holidays was to drive to Nathula pass, the highest pass on Indo-China Border.

While driving in the Himalayas, it is always good to start early and we followed that dictum. We left Gangtok around 6.30 AM with Rifleman Gurung from Gurkha regiment accompanying us. Thanks to Poorna's friends in Army, our breakfast was arranged at Changu lake in the Army transit mess.

Gurung started guiding us as we came out of Gangtok town and we stopped at the check post for checking the permit. In Sikkim, you are not allowed to drive your own cars beyond Gangtok. You need a permit to drive up the hills and you won't get it. Thus, you have to hire a local taxi to travel around. We could get permit as Poorna had served in Army.

The road to Nathula is not a smooth drive. The road is at edge of the mountain. The valleys are deep and being a landslide prone area, many parts of the road especially till Changu lake is nothing but rock and gravel which only the SUVs can maneuver. The Border Roads Organisation is doing an amazing job in doing up the road and we could see lovely stretches of the road done by them in such adverse conditions. The road is curvy and narrow at times. Poorna was cautiously driving allowing the local drivers overtake with gusto.

As we continue our drive, hop on with us as we take you through a pictorial journey to Nathu La.....

Start of the Journey.....

Portion of the road in the landslide prone area before Changu lake is fit only for SUVs. 

Sentinels of our borders.........Hats off to these guys

Look at the Army unit's location......

First glimpse of snow...

We had our breakfast here. Some of the best Alu parathas we have ever tasted.

Changu Lake. It was half frozen. The setting was idyllic.

Brinda and her Yak....

The drive from here to Nathula was spectacular. Can you see the road anywhere here??

.......or Santa Claus and his reindeer.......

The vistas were so beautiful it looked as if it was made for the Christmas day

A Frozen Waterfall

Isn't this lovely......

The Man, The Machine, The Snow

A Frozen lake on the way

Baba Harbhajan Mandir - Dedicated in the memory of Sepoy Harbhajan Singh who went missing while on a patrol. 

A strong belief among Army folks that Baba guides them during their difficult period while serving in these harsh conditions. Every visitor to Nathula has to take the blessing of Baba before going up.
For More details click on this link Baba Harbhajan Singh

The white and brown landscape of Nathu La

A Young Chinese soldier was cynosure of all eyes. He was the lone guard on duty and was obliging. The problem was the language. When Brinda spoke to him, all he could answer was "Ya". So we kept his name as "Ya"!

A Chinese Guard Post

Ashoka Pillar - Indian National emblem

Army War Memorial - In the memory of those who laid down their lives so that we live in safety

A view of Chumbi valley of Tibet - On Chinese side

Jomolhari peak of Bhutan with Chumbi valley in foreground

As we left Changu lake and drove towards Gangtok, fog enveloped the whole valley.......Workers of Border Roads Organisation walking back to their barracks

The weather throughout was excellent. At Nathula the cold winds was numbing. We really salute these soldiers who works in such adverse conditions and keep their spirits high. On our way back we again stopped over for a hot cup of tea at Army detachment in Changu. 

We bid goodbye to our friends in uniform and left Changu. Midway, the whole are got enveloped with a thick fog and it was a slow drive to Gangtok.

Travel Tips

a) The Drive is slow and 55 KMs will take 4 hours because of road condition. Hire a good taxi. Ensure that the agent gets all permits ready on the previous day itself. You need to provide a copy of passport size photo and address proof for getting the permit. The permit is issued at the police headquarters and all agents are aware of it.

b) It is a one complete day trip. Leave early. Return early. Sun rises early in North East. Make sure the driver drives safely. There is a tendency among the younger drivers to drive fast. It is definitely not needed. 

c) Stop and enjoy the the vistas on the way. 

d) There are only two villages on the way to Nathu La where you can get eatables and water.

e) Baba Harbhajan Singh mandir will close after 2 PM. Make sure you are there well in time.

f) Nathu La at 15,000 feet can impact some with symptoms of Altitude Mountain Sickness. Do not exert yourself at this place. No running or walking briskly.  If you find yourself out of breath, come down the hill and you will be alright.

g) Please wear woollen as it is very cold at top.

h) Carry a good Binocular along.

If you loved reading this post, you may be interested to look at the following drives in Himalayas.

Ladakh Diaries - Manali to Leh, Day One 

Ladakh Diaries 2 - Manali to Leh, Day two

Ladakh Diaries 4 - Drive to Khardung La

Ladakh diaries 5 - Drive to Pangong Tso, lake at 15,000 feet!

A Monsoon Drive in western ghats

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Skywatch Friday - Nathu La, Sikkim

Nathu La is at 14,140 feet on India - China border. Imagine someone staying at this height and guarding our borders so that we are safe in our cities?

Travelling in Himalayas at altitudes above 10,000 feet is a difficult task. The rarefied atmosphere, the cold, the wind chill makes it a very tough task indeed.

Having served in the Indian Army, i know how tough it is to be there. The fact that our soldiers does this job cheerfully is an example of amazing spirit and character.

We had the fine experience of it when we visited Nathu La, the highest pass in the Eastern Sector on India - China border. The wind chill was numbing though the sky was clear. The sunshine was blinding. There was snow all around.

Bunkers atop rocky cliff

The road ends @ Nathu La. Notice the snow.

National Emblem of India @ Nathu La. Notice the snow all around.

We clicked these bunkers manned by soldiers 24/7@ Nathu La during our visit there last week.

Hats off to these sentinels of our borders and may their tribe increase!

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Post Card from Sikkim!

It was a day after Christmas. We are in Sikkim.

We are driving to Nathu La. The pass which connects India to China (Tibet). A place Indian Army has one of its highest posts @ 15,000 feet.

The weather was fantastic. The sky was crystal clear blue. The snow was not heavy but right. The cedar trees and small bushes providing lovely contrast to white all around!

The complete route was picture perfect. Apt for the Yuletide!

Only thing that was missing was a Santa and his Reindeers!