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Next weekend you can be
at... KHANDOSANGPHUK
Do you want to spend your weekend lazing in a pool
of hot water with healing powers or walk under a canopy of prayer
flags to a monastery decorated
 with
beautiful stone tablets? Then pack your bags and head for
Khandosangphuk and Tashiding, two of the holiest places in Sikkim.
The best way to get there is by taking a night train or bus to
Siliguri, from where it?s a two-and- a-half-hour jeep ride to
Jorethang. Another jeep ride towards Legship later, you arrive in
Khandosangphuk. The place is popularly known as Tatopani (tato means
hot, while pani is water). A narrow path descends from the main road
to the river Rangit. Cross the river on a rickety bamboo bridge to
reach the hot spring. The sulphur-enriched water is said to have
healing powers, and attracts pilgrims from all over Sikkim,
Darjeeling, Nepal, Bhutan and Assam. During the winter months,
temporary shelters are built all along the spring to cater to
pilgrims, some of whom spend months here. Just above the spring is a
small monastery and a stupa, lit up with brass lamps on cold nights.
Behind the monastery is the cave of Khandosangphuk, literally
meaning ?the cave of the occult fairies?.
It is considered to be one of the four holy caves in Sikkim. The
entrance to the cave, festooned with prayer flags, is wide. But
after that, one has to crawl for several feet through a small tunnel
(a torch is an absolute necessity),
 which
opens up into a shrine dedicated to a Buddhist deity.
If you reach the place by late afternoon, you can spend the rest of
the day exploring the region. Next morning, after a quick dip in the
spring, it?s time to say goodbye to Khandosangphuk. Follow the trail
to the main road, where you can take a jeep to Tashiding. The road
follows the Rangit, and within an hour, you?re in Tashiding.
This, too, is a holy place, strewn with stupas, prayer flags and the
holy words ?Om Mane Padme Hum (hail the jewel in the lotus)? are
carved almost everywhere. On a hilltop overlooking Tashiding is a
monastery, built in 1717 by Ngadak Sempa Chembo during the reign of
the third Chogyal (king) Chakdor Namgyal. The monastery has some of
the most beautiful stone carvings in Sikkim.
After checking into one of the lodges and having a quick lunch, take
a walk through the terraced fields, past pretty houses, to the
monastery. The entire route is a riot of colours, with the prayer
flags fluttering in the wind.
 The
monastery complex has a number of richly-decorated temples and
several stupas dedicated to various Chogyal and holy men. But the
main attractions are the colourful stone tablets with holy text and
pictures of Buddhist deities.
In the evening, follow the same trail back to Tashiding and spend
the night there. The next morning, it?s time to head home. A jeep
will take you to Jorethang, and then further on to Siliguri. An
overnight journey will take you back to the city, tired but happy.
How to get there
Calcutta to Siliguri Rocket Bus (Rs 215) or Calcutta to NJP train
(around Rs 250). Jeeps are available from Siliguri to Jorethang (Rs
80), Jorethang to Tatopani (Rs 30), Tatopani to Tashiding (Rs 30)
and Tashiding to Jorethang (Rs 50) on a sharing basis
Where to stay and eat
Khandosangphuk has a few shabby hotels, which are open in winter
(January to March). The hotels have no toilets, though. A bed costs
about Rs 50 per night and food is available at a nominal cost. You
can avoid staying in Khandosangphuk by making a day trip from
Tashiding. Tashiding has a few places to stay, like Blue Bird Lodge
and Tashiding Lodge. A double-bed room costs Rs 100. Basic food is
available at reasonable prices.
(Metro on Sunday thanks reader RANGAN DATTA for this contribution.) |
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