Sikkim - Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir

Woke up early in the chill!! Believe me, if not a new place to explore, I should have given in to the lazy cloud that day. We were to reach the pickup point by 7:30 AM which is a steep walk of 10 mins from the hotel. Reaching the pickup point in advance, we got some time to leisurely feel the chill and watch the morning at Gangtok. We then were taken to an assembly point and had to wait for permits until 09:30 AM.

Nathula pass, baba mandir and Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake as the locals call it) was the itinerary of the day.

The first halt was at Changu Lake, bounded by hills, it is believed to be sacred and hence no boating or fishing in the lake. It has a small temple and cheerfully decorated Yaks. 

Then we headed to Nathula Pass. This is open for business for few months a year when both the nations would open their gates to facilitate movement of vehicles by road. Being at a high altitude, people could experience some discomfort due to chillness and altitude change. Medical aid is available for assistance. Vehicles would stop in the parking area and then we need to walk and take few stairs to get the view.

Our heartbeats were jumping too. Not very sure it is the excitement or the altitude and climate taking a toll. With all the self-preparation we could relax and get to the top. LOC cautions us not to talk loud or shout out slogans. I totally understand why this is needed. Any difference in energy here could be interpreted as an alarm on the other side! We definitely do not want to alarm the armed men out there.  

Visiting Nathula pass is a moment of pride with high respect and dubious silence. Standing on the edge of India at a friendly border with China. With my feet in India I can raise my hand in China. I can see China standing right in India without a visa. I could see the tough Indian army guarding border in the crux of harsh scenic nature. Their hardship is for us to breathe free yet we overload ourselves with complexities at different levels. At a height of 14000 ft, standing tall we soaked ourselves in the AIRS GRACED BY NATURE BUT MARKED BY MANKIND.

Har Bhajan Baba Mandir is temple of a soldier. There are a few stories on this but as I cannot judge, I prefer not to pen down any. With all due respect to soldiers and no doubt on Indian army’s belief for such a place, I do bow to it. On entering the temple, you would see a worship place, an office room to the right and a water room to the left. Soldiers leave a bottle of drinking water in the water room when they reach Nathula and take it with them as sacred water when they return home. It is believed that the soldier “Har Bhajan” guards the borders and the soldiers in the harsh climates. They give sugar chips as Prasad, and have a certificate to declare your visit to that place at a nominal price. There is a small shop monitored by Army where they sell artifacts. Assuming the contribution would directly reach the army pockets for a good cause, we were determined to shop there. I wonder how they are selling at a low price in such remote places. Some of those artifacts like a metal bike model are priced higher in other places of India.