Here is Why Ravangla is the Latest Trend in Sikkim. A 4-Days Itinerary to Offbeat Sikkim.
Perched in the lap of the
mountains, Ravangla, South Sikkim is a peaceful hamlet amidst the clouds. I
happen to be lucky enough to have been posted there for about a year or so
before getting into research. Once you are there you would feel that you are in
one of the most tranquil places you could ever be.
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| A clear sunny view from 14th Mile in Ravangla |
Best time to visit
November to March. Although the
month of December and January faces the chilling cold at nights, the mornings
would be clear and sunny. Other months of the year, Ravangla faces severe
rainfall being on the windward side of Maenam Hill.
How to Reach Ravangla
Or if you opt for flight your
destination would be preferably Bagdogra domestic airport (IXB) at Siliguri or
Pakyong Airport (PYG) at Gangtok. Cars are available there. For budget travel (i.e.
shared) (on or before 14:00 hrs IST), however, go to SNT from Bagdogra or
Gangtok from Pakyong and avail shared cars. Direct cars (10:00 hrs IST sharp)
and bus service (13:00 hrs IST) to Ravangla are also available from SNT bus
stand at Siliguri.
Itinerary
Day 1: NJP (New Jalpaiguri)/
Siliguri- Singtam- Temi- Ravangla (6hrs), check-in a hotel, go and visit the
market place and Kunphenling Tibetan Settlement.
Day 2: Visit Ralong Monasteries-
Buddha Park-Ravangla Gompa- drive towards Legship- visit Mt. Narsing resort
only if it is a sunny day- Tashiding bridge- Kirateshwar Mandir- back to
Ravangla.
Day 3: Visit Rayong Busty pine
forest (if you wish to view sunrise leave this for the return journey)- Sunrise viewpoint- Tareybhir- Namchi rock garden- Namchi central park- Chardham-
Samdruptse- Return to Ravangla
Day 4: (optional Trek Maenam)/Get
on the early morning bus to Siliguri (ticket cost-170/-)
Places to visit in Ravangla
Ravangla itself is an amazing rural land. Once you get on the road you would find even the roadside views charismatic. It is as if Mother Nature has painted the slopes with the best strokes of her brush. The mountain ranges visible are Mt. Siniolchu, Mt. Narsing, Mt. Pandim and Mt. Kabru i.e. the twin peaks of the Kanchenjunga range. The stepped farming is a frequent food to the eyes here. A horticulture farm is also here wherein various medicinal samples are also cultivated.
Tathagatha
Tsal, commonly
known as the Buddha Park, is the main attraction of Ravangla featuring a 130 ft
of Buddha statue at the center of the park. The entry fee is 50INR for common
people and 10INR for students. Cars are available for aged persons for 200INR.
As soon as one enters the premises of the park, one gets to hear a faint humming
of "Om Mani Padme Hum" which inherently refreshes the mind. The park
also holds a souvenir shop, a cafe, a prayer hall and a restaurant wherein
delicious momos are available.
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| Buddha Park with Mt Kabru in the Backdrop |
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| In one frame |
Besides the Buddha park is
situated the old Rabong Gompa,
a century-old pilgrimage center which later on extended to the present day
Tathagatha Tsal. This is famous for the celebration of Pang Lhabsol in the month of September. [ Read on: Pang Lhabsol and the tale of the Blood Brotherhood]
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| Rabong Gompa |
ProTip: Have your stay preferably at Mt. NarsingVillage resort. It is a quiet and unperturbed resort at the top of a hill. The view from the resort is breathtaking; the whole of the range is visible with a little more of the twin peaks. The car would not go up there, so one has to trek, a tad bit of it though. However, the awestruck destination would just subdue the tiresome journey, no doubt. Also there is a cafeteria alongside the main road, so if you are not up for the trek you can have a cup of coffee here.
Dorling
Monastery is a small monastery down the Barfung road. Cars
are available from the market at 150INR which would take you down to it. Besides
the monastery a small lake is there which goes by the local name of Seven Sisters Lake (this should
not be misinterpreted with the Seven sisters waterfall).
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| Dorling Monastery |
Pro Tip: While returning from the monastery one may have a detour through the Barfung Retreat which is another resort with a discreet surrounding.Another spectacular resort is Khachoe Residency which is situated just opposite to the National Institute of Technology Sikkim. It is a cluster of small huts and a perfect stay for couples.
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| Kunphenling Tibetan Settlement |
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| The Carpet Centre |
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| The woven Carpets |
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| The gate to the Monastery |
Pro Tip: Trek the Maenam hill which has an altitude of 10,500 feet. The trek starts from Ravangla (7000ft). So if anyone is up for viewing the sunrise they should start from the preceeding night. Otherwise, a day is enough; starting from 4 am and coming down by 5 pm in the evening will do. A monastery is there at the peak of Maenam. The trek is tiring but if you are determined enough you will enjoy it. Carry some chocolates, fruit juice and lots of water lest you run out of calories.
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| The trees at the Maenam Peak |
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| Trekking to the Peak |
Neighbouring Spots
Palchen
Chosling Monastery or the new Ralong
Monastery exemplifying Tibetan Architecture is located 6 km from
Ravangla. Had you been to the Rumtek Monastery already, then this (Ralong)
would seem a lot more familiar. The interior of the monastery has an extensive
collection of paintings and thangkas (Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton) and
well maintained seats. One would often find young monks playing on the campus.
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| Interior of the Monastery |
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| Monks playing in the premises |
The old Ralong Monastery or Karma Rabtenling Monastery hosts the festival of Pang Lhabsol when Mount Kanchendzonga is worshipped, usually in August-September, on the 15th day of the seventh month of the Buddhist calendar. This is celebrated with the performance of masked dancers.
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| The old Ralong Monastery |
About 9 km away from Ravangla, on the way to Namchi is Rayong Sunrise viewpoint. It is on Ravangla-Damthang Road. If you are visiting Namchi from Ravangla get down at the Rayong Bustee; here a must-visit is the pine forest, the trees are so tall that one would look puny underneath their shadow. As for the sunrise point, the place is not that well maintained. It’s all bushy and slippery. There are stairs, got hidden under the bushes, follow the trail and you would end up in front of a spooky resting place which is an unfinished monastery as it seemed. Had it been under maintenance it would have been indeed a notable place. The road from the busty to the point is a true delight to the camera lenses with the mountain peak and pine trees in the backdrop.
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| Rayong Road |
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| The Pine Forest |
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| Sunrise from Rayong Sunrise Point |
Tareybhir is a steep-sloped hill viewpoint at Sadam giving the panoramic view of the
surrounding locales. One could see the Teesta Bridge given the weather is
clear. The Namchi-Melli road is also visible from this viewpoint. The stairs
would show all the way to the end, coming back is thus an uphill stairs
journey.
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| Tareybhir Suicide Point |
The Damthang road bifurcates into
two- one towards Singtam another towards Namchi. The one to Singtam passes through
the Temi tea garden. There is
hardly anyone who hasn't tasted the Temi tea. It is an internationally famous tea
with an aromatic flavor and is produced organically. The tea garden is on the
gentle slopes of the Tendong hill and the road loops through it making it
sublime to the eyes.
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| Temi Tea Garden |
Towards Namchi, on the Namchi
Damthang road first comes to the Samdruptse hill atop which is located the Samdrupste Monastery. It is the
abode of 135ft Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) whom I personally named as
the angry Buddha. It is about 2 km away from the main road; a little drive
uphill would do.
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| Samdruptse Monastery |
Namchi
Central Park is the market place of Namchi from where the
villages acquire their goods. The district hospital is also situated here.
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| Namchi Central Park |
Thereon move on to Chardham; replicas of the four
dhams- Badrinath, Jagannath, Dwarka dedicated to lord Vishnu and Rameshwar
dedicated to Lord Shiva is built surrounding a 161ft high Shiva statue.
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| Shiva Statue |
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| The Char Dhams |
Namchi
rock garden has an exotic view of the Kanchendzonga range;
also lately the Namchi ropeway has been built here. So it’s a must-visit too.
Although this is in the opposite
direction to Namchi from Ravangla (towards Geyzing), Legship too is a tourist spot accessible from Ravangla. The Tashiding Bridge is yet another
suspension bridge besides the Singshore of Pelling.
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| Tashiding Bridge |
Also, the Kirateshwar Mahadev temple is the preferred Shiva temple for
the localities of Ravangla.
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| Mahadev Temple |
On
a special note, speaking of the place and not mentioning the institution for
which I could detail out Ravangla would be like an ode without the epode. National
Institute of Technology Sikkim has its campus here, so engineering aspirants if
you want to study and travel simultaneously then this is for you.
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| National Institute of Technology Sikkim |
[All materials contained on this site (text, photographs, layout, etc.)
are protected by copyright law to the author unless specified otherwise.]
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15 comments
This looks like an awesome place. I love such small villages!
ReplyDeletei love your picture so much !!! so lovely :) looking for more
ReplyDeleteThere is just so much to see there I cannot believe it. I like that you suggest the best time to go, it is nice to know what the weather would be like at different times of the year
ReplyDeleteThe trees at the peak look a little worse for wear. It seems like a great place to enjoy some time outdoors, which is how I mostly spend my time!
ReplyDeleteI've always felt that East India is so different from the rest of India, culture wise. The monasteries and temples look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThis place looks so peaceful and tranquil indeed! Especially I loved the pics of Rayong Sunrise view point!
ReplyDeleteAnd as I can see there are just few people on your picutres, so I suppose this area is not overcrowded with tourists, am I right?
How much time did you spend traveling around Ravangla?
I was posted there for about a year
DeleteAmazing post on a hidden gem in the East. I love your blog for the way you cover this often overlooked part of India.
Deletei surely get it! the place has everything an adventure would want for his/ her adventure! i think it is a great place to refresh the mind too!
ReplyDeletesuch a comprehensive article detailing all the relevant requirements , i am sure going to bookmark this
ReplyDeleteRavangla is a beautiful destination, almost too good to be true! I visited a couple of years ago and didn't see many tourists around. I'm glad to hear it's starting to get discovered. Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteOur love for Northeast India just grows everyday and when ever we see a post on the region, we want to go Backpacking North East India again! Even though we explored the region for 4 months, we still have to cover Sikkim fully and Ravangla will be on our list for sure!!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks sublime and refreshing. I'd love to come here and just immerse myself in my surroundings, take in the scenery and let peace course through my veins. Definitely adding Ravangla to my bucket list!
ReplyDeleteAmazing pictures of the mountains. And I loved the content on the Monasteries, they look beautiful. I visited one in Cyprus and it was pretty amazing :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Thank you for your comment. It was a great experience for everyone in our group and we had an amazing time! small buddha statue
ReplyDelete