The Old Silk Route in Sikkim is one of the offshoots of the ancient Silk Road, which was once a long and wide network of trade avenues. This Silk Road had been part of a cultural or social amalgamation. It encompassed various regions of Asia and connected India’s East and West, China and Pakistan across the Mediterranean Sea. The part passing through Sikkim connecting India and China via the Nathu La, Lhasa and Jelep La Pass, reaches Tamralipta in West Bengal. The place is now known as Tamluk. It is believed that this road was chanced upon by traders in the First Century AD itself! From here, the Silk Road connects to the sea in the east. The road extends more than 6,000 km. It was once used for extensive trade of copper, gold, sugar, cotton, salt, tea, horses etc. Did you know that this is the first information superhighway in the world? Today, however, the traders have bid adieu. So, the next time you plan a Silk Route Sikkim tour, don't forget to cherish the boundless beauty of the roads. You will be able to see roads that have borne witness to perhaps more than millions of trade deals. But the rhododendron-filled, snow-clad paths still welcome you with open arms. You can rest assured that the experience will be once-in-a-lifetime.
Journey from NJP/Bagdogra to Dalapchand is approximately 05 hours with stops for lunch breaks in between. All the while enjoying the views of majestic Teesta river and scenic hills and valleys.
A warm welcome awaits you at Sikkim with a wonderful host from Bokhim Homestay, Check in at Bokhim residency Homestay Dalapchand.
After breakfast , prepare yourself for a immersive historical experience, as the places that you will visit this day is filled with a cultural and historical value .places to visit
1. lampokahri lake- also known as aritar lake is natural lake surrounded by lush pine forests, the human foot shaped lake served as an important waterbody to quench the thirsts of the mules that were used in the silk route trade. It is also the only lake in Sikkim where one can enjoy paddle boating in a lake @ 5500 ft above sea level.
2. Mankhim View Point: the hilltop abode of gods , mankhim viewpoint is adajacent to the mankhim temple of the rai communit y of Sikkim , rai are a sub tribe of the global kirat community .loctaed in a very vantage point one can see the lake and the panaromic view of Mt. Kanchenjunga and the Himalayas in a crystal clear sight.if you are early one can enjoy the different dues of sunrays and the colour changes in the peak.
3. aritar buddhist monastery: this monastery is one of the oldest monasteries of the red hat sect of buddhism, the monsatry has a meditation centre , sculpture making workshop and many other attractions, the monastery is a residential scholl for the young monks who wants to pursue buddhist studies. The monastery served a important cultural link between Bhutan and Sikkim in the early days, as the monks often give their services to the villages in the Bhutan border as well.
4. british dak bunglow: the british dak bunglow was built by Sir James Cluade white in the year 1886 as a rest house for the british officers who visited Tibet during the early trade years , the bugnlow also served as a police post for the Sikkim police which had been established as a police force to patrol the trade route. The first policemen of the Sikkim police department also werfe from aritar itself.
After the excursion return to the homestay for lunch. after lunch rest for some time and take a leisurely walk to the old silk route mule track. some patches of the old historic trade route are still present today. The mule track is made up entirely of stones with no cement or muds, an engineering marvel of the british.
On the way see the local bazaar of the Sikkimese people and do some shopping for warm woolen clothes , jackets and local souveniers , proceed to zuluk , via q khola waterfalls, lingtam village, phadamchen village and reach zuluk for lunch . zuluk is situated at an altitude of 9000 ft and this village was an important stop for the traders during the old silk route era Zuluk is the paradise of every mountain lover and nature lover. Travellers can experience great Himalayan view from this place.
On the way see thambi view point, from here one can see the famous 108 and curves or the famous zig zag road formation , Panaromic view of mt Kanchenjunga, the clouds seems to float beneath you from this point
Nathang valley: situated at an height of 14000 ft nathang valley offers a rich blend of history and sceneic beauty , there are remanants of the tea houses that served the travellers during silk route trade.
Nathang war memorial: a war memorial for the fallen soldiers of the battle of lungtu British War Memorial complex in Nathang (Gnathang) Valley, East Sikkim. The complex has two memorials and a small cemetery.
The first memorial mentions five soldiers of 88th (1st Battalion) of Connaught rangers, who died during the occupation of Gnathang (Jan 1889 to Oct 1890) by a Detachment of the Regiment.
The second memorial has name of 15 soldiers who died in Sikkim between 1888 and 1895 and are buried in the adjacent cemetery. The graves in the cemetery has no tombstones.
A solitary tombstone pertaining to Sergent Moloney mentioned in the first memorial is kept at the bottom of the memorial.
Kupup lake: the lake nestles at an altitude of 13,066 feet, on the way to Jelepla Pass, bordering area with China and India. It is the second highest mountain in Bhutan. The shape of the lake resembles an elephant. The right side of the lake looks like an elephant trunk and on the left, it looks like tail. The lake is also accompanied by a stunning valley. A small village called Kupup, which has only few houses and a police check post is located at the lake coast. Kupup is one of the highest villages in the region, which was a recognized transit point during the silk trade between India and Tibet. Kupup has also earned recognition in the world map, due to the Yak Golf Course, highest of its kind across the globe. This 18-hole golf course, affiliated to Indian Golf Union since 1985 nestles at an altitude of 13,025 feet from the sea level and has been included in Guinness Book of World Records. The beautiful Tukla Valley with magnificent views of Mt. Kanchenjungha, the Old Baba Mandir and the distant view of Menmecho Lake are some of the interesting spots around Kupup Lake.
Tsomgo Lake, also known as Tsongmo Lake or Changgu Lake, is a glacial lake in Changu in the Gangtok district of the Indian state of Sikkim, some 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the capital Gangtok. Located at an elevation of 3,753 m (12,313 ft), the lake remains frozen during the winter season. The lake surface reflects different colours with change of seasons and is held in great reverence by the local Sikkimese people. Buddhist monks prognosticated after studying the changing colours of the lake.
Reach Gangtok aftera long and exciting Day.
