Destination Sikkim

Airport

Sikkim has its own helipad at Gangtok, Pelling and Rangpo. Chopper service is regular from Bagdogra to Gangtok. Bagdogra Airport (IXB) is approximately 125 kilometers away and is served by regular Indian, Air Deccan, Spice Jet and Jet Airways flights from Kolkata, Guwahati, Chennai and Delhi. Helicopter service can be availed from Bagdogra airport (IXB).

Rail Way

New Jalpaiguri railway station (NJP) is approximately 128 kilometers away i.e. 3 -4 hours drive from Gangtok and is the nearest major rail head. New Jalpaiguri is well connected to the rest of India. There are regular train services to all the major railway station like Chennai, Jaipur, Delhi, Kolkata, Patna, Mumbai, Bangalore, etc.

Road

It is well connected with NH 31 A and is 117 kilometers away from Siliguri. Darjeeling is 125 Kilometers, 4 hours drive. Kalimpong is approximately 95 Kilometers i.e. 3 hours. The road is beautiful and is maintained by the Border Road Organization and is along the river Teesta. Sikkim is well connected with rest of India and with China via the Nathu La pass.

Sikkim residents celebrate all major Indian festivals such as Diwali and Dussera, the popular Hindu festivals. Losar, Loosong, Saga Dawa, LhababDuechen, DrupkaTeshi and Bhumchu are Buddhist festivals that are also celebrated. During the Losar - the Tibetan New Year - most government offices and tourist centres are closed for a week. Christmas has also recently been promoted in Gangtok to attract tourists during the off-season.
It is common to hear Western rock music being played in homes and in restaurants even in the countryside. Hindi songs have gained wide acceptance among the masses. Indigenous Nepali rock, music suffused with a Western rock beat and Nepali lyrics, is also particularly popular. Football and cricket are the two most popular sports.
Noodle-based dishes such as the thukpa, chowmein, thanthuk, fakthu, gyathuk and wonton are common in Sikkim. Momos, steamed dumplings filled with vegetable, buff (buffalo's meat) or pork and served with a soup are a popular snack. The mountain peoples have a diet rich in beef, pork and other meats. Alcohol is cheap owing to the low excise duty in Sikkim and beer, whiskey, rum and brandy are consumed by many Sikkimese.

Rabdantse The Ancient Capital of Sikkim. The original inhabitants were the Lepchas or the “raven folks ” who came to the area from Assam and Burma. From the 1200’s the Bhutias or the Tibetan people moved into Sikkim. They included the Namgyal clan who arrived in the 1400’s and gradually won political control over Sikkim.
In 1642,PhuntsokNamgyal (1604-1670) became the first Chogyal (King). He presided over a social system based on Tibetan Lamaistic Buddhism. His descendants ruled Sikkim for more than 330 years. During the 1700’s Sikkim suffered massive invasion from Nepal and Bhutan and lost much territory as a result. The Nepalese also migrated to Sikkim and settled as farmers. By the 1800’s Sikkim’s population was very mixed, and internal conflict resulted.Sikkim assisted the British in a successful war against Nepal in the year1814-1815 and won back some of its land.
The British India Company purchased the health resort of Darjeeling from Sikkim. During the mid 1800 ’s, Sikkim violently resisted attempts to bring it under British Rule, but in 1861 it finally became a protectorate. The British had assess to Tibet through Sikkim, and Sikkim’s independent status was recognized. The Indian government took responsibility of Sikkim’s external affairs, defense and communication of Skim in the year 1950. In 1973, India took Sikkim into the union as an associate member. In 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of India