Chung tong

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Chungthang is a town in North Sikkim district in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is situated at the confluence of two rivers: River Lachen and Lachung Chu, both tributaries of the River Teesta. Chungthang is located a distance of 95 kilometres from the capital Gangtok, at an elevation of 1,700 metres (5,600 ft). The Indian army has a major forward base in the town including a medical centre.

Gurdwara Nanaklama Sahib in Sikkim is located.

CHUNG TONG, a small village on the bank of the River Teesta in Sikkim, 168 km north of the nearest railhead, Siliguri, has recently been discovered to have a connection with early Sikh history. Local tradition there refers to the visit of Guru Nanak (14691539) to the place during his third udasior preaching tour. Although theJanam Sakhis do not mention Tibet specifically, the mention of Guru Nanak Rimpoche (lit. the great one) in Tibetan literature points to the Guru`s travel through Tibet, and it is likely that he passed through Chung Tong on his way back to India. According to tradition, there was a severe famine in the area when the Great One arrived there. He sat on a stone mount near the Teesta whereupon the imprints of his feet are still shown. The grateful villagers raised a LhaKhang (shrine) in memory of Guru Nanak, who it is said had prayed for them and presented them with a ripe crop of grain ready to be harvested. Along with other icons, a picture of the Guru is placed in the shrine. People light butter lamps in front of it. They celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak along with that of Guru Padma Sambhava, the eighthcentury teacher, who preached Buddhism in Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim.

According to legend, Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche is supposed to have visited the town and left his footprint on a rock where he once rested. Around the rock some paddy is grown, which is supposed to be a miracle as paddy does not grow in these conditions. Most of the residents of the town are Lepcha. Chungthang is rich in biodiversity with a wide variety of orchids, plants and animals found here.

External Links

[| Sattelite Image Link for CHUNGTHANG]|