Travelling solo has always exhilarated me; it is associated in my mind with escape from responsibilities, boredom and routine. If you have ever dreamt of a far away quiet place tucked away peacefully behind the walls of snow capped mountains, quiet like the places of your night time dreams this is the place — Tashiding in Sikkim. Situated more than a 100 kms from the capital city of Gangtok Tashiding is almost 20km from Yuksom. This is a place of soothing beauty and calmness which a very few other places can offer with the Kanchenjunga as a back drop.
Tashiding monastery was built in 1641. It belongs to Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is supposed to be the most sacred and holiest monasteries in Sikkim. The monastery is situated at an elevation of 1465 meters. The deity worshiped here is the Buddha. The journey to Tashiding was the high point of my unplanned travel. Just being there itself could settle the tumultuous mind of ours and make you at complete peace with ourselves.
My journey to Tashiding started off from Gangtok, on a cold December morning. I hitched a ride with a fellow traveler (who was to become a good friend of mine) from my hotel. The drive from the city was all the more scenic, with Mt Kanchenjunga constantly as the background. Although the distance from Gangtok is a meager 130Ks, the time we take to cover the distance will at least 4 to 5 hours .The main reason — the ‘Indian Road’.But this sluggishness was compensated by the most scenic drive I had ever been in. The roads were just enough for a 4 wheeler to squeeze through. Where ever you are in Sikkim, you will notice that Kanchenjunga is always visible. The people of Sikkim believe that the mountain is their protector. The road to Tashiding was criss-crossed by many streams running from the hills. There were a couple of bridges which had withstood the test of father time and Mother Nature. The streams were in a semi-frozen. The waterfalls on the bright day seemed like the white gown of a bride cascading down the hills.
It is believed that the very glimpse of the monastery will wash off all earthly sins. I could see the monastery at a distance, and told myself that the reason why the belief exists is because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of the monastery. Even today had it not been for the scenery it would have been a tiresome journey. We reached the monastery which was perched on top of a hill. We reached the town and I checked into a government guest house. The Monastery was a further 2 or 3 kms uphill. After the tiresome uphill climb and endless steps to the monastery I caught the first glimpse of the holiest of holy monastery in Sikkim. The first thing you will notice as you come up the ascending steps is a giant arch. The main building had roof painted in yellow, which shined like a bright shining gold on a sunny day. And the walls painted in red and white. The main was filled with butter lamps and aroma filled the air. The atmosphere was filled with Buddhist chants. The atmosphere was completely different from that of any thing I had experienced anywhere, Back drop of the mountains adding to the aura and mystique of the monastery. When I reached the monastery, a ritual was going on . People had been prostrating for endless hours. They had a kind of soup, and my friend asked if we could have it along with them. The answer was a yes mixed with surprise. There we sat in a room full of dedicated Buddhists and us: A group of strangers who felt they were in a strange and exotic land, or as if we had time travelled to the past. The stark contrast was rather obvious -- us in jeans and T shirts and with the tools of a modern traveller (Camera) while the devotees were wearing the traditional attire.
They cast the occasional curious glances at us and occasionally saying something and smiling at us. When the cook asked us if we wanted more, we asked for a second and third round right away. After the delicious lunch with two big glasses of tea, we were full. As we went around the monastery we noticed an old man who was working on Mani stones. His was a passive presence in the Gompa. He tirelessly carved the Tibetan prayers to the stones. Later I came to know that he had been doing the carving for more than four decades. As we walked further around the monastery we saw monks aged 5 or 6 playing around. I thought they had the most beautiful playground which a child could ever want. On that day with clear blue skies (but bitterly cold) in a remote corner of earth, the day could bring out the blitz in any one.
Later in the evening as I walked around the monastery, I saw the cook and the helper of the monastery. Intrigued by the lone stranger they started to have a long talk with me. Asking me about the state which I hail from what people did for a living, the myriad of questions were endless. Later they pointed to a hill and told me that actor Danny Denzongpa lived on the other side of it. Later I came down, I stood there for 20 minutes and there was not a single motor vehicle that passed by, and it was a pleasant change for any one used to the chaos of a city.
This journey was a journey in which I met a lot of good people and friendship was made which are special to me. Also, I met a lot of simple and honest people who didn’t require any reason to be good to one another. Most people I met were simple good hearted people whose actions were reflections of their believes. There was no artificiality in their mannerisms.
The word pretension seemed too alien to these simple kind hearted people. Once you visit Tashiding one would always feel the lure of the place, to visit the place a second time .No matter how long you stay here one may feel he never got enough of the place. The scenic mountains, the old monastery and the absence of any hustle and bustle or the combination of all this makes Tashiding a pleasant and an exotic experience.
