Thursday, January 03, 2013

sikkim : yuksom, kecheopelri, pemayangtse, tashiding


a second year study trip to yuksom on the edge of the kanchenjunga national park. the place where treks begin towards the mountains to the north. reportedly one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. a soft easy landscape. none of the ruggedness of ladakh. instead green rolling mountains, with mountain streams where you can drink, villages and monasteries. on the route to the town horrific dams destroy the teesta river valley.






yuksom was the older capital of sikkim and has the older coronation throne site with the dubdi monastery perched on top of a hill. the main street cuts between these two peaks and has a spattering of places to live and eat. here we measure drew the two monuments and a village that lay around the coronation throne site all the way towards a holy lake. 




































the partner of the holy lake was in kecheoperli across the valley where prayer flags fluttered on the banks of still water. fish were added in the lake to please bengali tourists. a village nestled in the valley nearby and from a peak you could see the footprint like shape of the lake. 









pemayangtse was a monastery near the town of pelling. tantric and buddhist paintings in the three storied monastery. just a short distance from here was the older capital of rabdentse- abandoned ruin. 













from here you can see the tashiding monastery in the distance. pristine white buildings immersed in wildflowers. a village that climbed the slope along a path with houses and courtyards. 






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