Gangtok
| Gangtok | |||
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 India
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| State : | Sikkim | ||
| District : | East Sikkim | ||
| Location : | 27 ° 12 ′ N , 88 ° 37 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 1780 m | ||
| Area : | 25 km² | ||
| Residents : | 29,162 (2001) | ||
| Population density : | 1166 inhabitants / km² | ||
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Gangtok ( Nepali / Hindi : गंगटोक , Gangtok , Bhutia སྒང་ ཐོག་ sgang thog ) is the capital and the largest and most economically important city of the former kingdom and current Indian state of Sikkim . It is located in the south-east of the state on the southern foothills of the Himalayan mountains at an altitude of about 1,800 meters. 29,162 people live in the city (2001 census), it is the center of tourism in Sikkim and the administrative seat of the East Sikkim district .
The exact meaning of the word "Gangtok" is unclear, but it probably simply means "lofty hill" . The city is a center of Tibetan Buddhism with many Buddhist monasteries and schools.
geography
The city was built on a slope. At one end stands the house of the governor , the The Ridge is called. The other end of town is the palace, which is 1,828 meters high. The Ranikhola River flows at the foot of the city . Most of the roads are very steep due to the slope. The houses stand on heaped horizontal surfaces. From the eastern part of the city you can see the snow-covered slopes of the Himalayas and the Kangchenjunga .
Because of the elevated and sheltered location of the city, Gangtok has a mild, temperate climate all year round. Like most other regions in the Himalayas, Gangtok speaks of five seasons: summer, monsoon , autumn, winter and spring. The temperatures vary between 25 ° C in summer and 3 ° C in winter. As temperatures rarely drop below freezing , it rarely snows. The last winters in which there was snowfall were in 1990, 2004 and 2005. In winter the weather is very changeable and can change very quickly from bright sun to heavy rain.
Spring and autumn are usually mild and sunny. During the monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, and in winter, the city is often shrouded in fog . Landslides are common around Gangtok during the rainy season, but also happen in the dry season, as the Himalayas in this region are made up of loose rock formations. The city is then sometimes cut off from other parts of Sikkim.
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Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Gangtok
Source: WMO
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The flora in the vicinity of the city consists of deciduous forests of the temperate climate with poplars , birches , oaks and elms , as well as of evergreen coniferous forests of the humid alpine climate. The city is surrounded by thick forests. Also worth mentioning are numerous rare orchid species that grow in this region. Flowering plants such as sunflowers , marigolds and poinsettias bloom in November and December.
The slopes around Gangtok are heavily overgrown with bamboo , which continuously supplies spring water that drains off at their roots. Further down the valley, the vegetation changes from below to above from alpine to subtropical to moderate.
Gangtok, residential building (1894)
Gangtok seen from the cable car
Gangtok seen from the opposite mountain slope
View of the palace in 1939
In Gangtok 1939
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history
Gangtok's early history is largely unknown. The first written records refer to the building of a hermitage in 1716. Gangtok remained a small town until the Enchey Monastery was founded in 1840, but then it quickly developed into a center for pilgrims. After the British victory over the Tibetans, the city became an important stop between Tibet and British India . Almost all roads and telegraph lines were built during this time.
In 1894, Thutob Namgyal , the then king of Sikkim , moved the capital of Sikkim from Tumlong to Gangtok. A large square and a number of government buildings were built. After Indian independence in 1947, Sikkim became independent. Trade flourished and the city grew rapidly. In 1975 the monarchy in Sikkim was abolished and Sikkim was annexed to the Indian Union as the 22nd federal state after a referendum , Gangtok became the capital of this federal state.
population
The majority of Gangtok's residents are Nepalese who settled there during the British rule over India. Alongside them live Lepchas and Bhutias in greater numbers in the city, which has always been the former in this region were sedentary. In the last few years in particular, numerous Tibetans , as well as Marwaris , Biharis and Bengals , have immigrated .
Hindus and Buddhists predominate among the population of Gangtok . There are also some Christians , mainly Lepchas who were evangelized by the British in the late 19th century. There is a small mosque for the small Muslim community . Despite the religious diversity, the city was never involved in any conflict.
The most widely spoken language in Gangtok is Nepalese . English and Hindi are also widely spoken, and there are also people who speak Tibetan , Lepcha and Bhutia .
economy
Since all of Sikkim is very mountainous, there is neither a railway connection nor an airport . Therefore, the economic potential of this region is severely limited. Gangtok's largest employer is the city council. The police also employ a large number of workers. Since around 200,000 tourists spend around 9.7 million US dollars in the city every year , numerous facilities, from hotels to shops, are dependent on tourism . Apart from the manufacture of handicrafts, watches and spirits in small family businesses, the manufacturing industry is very poorly developed. Among the handicrafts, the production of paper from various vegetable fibers is particularly noteworthy. The city's large market square enables farmers to offer their goods during harvest time, even from a great distance.
Since the state of Sikkim is a border region, the Indian army is stationed near Gangtok with a large number of soldiers who support the economy in the region through their purchases. A not insignificant part of the city's income is also generated by numerous gambling establishments . The reopened Nathu La Pass to Tibet was the main trade route for wool , furs and spices until it was closed in 1962 .
Infrastructure
Gangtok is abundantly supplied with water from numerous springs in the vicinity of the city. In addition, the entire power supply is secured by hydropower plants . The only heart clinic in the state of Sikkim is in Gangtok. Only about 30% of Gangtok's houses are connected to the sewer system ; it would cost 6.4 million US dollars to connect the remaining houses to the network. The maximum building height of houses in Gangtok is 15 meters, but nobody adheres to this rule. To be environmentally friendly, plastic bags were banned from the city. Almost all shops therefore pack their goods in paper bags.
There are several good schools in Gangtok, but only one college that only offers degrees in arts and commerce . There is no university either , but Sikkim Manipal University is only eight kilometers outside of town. Other institutions award diplomas in less established fields of study, such as Buddhist literature. Many emigrate to the cities of Shiliguri and Kolkata for a better education. In addition to the lack of industry in and around the city, the lack of training is one reason for the rising unemployment.
City administration
In addition to being the capital of the state, the city is also the administrative seat of the East Sikkim district. As the capital of East Sikkim, Gangtok is also the seat of the District Collector, which is a civil servant of the Indian state with broad powers in the fields of legislation, taxation and construction. Gangtok is the seat of the Sikkim High Court, the smallest of its kind in India.
Gangtok is administered by a local council, whose members are directly elected by the population. The supervision and maintenance of the road network is the task of the Border Roads Organization (BRO), which is part of the Indian army. Unlike other Indian cities, Gangtok does not have its own police station. Instead, the city falls under the state police force, headed by the Director General of Police, who is the highest ranked police officer in India. An Inspector General of Police, who reports to the Director General of Police, is responsible for Gangtok. Gangtok has one of the lowest crime rates in all of India.
traffic
Public transport in Gangtok is limited to taxis , with larger distances in the vicinity being covered by shared taxis, the so-called share jeeps . The city is the only Indian capital where a cable car has been built, but its travel distance is less than a kilometer. The aerial tramway once served the Ministers of Legislative Assembly only, but is now open to the public.
The only road to Gangtok is the gravel road NH-31A, which runs from Shiliguri, 114 kilometers away, via Kalimpong and has a branch to Darjiling . The cities will be publicly connected by buses as well as private jeeps and minibuses. The nearest train station is in New Jalpaiguri , a suburb of Shiliguri, 124 kilometers away . The nearest airport is Bagdogra Airport, which is 16 kilometers from Shiliguri . Gangtok is approached from there by a helicopter flight service.
Media, entertainment and telecommunications
Gangtok has daily newspapers in English , Nepalese and Hindi . They only print the Nepalese newspapers in the city. English newspapers are The Statesman and The Telegraph , which are printed in Shiliguri, and The Hindu and The Times of India , which are printed in Kolkata and arrive in Gangtok a day late. In addition, various magazines appear, such as Catscanned .
There are three cinemas in Gangtok that play films in the three languages mentioned above. There is also a public library.
Internet is available in several Internet cafés , among others , but broadband Internet access is rather rare. Most households have satellite TV connections which can receive all Indian and some Nepalese channels. There is also a single radio station , All India Radio . The city is served by three cell phone network operators .
Culture
In addition to the Indian festivals such as Diwali and Makar Sankranti , Buddhist festivals such as Losar , Loosong , Bhumchu , Saga Dawa , Lhabab Duechen and Drupka Teshi are also celebrated. In addition, the Tibetan New Year (Losar) is celebrated in mid-December. Most shops and public facilities are therefore closed for a week. In recent years, the Christian Christmas has also become increasingly popular. In January the city of Chaam , a dance festival with masks, is held with great excitement.
The music heard in Gangtok includes Western rock music, Nepalese rock and Hindi pop.
Soccer and cricket are the most popular sports in the city. The only sports field in town is the Paljor Stadium.
The kitchen in Gangtok consists mainly of pasta, such as Thukpa , Chowmein, Thanthuk, Fakthu, Gyathuk and wonton . In addition, momo (dumplings filled with vegetables, beef or pork) is a traditional dish in the region. Alcohol is very cheap because of the low taxes and especially the Indian beer called Hit is very popular.
Attractions
Palzor Stadium Road
The Palzor Stadium Road, or just PS Road, connects the districts and suburbs further down the valley with the city center. There are numerous hotels at the end of this street, including the Hotel Tibet, on the top floor of which the Dalai Lama stays when he visits the city.
Mahatma Gandhi Road
As a commercial street, MG Road is the city's economic center.
Lal Bazaar
Lal Bazar is the city's large market at the end of MG Road, where traders from all over India and also from Nepal and Bhutan sell their goods on weekends.
Development Area
This area, which is also called Zero Point, lies a little above the city. It was selected by the government for the city's future expansion. The city library is there.
Parks and gardens
The Himalayan Zoological Park shows the fauna of the Himalayan region, with collar bears , Indian leopards , snow leopards , Tibetan wolves , muntjacs , crawling cats , small pandas and axis deer , among others . Furthermore, numerous different bamboo and more than 50 different tree species grow in the Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Gardens .
Namgyal Research Institute of Tibetology
Also known as the Tibetology Museum, the museum houses a large collection of masks, Buddhist scriptures, statues, tapestries and over 200 Buddhist icons . It is a center for teaching Buddhist philosophy . In the garden there is the famous statue of Padmasambhava , when he saw it, according to legend, he said "she looks like me".
Rumtek Monastery
Just outside the city is one of the holiest Buddhist monasteries, the Rumtek Monastery . Belonging to the Kagyu Monastery Order, one of the most important Tibetan lineages, the monastery houses some of the most important and sacred Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and religious objects. It was built in 1960 using a simple monastery in Lhasa as a model.
Enchey Monastery (Ningmapa Monastery Order)
Along with the Do-drul Chorten Stupa and the Rumtek Monastery, this monastery is one of the most important Buddhist institutions in Gangtok and the center of Buddhist teaching and culture. It is around 200 years old and built in the baroque style. This makes it the oldest monastery in the city. It is the seat of the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma order and houses numerous religious artefacts and images of gods.
Do-drul Chorten
This stupa , built in 1945 by Trulshi Rimpoché , head of the Nyingma order, houses relics, sacred books and mantras . There are 108 prayer wheels (Mani Lhakor) around the building . There is also a religious school in this building.
Further sights are the two temples dedicated to the Hindu gods Ganesha and Hanuman , Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok . Gangtok's highest house, the Siniolchu Lodge, is located near the Enchey Monastery, which is also close to the 90 meter high television tower of the state of Sikkim.
credentials
- ↑ PDF at www.censusindia.net
- ↑ Monasteries. National Informatics Center, accessed November 14, 2007 .
- ↑ Tashiding Monastery, where the Bumchu ceremony takes place
