Free Essays-Environment-A Magical Land Of Sikkim

A Magical Land Of Sikkim

A snow-capped mountain range, resplendent in all its white mystique and beauty reflected its radiance through the moonlit night. A photographer was trying to frame the radiance of the Lachung peak in North Sikkim in his camera. A tourist from Switzerland, awestruck at the sublimity of the ambience, said: “In Singapore we only see the lights, in your country we see the stars….”

The State of Sikkim is situated in the eastern Himalayan mountains. It is bounded on the north and north-east by Tibet, on the south-east by Bhutan, on the south by Darjeeling and on the west by Nepal. It lies between 27.5 and 28.10 degrees north latitude and between 88.4 degrees and 88.58 degrees east longitude with an area of 7300 sq.km.

The northern, eastern and western parts of the State are located on hard rocks which can resist denudation to a great extent. Its central and southern portions, on the other hand, consist of comparatively soft, thin and slaty surface prone to denudation.

There are innumerable waterfalls down the hills on both sides of the roads. Snow hangs from the pine trees all over the mountains.

The rhododendron flowers are seen everywhere in Sikkim. So are the snow-capped peaks. The people living in the valley of Lachen have their own leisurely pace of life. They are immune to the hub of Gangtok, the capital town, 125 kilometres away. The semi-nomadic Lachenpas live there in winter and move up in the summer grazing their herds of domesticated yak on the upper Himalayas.

The children with round faces and red cheeks crawl up and down the hills with little bunches of firewood on their backs. They might stop for a photo session seeing an outsider and then run away to hide behind the rocks with a squeaking laughter when the camera is taken out. They are fugitive as ever, like the sun and clouds of Lachen.

The day usually breaks with a flush of radiant sun over the peaks all over. In winter there is snow all around. In summer the rhododendrons cheer up the visitors with their bright red colours. A little later clouds engulf the snow-capped peaks. A late riser would be deprived of the rare view.

A strong wind sets aflutter the Buddhist prayer flags all around the Lachen monastery, home to the red pandas, a threatened species. The lives of the families of Lachenpas and Lachungpas revolve round milking their yaks, making butter out of yak fat, weaving their warm clothes from the wool obtained from high altitude sheep, building their houses, collecting firewood, making their special shoes out of yak skin, attending their meetings and dealing with the occasional tourists who visit the place.

Topography

In technical terms, Sikkim may be described as the catchment area of the river Teesta. According to the Anglo-Chinese convention of March 17, 1890, the boundary of Sikkim and Tibet is the crest of the mountain range separating the waters flowing into the Sikkim Teesta and its another stream flowing into the Tibetan Mochu and northwards into the other rivers of Tibet. The line begins at Mount Gipmochi on the Bhutan frontier and flows upto the point where it enters Nepal. The continuation of this range southwards as far as the source of the Rummam stream forms the western boundary of the State.

The topography is rugged and the roads are usually very steep. The two principal mountain ranges are the Singilela on the western border and the Chola on the east, which forms the border between Sikkim and Tibet. On the boundary between Sikkim and Bhutan stands the low altitude Pangolia range in the southeastern part of the State. Most of the peaks including the Kanchenjunga are located in the west. Regarded as the guardian deity of Sikkim, it is the third highest peak in the world.

Passes

Numerous passes cut across the apparently invincible mountain ranges surrounding this hidden valley of secret treasures. On the eastern Chola range the most important passes are Nathula, Jelepla and Butanla. On the west the significant passes are Chiwabhannjang and Kangla. In the north the Chorten Nyimala, Kongrala, Lungnala and Donkiala passes are located.

Lakes

The landscape of Sikkim is studded with spectacular lakes. The Tsomgo lake on the highway to Nathula, Bidangcho and Memencho in the nearby areas, Khechdopaldri, Chiwabhanjan, Laxmipokhari, Lampokhari, Majur Pokhari, Ram Laxman, Dud Pokhari and Samiti in the west are the prominent ones. Gurudongmar in the north is among the holiest of lakes. The highest lake is Tso Lhamu. Gurudongmar commands the supreme reverence of the people of Sikkim.

River Systems

The rivers of Sikkim are perennial and are fed by the snow, melting from the mountains as well as the rain that accumulates in the catchment areas during the monsoons. The Teesta and the Rangit form the water system of Sikkim. The tributaries that meet the Teesta in its path are the Zemu chu, Lonak chu, Lachung chu, Lachen chu, Talung chu and the Bakcha chu. While the Teesta flows in the north-south direction, its tributaries flow in the south-west and the south-east directions. Sikkim also has many hot springs located at Purchachu, Yumthang, Borang, Ralang, Taram chu and Yumey Samdong.

National Parks

Of the national parks and sanctuaries in Sikkim, the Kanchenjunga National Park is the most renowned. It is bounded by the Tent peak and the Zemu glacier in the north and Mount Lamaongden in the east, Mount Narsing and Mount Pandim in the south and the mighty Kanchenjunga in the west. It houses wildlife species like the black bear, red panda and barking deer.

The Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary shelters the Himalayan black bear, red panda, civet cat and many varieties of birds and butterflies. The Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary near Rabongla in South Sikkim shelters the red panda, leopard cat, civet cat, blood pheasant, black eagles and other animals of the temperate forest. The Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary at Yumthang in North Sikkim, the Kyongnosla Alpine sanctuary and the Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary in West District house some of the significant flowers that make Sikkim unique for its biodiversity.

Glaciers

The glacial system of Sikkim is another significant feature of its landscape. The State has 11 glaciers that are still playing an important role in the formation of its land and river system. It is the glaciers which influence its land structure, soil quality, flow of water in its rivers, its vegetation, animal life and also many of the ecological changes that are taking place in this land of pristine charm.