Christmas Nuggets

Christmas has some quaint customs in different parts of the world. Rakesh Kumar collects these bits

 

Christmas is when virtually the whole world gets into a festive mood. At this time of year, the streets of cities, towns and villages gets decked up with colour, lights and Christmas decorations, creating a magical atmosphere all around. This is one festival where, irrespective of the Christian population, there is an air of celebration and feasting. Some things are common, such as Christmas tree, mistletoe, the Nativity, feating and Midnight mass, yet, some customs set apart Christmas in different parts of the world. We bring some of these unique festivities.

Spain

The first special date in Spain is 22 December, marked by the draw for the Christmas Lottery ~ almost everyone in Spain takes part and prizes are celebrated in style out in the streets. The next big days are definitely the most family-oriented, on 24 and 25 December: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as well as the Midnight mass. The most entertaining day falls on 28 December with the Day of the Santos Inocentes, when people play pranks similar to those of April Fools' Day.
People say goodbye to the year with the New Year's Eve celebrations on 31 December. To get involved,  don't forget to buy 12 grapes in advance. Why? According to Spanish tradition, everyone has to eat one grape in time with the striking of the clock at midnight. If you manage to eat them all on time, you will have a New Year full of luck.

Germany

In Germany, Christmas trees are secretly decorated by the mother of the family for her young kids. The Christmas tree is traditionally brought into the house on Christmas eve.

Poland's Warsaw's market
In Poland, Christmas is celebrated a bit differently. On this day everything is supposed to be clean. So, people wash their windows and clean their carpets very thoroughly. Unlike other parts of the world, in Poland, Christmas meal is eaten in the evening. It's traditional that no food is eaten until the first star is seen in the sky! So children look at the night sky to spot the first star. In Warsaw one can see the reconstructed historic district bedecked in decorations, Christmas trees lighting up the main thoroughfares and little huts from which vendors sell Polish treasures for those searching for souvenirs or decorations.

Israel
In the little town of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, on Christmas Eve, natives and visitors alike crowd the church doorways and stand on the roof to watch for the dramatic annual procession. Galloping horsemen and police mounted on Arabian horses lead the parade. They are followed by a solitary horseman carrying a cross and sitting astride a coal-black steed. Then come the churchmen and government officials. The procession solemnly enters the doors and places an ancient effigy of the Holy Child in the church. Deep winding stairs lead to a grotto, where visitors find a silver star marking the site of the birth of Jesus.
Christian homes in Bethlehem are marked by a cross painted over the door and each home displays a homemade manger scene. A star is set up on a pole in the village square.

Australia

In Australia, Christmas falls in the middle of the summer holidays, so some people might even be camping at Christmas. Australians hang wreaths on their front doors and sometimes go out Christmas carol singing on Christmas eve. People also decorate their houses and gardens with Christmas trees and Christmas lights. Neighbours sometimes have little competitions as to who has got the best light display. On Boxing Day most people visit their friends and often have barbecue at the beach. A famous yacht race from Sydney to Hobart in Tasmania is also held on Boxing Day.

Philippines
The Southeast Asian island nation has the world's longest festive season and pulls no punches in its celebratory zeal, with lavish light displays, masses, and festivals held throughout the country from September until January. The formal Christmas celebrations start on 16 December, when many people go to the first of nine pre-dawn or early morning masses. The last mass is on Christmas day.

Norway
Santa Claus is said to live in Norway. And Christmas Eve is the time when gifts are exchanged. The presents are also said to be brought by small gnomes called "Nisse". Children pick up the gifts from under the Christmas Tree and read the cards on them out loud. On this day, rice porridge is sometimes left for the Nisse, who, it is believed, guard the farm animals. In some parts of Norway, children dress up as characters from the Christmas Story, such as shepherds and the Wise Men, and go singing from house to house in their neighbourhood. Another tradition in parts of Norway is that families light a candle every night from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day. Interestingly, the most famous custom about Christmas in Norway is the big Christmas Tree that the country gives to the UK every year. The tree is given to thank the UK for the help its people gave to Norway during World War II. The tree stands in Trafalgar Square in the middle of London and hundreds of people come to watch when the lights are turned on.

Russia
In Russia and many other countries, including Serbia, Christmas is normally celebrated on 7 January. The difference in the date is because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old Julian calendar to mark religious days. The official Christmas and New Year holidays in Russia last from 31 December to 10 January. Some people fast on Christmas Eve, until the first star has appeared in the sky. People then eat "sochivo" or "kutia", a porridge made from wheat or rice, served with honey, poppy seeds, fruit (especially berries and dried fruit like raisins), chopped walnuts or sometimes even fruit jellies. Following the meal, prayers might be said and people then go to the midnight Church services. They don't wash the dishes until they get home from Church.

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On a spiritual note

Even as celebrations in pubs and bars ring in the new year, rakesh kumar notices another growing trend ~
people heading for the temple

 

Ram Niwas Shastri, in his 40s, booked a ticket to Vaishno Devi for his family, which includes two kids and his mother, at least two months ago for the New Year. His only argument for doing so is that he wants to spend the first day of the year on a spiritual note. According to him what could be better than visiting a temple. "I could have easily afforded a leisure vacation on hill stations or at the sea shore. But it was my family's desire to start the year on a religious note. Therefore, we decided a trip to  Vaishno Devi to kickstart the new year," reasoned Shastri, who is an engineer by profession and well-paid.
This is not a stray case. Take the example of Krishna Pophale, a Mumbai- based pharmaceutical businessman, whose family also wants to visit some temple on this day. Therefore, he was planning to visit Shirdi temple in Mumbai. The family thinks the first day of the year is very auspicious; therefore visiting a temple is the best option. "What is the first thing we do after buying a house, vehicle or anything new? Or what do we do when we start a new business or go for a job the first time? In all the cases we visit a temple, don't we? Like this, we also want to visit a temple on New Year," opined Pohphale.
Going by the Indian tradition, it is true that before starting anything fresh, visiting a temple is deemed as a good omen. Therefore, it seems that in this new year, inspite of many heading to the hills, sea or another city, a number of people would prefer a temple or religious place to begin their new year. Earlier, people seemed to be more interested in visiting exotic places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Kerala, Shimla, Manali, Sikkim or Ladakh, but now new trend of visiting holy places is also taking shape. Shuomo Mukherjee from the Key Hotels and Key Resorts totally agreed with this trend. "We have 15 hotels and many are at religious places like Mahabaleshwar, Shirdi and Tirupati. Surprisingly, all our hotels are packed with 80 per cent occupancy. This confirms the new trend ~ people love to visit some spiritual place than some other place," said Mukhejee, chief marketing officer of Key Hotels. "Moreover, on this day, we get many requests from our customers to facilitate the temple visit."

During Christmas week, which goes on till the dawn of the new year, people remain in a holiday mood. As per Thomas Cook India, a travel planner company, the upcoming New Year holiday offers opportunity for short breaks and has further fuelled demand, resulting in an impressive upswing of over 26 per cent for international holidays. As the Indian traveller is conventionally a last minute planner, the expected number could increase further by about 10-12 per cent. Another travel website, Yatra.com informed that there is 40 per cent hike in bookings compared with last year. "However, recently, newer destinations such as desert, heritage, waterfront and even pilgrimage destinations are being explored as leisure holiday spots, and will account for 50 per cent share in all holidays planned in the upcoming year," said Hari Nair, founder and CEO, HolidayIQ.com.
However, Sharat Dhall, president of Yatra.com, has a different take on it. He agreed there are a number of people, who like to visit the temple on 1 January but not in such numbers that one could call it a trend. "Of course, many prefer the religious destination but that is not the only case. Still people prefer those destinations, which are short distance destinations and unexplored."

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A desert jewel

Known for its Shekhawati paintings, Mandawa has much more to offer its visitor, realised rakesh kumar

When I first heard about the place, Mandawa, I mistakenly related it to Mandwa of Agneepath fame. It was our driver, who was taking us there, who quickly corrected me and said, "It is Mandawa not Mandwa."
  Founded in the mid-18th century, Mandawa in Jhunjhuni district of Rajasthan was once home to rich merchant families. These wealthy merchants had constructed enormous havelis that were grandly decorated. While many of these havelis are now in a sorry state, the wall paintings in them are still intact. The beautiful fresco wall paintings that decorate all the havelis is the hallmark of the Shkehawati region, under which Mandawa too falls.
 Just 260 km away from Delhi, it took us seven hours to reach there late at night. At first sight, Mandawa appeared to be a quaint, almost uninhabited town. This impression quickly disappeared as we entered the Sara Vilas Hotel, where we were accorded a royal welcome. 

Magical start

The first day greeted us with several surprises, the foremost being the hotel itself. Set in idyllic, beautifully landscaped gardens, housing 62 vilas and three suites, the hotel has spectacular views with large terraces. It was designed to recreate the regal ambience of a bygone era, promising to be a perfect getaway.
At breakfast, the hotel manager informed us of the many places to explore in the small town. He recommended Mandawa fort, royal havelis, fresco paintings, temples, wild life, camel ride, markets and much more. He also informed us that a number of Bollywood films, including Aamir Khan starrer PK, Jab We Met with Shahid Kapoor and Kareena, Shahrukh starrer Paheli and Sanjay Dutt's Zed Plus were shot in Mandawa.
This information increased our expectations and we set out to explore Mandawa. Acting as our guide, our driver told us that Mandawa is popularly known as the open art gallery of Rajasthan due to its murals and frescoes depicting tales from mythology, legends and contemporary life. The havelis also attracted a large number of foreign tourists, who were minutely examining the paintings.
We first visited the Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli, which was closed from all sides and had one large main gate. Like other havelis, there were two courtyards ~ the outer one meant for men and an inner one in the women's quarters. Next on the list was Hanuman Parsad Goenka Haveli. Its architecture was the same but the haveli depicted paintings of Lord Indra on an elephant and Lord Shiva. The Goenka Double Haveli was twin havelis built for two brothers. It has two gates, its portico adorned with elephants and horses. We then visited Mohanlal Saraf Haveli, Chowkhani Haveli, Bhagchandika Haveli and Lakshmi Narayan Ladia Haveli. Most of them are in a ruined state or are maintained by a watchman. Some of them have been converted into hotels. Interestingly, one of the watchmen informed that the absentee owners lived in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. Since the ownership is shared by several siblings or cousins, they cannot come to an agreement on maintenance.

Nawalgarh

After our tour of Mandawa's havelis, our guide insisted we visit Nawalgarh too, which is 30 km from Manadwa and also known for its havelis. What we noticed that havelis here are cleaner and better maintained. Like Mandawa, in Nawalgarh too, there are many famous havelis are to see, but due to lack of time we managed to visit only the Poddar Museum. Here were preserved not only fresco paintings but the havelis gave a glimpse of Rajasthani culture. From trains to Krishna and mythology characters, from various types of Pagdis (headgear) to wedding dresses, there was so much to see that it took us two hours and cost us our lunch too.  Our day ended with a camel ride to the highest sand dunes in the village, from where we got the best view of Mandawa.

Wild-life

The next day, we planned to visit places a bit away from Mandawa. So Tal Chapar Sanctuary, which was around 70 km from Mandwa, found space in our itinerary for the next day. Famous for the Black Buck, the sanctuary houses around 2,000 deer. It was a pleasant experience, encountering a group of 50-100 deer, roaming in the park. The two-day trip to Mandawa came to an end with a visit to Salasar Balaji Temple.

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The Great Kabab Factory, Park Plaza Gurgaon

Come winter and many restaurants in the Capital upgrade their menu to offer their patrons winter-specific dishes. Among them is Park Plaza Gurgaon's restaurant, The Great Kabab Factory, which has come up with an exotic gastronomic experience, Amritsar to Lahore, covering a variety of cuisines. As the name suggests, chef Vakil has made sincere attempts to take the guests on a culinary journey from Amritsar to Lahore, by offering the best delicacies found in these two regions. Since the festival will be on till 21 December, the whole ambience is filled with Punjabi and Lahori colours ~ from waiter to chef ~ and a glimpse of the region is visible in every corner of the restaurant.

 Our culinary journey began with Galauti Kababs and then Bhatti da Kukad ~ a speciality of Punjab, which was charred to perfection, the well basted skin giving way to moist chicken. The evergreen Machhi Amritsari was also good but I preferred Murgh Seene de Pasande. There was plenty for vegetarians too, including Punjabi Choley di Tikki, Paneer Lahori Tikka and Bhatinde di Fruit Chaat, along with the other vegetarian dishes. And yes, how could one miss the evergreen drink, Chachh (buttermilk), which goes well with every dish. We ended our meal with Moong Dal Halwa, Jalebi de naal Rabri and Anjeer di Phirni.

Rakesh Kumar

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Celebration for all

India is known as the land of festivals, with some celebrated across the land and others relegated to a region or state. But now, an intermingling of celebrations can be seen as several festivals cross borders and set off gaiety all over the country. Rakesh kumar sees a cause to celebrate some of these unifying festivities

They say nothing binds people together like celebration. And if it is a festival where members of all communities can participate, the bonds are further strengthened. Of late, there have been several such festivals, which were regional to begin with, but have panned out across the country. Then there are some common festivals that are celebrated in different ways.
 This year, when Delhi government declared a government holiday on Chath, a festival widely celebrated in Bihar and some parts of Uttar Pradesh, the move brought cheer among the community hailing from those states. Though many termed this to be a political stunt to increase voter bank, at the same time it defined the outreach of the festival. What was till a few years back limited to a particularly state, has now widened its horizon and reached the Capital, where a gala event is held. In fact, it is not only the Chath, but there are many such festivals like Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja and Raksha Bandhan, which were initially celebrated either in one or two states but have now spread throughout the country, some of them even crossing border s. Blessed with a multi- cultural population, India has numerous and varied festivals, that are held throughout the year.


Land of festivals

Since India has always been a land of diversity, there are numerous religions, languages, cultures and castes. Each month is crowded with people celebrating fairs and festivals. Different religions have their own cultural and traditional festivals. Each and every festival is celebrated uniquely, according to rituals and beliefs. Each festival has its own history, legend and significance of celebration. For instance, it is a belief that Hindus have a holiday for every day of the year ~ even that may be an understatement! Exactly how many Hindu festivals are celebrated is not known, but one scholar of Hinduism has listed more than a thousand different Hindu festivals. The other  major religious faiths ~ Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Christians ~ too have their share of festivals around the year.


Not merely religious

 Till recently, festivals were limited to their respective religions, like Diwali or Holi used to be celebrated by Hindus, Eid by the Muslims, Guru Purab only by Sikhs and Christmas by Christian only. However, over time and with a change in mindset, other communities now join in the festivities. For instances, Holi or Diwali are now celebrated by all. People can be seen colouring others or distributing sweets irrespective of their religions. On Eid, Guru Purab or Christmas, the same fervour can be seen in the celebration among all communities. Not just this, many festivals have not only crossed the boundary of religion but also states. Earlier, many festivals, which were only celebrated in one state, are now being celebrated all over the country though the way they are observed may be a bit different.
 A major divide is between South and the North, with each region having its unique festivals and also common festivals celebrated differently. South India has a culture inherited from the Dravidians, which is different from that of Aryans. However, with Aryans having migrated to South India ages ago, a mixing of culture and traditions has taken place. Now, because of migration and influence of people traveling to other parts of India and vice-versa, this intermingling is reflected in festivals as well.
 However, not many South Indian festivals, such as Pongal and Onam, have found their way outside the state borders even though the migrant population in other states celebrate them in the traditional manner. However, the spirit behind the harvest festival Pongal is reflected in Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated in several other states, including in the North.

Origin of festivals
As already mentioned, there is no exact list of all the festivals in India. However, there are many festivals, which owe their origin from a particular part of the country and travel around. A number of them, which were unknown to the rest of India, have now become pan-Indian celebrations. There is a long list of such festival including Holi, Krishna Janmashtami, Govinda, Onam, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Navaratri, Dussehra, and Durga Puja.

Common celebration
Some religious faiths like Christians and Muslims are spread across the country. Their festivals ~ Christmas, Eid and Easter ~ are common to the respective faiths no matter where they are. However, slight differences in celebration can be noticed from state to state. The same goes for the Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, who are today spread across the country.

Holi 

 

Holi is a festival of colours, which starts with a Holika bonfire on the night before Holi, where people gather, sing and dance. The next morning, people colour each other with dry powder and coloured water, with some water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for their water fight. Holi is of particular significance in the Braj region, which includes locations traditionally connected with Lord Krishna ~ Mathura, Vrindavan and Banaras.

In other parts of the country, the festival is being celebrated differently but with the same fervour. In Gujarat, UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the festival is celebrated like the rest of India, by sprinkling coloured water and applying colours to each other. However, South India did not traditionally have this festival. Now Holi is celebrated in South India too, though limited to cities, with as equal a vigour as in the North.

 

Diwali

This is another major festival, which is celebrated with much gaiety in North India. The day commemorates the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after his exile. Usually, on Diwali, the goddess Laxmi, a symbol of prosperity, is worshipped, people wear new clothes, share sweets and light firecrackers. This is how the festival of lights is traditionally celebrated all over India. However, in South India, it is celebrated with the same fervour, but with a different history. It commemorates the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura.

This day is celebrated as Deepavali (Diwali in the North) and it usually falls a day before the Diwali in North India. On this day, houses are cleaned, decorated with beautiful Rangoli designs on the doorstep. An elaborate oil bath is taken early in the morning before firecrackers are set off. Given the number of people who have migrated from North to South, the festival has witnessed a drastic change in the way it is celebrated. Now, people of South India are not only celebrating Deepavali the traditionally way but also the way the North celebrates it ~ with illuminationas and bursting firecrackers.

 

Durga Puja

Durga Puja is a ceremonial worship of the mother goddess and is one of the most important festivals of India. The festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.

The rituals entail ten days of fasting, feasting and worship. The last four days ~ Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami are celebrated with much grandeur. Durga Puja is mainly celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripura and Manipur. 

 Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja also marks its presence in other parts of the country. For instance, in northern parts of the country, where the 10-day festivities end with Dushera, Ram Leela is staged on all the days and effigy of Ravana burnt on the last day. But pandals for Durga Puja crop up across several cities. The same is true in Gujarat and Maharastra also, where playing Dandiya is their main form of celebration. These states too organise Durga Pandals in different parts of major cities. Similarly, other states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, organise Durga Puja as a part of their celebration thanks to a sizeable Bengali population.

 

Janmashtami

This is a celebration to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. The festival is celebrated in the North by fasting and staying up until midnight, when Krishna is believed to have been born. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchanging gifts.

 In Uttar Pradesh, places associated with Krishna’s childhood, such as Mathura, Gokul and Vrindavan, Rasa Lila, depicting the life of Krishna is enacted on this day. However, residents of Dwarka city in Gujarat, where Krishna is believed to have spent his adulthood and established his kingdom, celebrate the festival by visiting the Dwarkadish temple. Many states like Maharashtra and Gujarat organise a Dahi Handi, to celebrate Krishna's playful and mischievous side, where teams of young men form human towers to reach a pot (handi) of butter strung up high. Lately, the Dahi-Handi celebration is seen in several other states too.

 

 Ganesh Mahotsav

Ganesh Mahotsav or Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated to mark the birth of the elephant-headed God, Lord Ganesha. The 11-day festival witnesses much fanfare in Mumbai or western part of the country. On the occasion, most Hindu families install their own small clay statues for worship on Ganesh Chaturthi. As per the tradition of respective families, the domestic celebrations come to end an end after 11 days, when the statue is taken in a procession to a large body of water such as river or sea for immersion. Apart form Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated with the same fanfare in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too. Now, the elephant god has stomped across several other states too, where the festival is celebrated with the same pomp and ceremony.

 

Karwa chauth

It won’t be wrong to say this is a festival, which gripped the whole country in just a short span of time. One this day Hindu married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the longevity of their husband. The festival is mainly observed in the states of Punjab, Haryana and other northern parts, but now other states like Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Western Bihar are observing it too.

In the South Karwa Chauth was not heard of, but thanks to TV serials, which insert a scene depicting this festival in a bid to lengthen their script it is slowly but surely gaining ground

 

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Jungle Jamboree, Gurgaon

There is no dearth of high-end restaurants-cum-bars in Gurgaon. However, among them there are very few that cater to family, including kids. To overcome this, Jungle Jamboree has come up with the largest theme-based restaurant in Delhi, designed to keep kids happy with a special menu and a kids zone. Located in Gurgaon's Gold Souk Mall, the restaurant is divided into five themes ~ jungle, aqua, hunting lodge, kids zone and sky garden.

Coming to the food, the restaurant offers a buffet or a seven-course meal on table. Their menu has a mix of popular European, Indian and Oriental dishes. The first course was a delectable platter of bite-sized starters ranging from spicy Papri chaat to crispy Caesar salad paired with Aam panna. The second course started with piping hot soup and a plateful of papads and fries ~ a refreshing and light course. An array of popular dishes were waiting in the third course ~ falafels, sushi, fish teriyaki to popular French crepes. The fourth course proved to be heavier as they served kababs, ranging from melt in the mouth galouti kababs on ulta paratha to North India's favourite Amritsari fish kababs or Dahi ke kababs. The fifth course comprised French crepes, pizza or the much-loved pasta and the sixth course was a true Indian fare with a traditional Hyderabadi biryani, spicy rara gosht and malai kofta and paneer makhani for the vegetarians. The seventh one ended on a sweet note with paan flavoured ice-cream.                       

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Pristine land

Gangtok has come a long way from being a small town on the trade route between Tibet and India.Yet it has preserved its pristine beauty and offers peace and a tranquil retreat, finds rakesh kumar

The year was 1975, when the beautiful state Sikkim became India’s 22nd state. The state capital Gangtok, a small northeastern town, was once a major stopover on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and cities such as Kolkata in British India. It now became the centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture. Located on the top of the ridge, it took us around fourhours to drive from Siliguri to Gangtok, courtesy the bumpy roads. But trust me, it is well worth the trouble and the city has a lot more to offer. 

What’s on offer
Take a close look at Tibetan culture and spirituality by visiting the stupas and Buddhist monasteries. For those who have an interest in wildlife, the Himalayan zoological park allows one to catch a glimpse of the elusive red panda along with barking deer and Himalayan bears.
And yes, don’t forget to admire the splendid beauty of Mt Khangchen--dzonga. How could you miss their fashion sense? Walking in the lanes of MG Road, one can sense a better dressing sense than Mumbai or Delhi. And of course, last but not the least, the tranquility of the city.

Hanuman Tok
 

Our first exploration began with a serene destination ~Hanuman Tok. Located at an altitude of 7,200 ft, the Tok is 11 km from Gangtok city. The Tok, which means temple, offers a spectacular view of the Kanchenjunga. However, there is a small history connected with the area. It is believed Lord Hanuman took rest for a moment at this place when he was on his way to Lanka from the Himalayas, carrying Sanjeevani herbs for Lakshman. The temple is popularly known to fulfill one’s wishes. As soon as we reached the place, we were lured by photographers, just as in other tourist destinations. Colourful flags add to the gaiety and the pine trees surrounding the temple made a lovely picture.

Calming hotel
 

Climbing up to Hanuman Tok was tiring. This drove us back to the hotel at Club Mahindra Gangtok, Royal Demazong. Like the city, our hotel, which was far from the main city, also offered a peaceful and calm environment. The hotel had 31 studio rooms equipped with all the major amenities. One could satiate hunger pangs by digging into some lip smacking delicacies at Orchid, a multi-cuisine restaurant that offers breathtaking views of the surroundings. Cooking workshops, kids’ club and Fun Zone are all there to keep the entire family entertained.

The next day
The morning started with a visit to the beautiful Flower Exhibition Centre. It was not too large but had an amazing collection of flowers of different types ~ some of the flowers I saw for the first time. They were beautifully arranged. If one is a lover of flowers, then be prepared to consume a lot of memory space on the phone or camera.

Monasteries 

Visiting Gangtok and missing the monasteries is unthinkable.Therefore, our next destinations were exploring monasteries like Rumtek and Ranka Monasteries. Located 23 km from Gangtok, at a pristine location, Rumtek monastery belongs to the Kargyu sect of Buddhists, which originated in the 12th century in Tibet. The architecture of the monasteryis one of the finest in the world and resembles the original one in Tsurphu, Tibet. As one enters its premises, the courtyard is full of monks' residences. The most striking part was the pictures of a very young Dalai Lama and a painting of Lord Ganesha on the entrance walls, linking Buddhism to Hinduism and Sanskrit.

Gangtok Zoo

Next on the list was the Himalayan Zoological Park, which is quite unique where animals are not kept in small cages but in big natural enclosures surrounded by walls. Just 6 km from the Gangtok city, the zoo has many rare and endangered species of animals like Red Pandas, Himalayan Black Bears, Snow Leopards, Clouded Leopard, Common Leopard and many others. Here,  be prepared for walking because often the animals hide inside their large open areas, so some luck or good timing is needed to be able to see them. For animal lovers or those who want to get away from the noisy city it is worth a visit.

Local delights

Gangtok’s local cuisine is a vast mix of taste and flavours. Begin with delicious momos, found everywhere from roadside shacks to costly restaurants, or gobble steamed flour dumplings or beat the cold with a warm bowl of delicious soup. Or choose Thupka, a common Tibetan style noodle soup, prepared with vegetables and meat or Sishnu Soup, a unique local dish, prepared from leaves of edible wild nettle. Every dish contains unique taste.

 

 

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