The Gangtok, Sikkim

The Gangtok is an amazing place, municipality, the capital and the biggest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. It also is the headquarters of the East Sikkim district. Gangtok is situated in the eastern Himalayan series, at an height of 1,650 m (5,410 ft). The town’s one lakh resident belongs to diverse ethnicity such as Nepalese, Lepchas and Bhutia. Nestled within top peaks of the Himalaya and taking pleasure in a year-round soft temperate weather, Gangtok is at the core of Sikkim’s tourism industry.
Gangtok rose to importance as a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site after the structure of the Enchey Monastery in 1840. In 1894, the ruling Sikkimese Chogyal, Thutob Namgyal, relocated the capital to Gangtok. In the early 20th century, Gangtok became a main stopover on the deal path between Lhasa in Tibet and cities such as Kolkata in British India. After India got its independence from Britain in 1947, Sikkim chose to stay an independent monarchy, with Gangtok as its capital. In 1975, after the incorporation with the union of India, Gangtok was made India’s twenty-second state capital.
The exact meaning of the name Gangtok is not clear, though the most famous meaning is “hill top”. Today, Gangtok is a core of Tibetan Buddhist customs and learning, with the existence of numerous monasteries, religious educational institutions, and centers for Tibetology.