SIKKIM !!! (SATYAJIT RAY'S DOCUMENTARY FILM)

Can you spot a small kingdom in the world map, surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. The Himalayas are still so young as it keeps on growing. Once upon a time, Palden Thondup Namgyal was the King or Chogyal of a Kingdom. The American lady, Hope Cooke was the Queen or Gyalmo of that Kingdom. Beautiful orchids or flowers in the forests ! Beautiful scenic beauty of the hills ! 90% of the people of that Kingdom used to live in the valleys. Farming was done on a large scale of crops like wheat, barley, rice, potato and maize. Along the Teesta river, two towns grew up, one is Lachen and another one is Lachung. Ropeways were there at that time, but, for transportation of goods only. 

Though, Chumthang market developed at a much later stage, but, in those days, on every Sunday, people used to gather at a market at Namchi. The Lepchas, the Nepalese, the Tibetans and the Bhutias used to live in this Kingdom with peace and harmony. The Nepalese people were Hindu and remained as Hindu people after settling down in this region. Buddhism was the main religion of this Kingdom. Pemayangtse monastery was one of the oldest monastaries of this Kingdom where devotees used to come and take blessings from the Tibetan Llamas. The ribbon tied at the neck of the devotees was a symbol of blessings from the Llamas. Gangtok also started to develop at that time and Lal Bazar became a busy marketplace. 

Education was free for all. The then Government used to spend a large amount of money for free education to all. What a beautiful and refreshing sight it was to see the students coming towards the school with a sweet smiling face ! Every year, on the month of December, the ground of Tsuklakhang Palace was opened to the public for the Kagyed festival. It is a festival to burn all the evil forces of the past. The Llamas perform the Cham dance as Mahakala with a masked face. Free lunch was provided to all on the festival day. Everyone used to enjoy Rice, Pork and Chaang. Chaang is a local drink served in a glass made of bamboo and a straw is used to drink it. At least once in a lifetime, one must visit the sweet and beautiful Kingdom of "SIKKIM".