Top Historical & Heritage Places in Sikkim

At a distance of 2 km from Phodong Monastery and 39 km from Gangtok, Tumlong is a historical village situated near Phodong in Sikkim. It is one of the historical places in Sikkim and among the top Gangtok Tourist Places.

Tumlong was historically the third capital of Kingdom of Sikkim after Yuksom and Rabdentse. As Rabdentse Palace was repeatedly attacked by the Nepal royal army, Tshudpud Namgyal, the then Chogyal of Sikkim shifted his capital from Rabdenste to Tumlong in 1793. Tumlong was the capital of Sikkim till 1894 when Chogyal Thutob Namgyal shifted his capital to present day Gangtok.

Tumlong Monastery is home to a small monastery and palace. This monastery was established in 1840 as a center for the monks who had arrived in the capital at the behest of the king. It lies at the top of the village at an elevation of 1473 m, quite close to the ruins of the Tumlong Palace. A Tibetan architectural splendor, Tumlong Palace exhibits a well-constructed edifice with slanting walls and tiny windows. A Chinese-looking square copper gilt canopy is located in the middle of the palace. This canopy is surmounted by a ball and a square spire. The palace has a broad thatched roof, which looks like a closed umbrella. It is surrounded by chortens.

One can also visit the Labrang and the Phodong monasteries which are situated nearby.

Timings: 8 AM - 5 PM

At a distance of 35 km from Pelling, 55 km from Ravangla and 126 km from Gangtok, Yuksom a historical town in West Sikkim district in the Northeast Indian state of Sikkim. It is the gateway to Kangchendzongha and among the best places to visit in Pelling.
Situated at an altitude of 5,800 feet, Yuksom is located at the southern fringes of Kanchenjunga National Park and is known for its gorgeous landscape and snow-capped mountains. It was the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first Chogyal of Sikkim. The meaning of the term Yuksom is 'meeting place of the three lamas'. This is the place where three Tibetan monks met and enthroned the first King (Chogyal) of Sikkim in 1641. This was the beginning of Namgyal dynasty in Sikkim which lasted for 332 years. Visitors can visit and see the coronation stone at Norbugang where the first King Phuntsog Namgyal was consecrated.

Yuksom also has a religious connotation attached as it symbolically represents 'the third eye of Sikkim'. Yuksom is part of Demazon (valley of rice), the sacred landscape consisting of four religious sites which have been blessed by Guru Padmasambhava and which are considered to be the four plexuses of the human body, in which Yuksom represents the 'third eye'.

The town houses Dubdi Monastery, the oldest monastery of Sikkim which was established in 1701. It was the hermit cell of the lama Lhabtsun Chenpo who had the highest seat out of three monks who enthroned ...

At a distance of 17 km from Tsomgo Lake and 54 km from Gangtok, Nathula is a snow-shrouded mountain pass located in the northeastern state of Sikkim along the Indo-China border. Situated at an altitude of 14450 feet in the Himalayas, it is one of the most exotic places to visit in Gangtok and among the top places to experience Sikkim Tourism.

Located on the Old Silk Route, Nathula is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China. The other two are Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh at the trisection point of Uttarakhand, Nepal and China. Also, it is one of the five officially agreed Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army of China.

Deriving its name from two Tibetan words - Nathu meaning listening ears and La meaning pass,
Nathula Pass was the place through which the famous Silk Route between India and Tibet used to operate until 1962. Lines of mules used to carry silk, gold and many other items from Tibet to India and take daily essentials back to Tibet. It plays a key role in the Sino-Indian trade and also shortens the distance between the important Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimage sites, thus strengthening the economy and improving border relations with China. It was closed for almost four decades after the People's Republic of China suppressed a Tibetan uprising in 1959. However, the Nathula Pass was reopened in 2006 allowing limited trade between India and China.

This Indo-Chinese ...