Sarva Dharam Sthal (Gurudwara Guru Dongmar Sahib)

For this edition of Black and White Thursdays we are going to an extremely revered temple of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists which is located besides the beautiful Guru Dongmar Lake. This temple is over a thousand years old and was the spot where holy sage Guru Dongmar (Padmasambhava) sat and meditated for a few years. For Sikhs this temple is of utmost significance as Guru Nanak visited it (during his third journey around 1516 AD) to provide support to the Karmapa and Nyingmapa sects who were forced out of Tibet by the Gelugpa sect. His footprints, a water carrying utensils and a robe is preserved in Lachen Gompa (Lachen is the Base town for reaching this destination).

Entrance to the Temple or Gurudwara where Guru Dongmar (Padmasambhava) sat and meditated and where Guru Nanak visited to support the Karmapa and Nyingmapa sects after they were driven out of Tibet by the Gelugpa sects.

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Guru Dongmar Lake

This Sunday will sees the return of Sikkim Sojourn, my journeys in and notes about Sikkim, India. I resume writing my travelogue over Sikkim from the day when I visited Guru Dongmar Lake. Enjoy the post !

 Guru Dongmar Lake

Location Board besides the lake

Sitting in the SUV and moving forward, we see the greenery melt away before our eyes. Giving way to a brown and barren horizon where the air is cold and thin. As we leave the civilization behind and move through the heart of Himalayas, the silence is palpable. Only the howling wind and the noise of tyre's disturb it. It is in this solitude that we realize our presence in this inhospitable yet fascinating country, and we realize that we are in the realm of Mother Nature.

 Brown Hills with ice caps lay besides the Guru Dongmar Road. These hills are located in such a location that  man has rarely ever walked over them

From the SUV

Brown Barren Horizon

We appreciate that this is a place where man does not toy with the nature but vice-versa. While making every movement, while taking every breath we understand that this is a place which we cannot master, just respect. While moving through the valley where the unpaved GuruDongmar road ran parallel to the heavily mined border with China; I realized that I was at the outermost edge of India. 

Since ages people have passed through this ancient path. Borders have been drawn and re drawn, but the immortal panorama unfolding before our eyes has remained the same. The conditions kept challenging us just as it challenged everyone before. This land has seen many a travelers walk across its breast to visit the turquoise colored speck of water across its brown horizon and will continue to see people walk across it. It will continue to challenge everyone. If you win you can get a glimpse of serenity, harmony, and through it a glimpse into your inner soul.

Information board about the lake

A shot of the snow laden Khangchengyao Ranges (these ice caps remain under perma-frost*) (*permanent ice cover)

See the reflection of the nearby snow laden Khangchengyao Ranges on the lake's surface

After visiting this jewel of a lake and seeing the snow capped peaks, the quietness of the environment in which we only hear the howling of the winds and our breath we realize why a holy Buddhist sage like Guru Dongmar settled at this place for many years and meditated. A temple stands at the place where he sat. This lake has got an aura of enchantment and observing its beauty will make you completely forget the troubles you faced while getting here.

Entrance to the Temple or Gurudwara where Guru Dongmar sat and meditated and where Guru Nanak visited (during his third journey) to provide support to the Karmapa Nyingmapa sects who were forced out of Tibet by the Gelugpa sect. His footprints, a water carrying utensils and a robe is still preserved in Lachen Gompa (Lachen is the Base town for reaching this destination).

Prayers written on the wall of the Temple in Tibetan script

Before leaving this place Guru Dongmar keeping the wishes of people in mind touched a part of the lake and ensured that it would not freeze during winters. Till date the lake stands testimony to his miracle. It is believed that the water of this lake has medicinal values and people who visit it take some before returning. 

The portion of Guru Dongmar Lake which never freezes even during winters

The No Nonsense Travel Advice
Destination	Guru Dongmar Lake
Location	Sikkim, India
Elevation	5136 mts/17100ft above sea level
When to Visit	Oct-May
Days of Visit	Tours start from Gangtok only on Mondays and Tuesdays
You require	Only Indian citizens can visit after getting a Permit from the Army, as the lake is next to China border
Advice	Altitude Sickness could be a bother
Base Town	Lachen (2750 mts) or Thangu(4267 mts)

 

 Visit the official website of Sikkim Tourism for more information.

Om Mani Padme Hum
.......

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Guru Dongmar Lake - Black and White Thursdays

For this edition of Black and White Thursdays I am presenting you the immortal picture of Guru Dongmar Lake, Sikkim, India. It is the one of the worlds highest lake. This lake is a significant part of Indian religion and history as Buddhist Tantrik guru, Guru Padmasambhava(Dongmar) practiced various rituals besides this lake over 1000 years ago. What makes this lake even more significant is the fact that the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak visited this lake where Guru Padmasambhava prayed.

Guru Dongmar Lake (17100 ft/5136mt above sea level)

This lake is a turquoise colored jewel in the heart of a brown and white landscape which surrounds it. What makes this lake one of the wonders of this world is that it never completely freezes even during peak winters. It is for this reason this lake and this picture which tries to capture its beauty becomes immortal and thus a part of Black and White Thursdays.  

This February will see the introduction of a new series called Sunday Specials which will have travel destinations from across India and around the world.. yes around the world. Delhi-iteful Tuesdays and Sunday Specials will be published alternately each week while Black and White Thursdays will continue as usual. 

This Sunday will see the return of Sikkim Sojourn, my journeys through Sikkim, India and then I am waiting to write about another beautiful destination which is in my library. So, wait for this Sunday Specials which will be over Sikkim. Till then TC

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I have marked this location on my uencounter.me map.

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Sikkim Sojourn Part 1

My trip to Sikkim(located in the Himalayas) started with a hope to see glimpses of Mother Earth which I had never seen before. Not only that, I wanted to see 'sights' of mother earth few had actually seen ! And in this attempt I truly succeeded. As my galleries of pictures would reveal to  you I really had the privilege of feasting my eyes on beautiful sights which included crossing the mighty Ganges at Bihar, the road trip to Gangtok from New Jalpaiguri/Siliguri in which we crossed the Mahananda Wildlife sanctuary and also drove by to the River Teesta, the trip to GuruDongmar Lake e.t.c.

I will divide my trip to phases and accordingly show it to you. Hope you enjoy viewing panoramic Sikkim.
The first phase of my trip was the train journey to New Jalpaiguri. I will share with you the experiences of the first part of my trip in which I crossed the mighty Ganges in my next post.
See you till then !

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Thoughts of a Trip 2

When the idea of an ideal vacation comes up it gets really confusing while deciding where to go.. As i mentioned in my previous post the options were Goa(for the beaches),Shimla(for the hills).... I also considered places like Kullu-Manali, e.t.c. but they were not meeting my criteria of being a place which was beautiful but different, and being overcrowded.
Then another roadblock which needed to considering while looking for a nice place to go vacationing in June was the temperature and weather. Monsoon clouds cover three-fourths of India by the time June comes and going to a place when it is raining is not the best choice especially when enjoying the rain is not the only thing one intends to do. It was at this moment that Ms. Bonnie  mentioned the place Gangtok (one of her colleagues was planning a trip to the same place).
Now Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim was an interesting choice but a quick glance at the Weather Channel again indicated that June is the time when it rains in Gangtok. But given the fact Ms. Bonnie decided upon something(at last) was enough an incentive for me to probe the places to visit in Gangtok and the weather patterns of the city, in detail.
The first thing when Gangtok came to my mind was that June being the start of 'off-season'  their would relatively be less people as compared to the peak tourist season from Oct - May. Then came the turn of checking the weather, and one thing which was clear was that it could rain in the first half of June(that is when i am planning to go) and because the hills around Gangtok are prone to landslides i needed to keep atleast 1 buffer day to compensate any delay in the schedule.
Then, the next question was where to visit ? According to me the view of Mt. Kanchenjunga (3rd highest mountain in the world) was the biggest spectacle to be seen.

(Mt Kanchenjunga as seen from Gangtok. Courtesy Mr. S Stiehler)

But apart from that the other places to visit are:-
1. Tashi View Point
2. Institute of Tibetology
3. Do Drul Chorten
4. Permanent Flower Show
5. Hanuman Tok
6. Ganesh Tok 
7. Himalayan Zoological Park
and many more

(MG Marg as seen from Hotel Window. Courtesy Mr. Amit)

But one thing which i noticed was that we could cover these places in a day or two. So what do we do for the rest 5 days ? To get that answer We got in touch with a local but govt. recognised tour operator and they suggested a trip to Yumthang Valley(Valley of Flowers). Upon a few enquiries i found out that apart from
Yumthang Valley an excellent oppurtunity presented itself for us to visit one of the highest lake in the world:- The Gurudongmar Lake.

(Gurudongmar Lake. Courtesy Mr. A Mitra)

Situated at a height of 17100 ft or 5212 metres on the Tibetan Plateau it was the perfect place for me to sense that 'high' which i wanted from this trip. So it was settled. We were to go to Sikkim.




Note:- The pictures in this post have been clicked by photographers who hold their(pictures) rights and
permit conditional free use. They do not endorse the author or the blog.

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