Gangtok

The state capital of the Indian state of Sikkim, Gangtok is the largest town in the state. The town is a perfect blend of nature and beauty. This state capital is situated in the Eastern Himalayan Ranges with an elevation of about 1,800 m, above the sea level. The town is a perfect paradigm of unity in diversity as it holds the population around 98, 658, which belongs to different ethnicities such as Nepalese, Lepchas and Bhutia, along with the Indians. The town is administered by the “Gangtok Municipal Corporation”.

Nestled in the Himalayan Range, the town of Gangtok experiences a temperate kind of climatic conditions, which makes it to stand as the hub of Sikkim’s tourism. It is a great amalgamation of tradition and modernity. After the establishment of Enchey Monastery in 1840, the town gave rise to Buddhism and became one of the most popular Buddhist pilgrimage site. Then in 1894, the Sikkim kings of Chogyal and Thutob Namgval came here in Gangtok and settled here. Further in 20^th century, the town stood as the major sojourn on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and Kolkata in India, which was then considered as British India. The town is also ranked with the position of 22 in number in becoming the state capital.

The town is felt with a deep presence of stupas and monasteries. Gangtok is jam-packed with gompas, stupas, parks and gardens. Some of the major tourist destinations in and around the town of Gangtok are the Rumtek Monastery, Pemayangtse Monastery, Do-Drul Chorten, Enchey Monastery, Tashi View Point and the local bazaar, Lal Bazaar, Tashiding Monastery, Nathu La Pass, Hanuman Tok etc.

Apart from that there are other famous tourist attractions include Tsomgo Lake, Ganesh Tok etc. On top of it, there is an International Flower Festival that is held in the months from April to May is one of the most popular tourist attractions.

The nearest airport is at Bagdogra in North Bengal, which is just at a distance of 124 km from Gangtok, Sikkims capital. The nearest railway stations are at Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri, 114 km and 126 km respectively, from the state capital Gangtok. The state capital, Gangtok is well connected by road with the major cities of the country such as Calcutta (721 km), Darjeeling (139 km), Guwahati (589 km) and Patna (584 km).