The combination tour offers the encounter with the
rich culture and ancient artifacts of Nepal and Pemayangste monastery
and Yuksom in West Sikkim in addition to Darjeeling and Gangtok. Pemayangste,
“The Sublime Perfect Lotus”, is the head of all other monasteries of
the Nyingma-pa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. A majority of the Sikkimese
Buddhists belong to this sect. It is great not only in its antiquity
but also in sanctity. The walls and ceilings bear brilliantly hued frescoes
of gods and demons. It also houses the intricately carved woodwork,
“Zangdok Parli” portraying the Mahaguru’s heavenly palace. You will
also see one of the most breathtaking views of the mountains right from
your hotel rooms. Yuksom is the first capital of Sikkim, where the first
Chogyal was consecrated in 1642.
Most of the trekking routes are only a few tens of kilometers from major
towns but going there is like travelling many hundred years back into
time. The best months to trek in Sikkim are March to May and September
to November. Most of the places on trekking routes in remote areas are
just herders' huts or sheds and some places have nothing at all but
wilderness.
Language: - The Tibetan language is generally classified as a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sino-Tibetan language family although the boundaries between 'Tibetan' and certain other Himalayan languages can be unclear.
History:- The general history of Tibet begins with the rule
of Songtsän Gampo (604–50 CE) who united parts of the Yarlung River
Valley and founded the Tibetan Empire. He also brought in many reforms
and Tibetan power spread rapidly creating a large and powerful empire.
Geography: - Most modern geographical sources consider Tibet
to be located in East Asia while some (mostly European and American
sources) have regarded Tibet as part of Central Asia. Today's maps
of the West show a trend toward considering all of modern China, including
Tibet, to be part of East Asia. Some academic institutions also include
Tibet in their South Asia studies programs. Tibet is west of China
proper, and within China, Tibet is regarded as part of Xibu a term
usually translated by Chinese media as "the Western section", meaning
"Western China".
Economy: - The Tibetan economy is dominated by subsistence
agriculture. Due to limited arable land, the primary occupation of
the Tibetan Plateau is raising livestock, such as sheep, cattle, goats,
camels, yaks, dzo, and horses. The main crops grown are barley, wheat,
buckwheat, rye, potatoes, and assorted fruits and vegetables. As a
result of being subsistence agricultural society Tibet is ranked the
lowest among China’s 31 provinces, on the Human Development Index
according to UN Development Programme data.
Culture & Religion: - Religion and spirituality is extremely
important to the Tibetans and has a b influence over all aspects of
lives; ingrained deeply into their cultural heritage. Bön is the ancient
traditional religion of Tibet, but following the introduction of Tantric
Buddhism into Tibet by Padmasambhava this became eclipsed by Tibetan
Buddhism, a distinctive form of Vajrayana. Tibetan Buddhism is practiced
not only in Tibet but also in Mongolia, parts of northern India, the
Buryat Republic, the Tuva Republic, and in the Republic of Kalmykia
and some other areas in China besides the Tibet region.
Bird Watching:
Sikkim is rich in avifauna and is considered to be a birdwatchers
paradise. Its avian population extends to almost 550 species. The
climate varies between the tropical heat of the valleys and the alpine
cold of the snowy regions. The altitudinal zones of vegetation range
from tropical, sub tropical, temperate to Alpine. In some places only
10 Kms in a direct line separate the warm valleys from perpetual snow.