SOUTH SIKKIM
The South Sikkim is an equally popular tourist zone and provides great potential towards providing tourist with various aspects relating to pilgrimage, sightseeing, heritage and historical aspirations. The South is also beautiful and is a small region which is smaller than other zones with respect to areas but in terms of tourism, it provides ample varieties to keep tourist amusingly impressed. The South Sikkim basically consists of popular towns like Jorethang, Namchi, Ravangla and Temi. In a short time, South Sikkim has been a hub of constructions like the Char Dham and other structures which added great value towards the aura of the whole region. It is a perfect destination for a short break along with natural serenity and beauty. It is also a adventure region and best for one day or long treks due to its beautiful trails in the outskirts.
Places to Visit
Char Dham
Situated in the outskirts of NAmchi is the newly constructed Char Dham or Siddeshwari Dham which is of great importance to the Hindu community. The major attractions here are the giant 108 ft statue of Lord Shiva and are probably the largest in Sikkim. Besides that the four main pilgrim spots of Jagannath, Dwarika, Rameshwaram and Badrinath has been replicated here so that those unable to visit the actual 4 temples could do that , in their backyard too.
Samdruptse
Around 72 km from the capital of Gangtok lies the famous and monstrous stataue of Lord Buddha. The 135 ft statue of Guru Padmasambhava has been installed at top of the Sanduptse. HH Dalai Lama held the foundation stone for the statue in 1997 and is said to be the tallest statue inside Sikkim. The structure took about 1000 labors and took great efforts from the architects and sculptors.
Namchi
Meaning ‘Sky High’ the townis beautifully nestled at an elevation of about 1349 m and provides best views of the surrounding mountains. It lies about 78 km from Gangtok and about 100 km from Siliguri. Not only is it a hub of nearby sightseeing heartthrobs, it has also gained huge momentum in being a religious epicenter. It is a great sustainable developed town which has been reinforced with more marvelous structures to add more value to the tourism of this area.
Temi Tea Garden
Besides being the pride of Sikkim, it is also the only tea garden that prevails inside Sikkim. The Temi Tea also holds an international market and the place is beautiful too. The pines bordering the tea gardens, It also provides great view of the surrounding mountains and villages. Coming here is a great adventure as tourists can also view the tea creation progress here or a take back some low priced high quality tea bags from here.
Tendong Hill
It’s the beautiful hill overlooking Namchi and a small flat stretch of land at an altitude of about 2600 m surrounded by lush green medieval forests. Historically this place has been said to be the resting place for Buddhist Lamas who spent years in meditation amidst the silent scenic grandeur. It is said that Lepcdha people were saved from the floods as they took refuge in this beautiful hill here.
Rock Garden
It is a scenic garden situated between the Namchi town and the Sandruptse. This popular garden is famous for weekend visits and tourists who come here for a different experience. The garden is filled with ample places to sit down and relax to its unending beauty. It also houses several watersheds that make the entire experience wonderful. It is also beautifully decorated with rich and colorful orchids and plants.
