Gangtok is a city and the capital of Sikkim. It is at the center of Sikkim’s booming tourism industry. It is also a hub of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning. A prime Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre, Gangtok is also a trade point between India and Tibet. Gangtok is a beautiful town and a popular destination for adventure activities such as mountaineering, trekking and rafting. It is also famous for its handicrafts.
Located in the Shivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, the town has a year-round mild temperate climate. Gangtok became a prominent Buddhist pilgrimage site after the Enchey Monastery was constructed in the year 1840. The hill station, known for its beautiful landscape and splendid view of the mount Kanchenjunga, is one of the most visited places in India.
Gangtok was part of the Kingdom of Sikkim. Gangtok remained a small hamlet until it became a pilgrimage centre after the construction of the Enchey Monastery. Under the British rule, Gangtok became the capital of Sikkim.
Being a popular destination in the north-eastern part of India, the hill station is well connected with other major cities in India and in the region. The nearest airport is at Siliguri, although a more popular airport is the Bagdogra airport. Bagdogra is well connected with all major cities in India. Bagdogra is about 4.5-5 hour drive from Gangtok. The nearest rail-head is at New Jalpaiguri at Siliguri which connects it to metros like Delhi and Kolkata. The city is also well-connected to other cities in the state and neighboring state by bus services. Regular bus services are available from Siliguri and Bagdogra.
Gangtok's most notable Buddhist institutions are the Enchey monastery, the Do-drul Chorten stupa complex and the Rumtek Monastery. The Enchey monastery is the city's oldest monastery and is the seat of the Nyingma order.The two-hundred year old baroque monastery houses images of gods, goddesses, and other religious artifacts. The Dro-dul Chorten stupa, constructed in 1945, is surrounded by 108 Mani Lhakor, or prayer wheels. The Rumtek Monastery, on the outskirts of the town, is the seat of the Kagyu order, a major Tibetan sects, and houses some of the world's most sacred and rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and religious objects in its reliquary.
The Himalayan Zoological Park, Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Gardens, Maharaja Chogyal Palace, Ganeshtok, Hanumantok and Tashi View Point are some other points of tourist attraction in Gangtok.
The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.