Chungthang
| Chungthang | |
|---|---|
| town | |
|
View of Chungthang, 1938 | |
  Chungthang Location in Sikkim, India | |
| Coordinates: 27°36′16″N 88°38′44″E / 27.6045°N 88.645583°ECoordinates: 27°36′16″N 88°38′44″E / 27.6045°N 88.645583°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Sikkim |
| District | North Sikkim |
| Elevation | 1,790 m (5,870 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Nepali, Bhutia, Lepcha, Limbu, Newari, Rai, Gurung, Mangar, Sherpa, Tamang and Sunwar |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Chungthang is a town in North Sikkim district in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is situated at the confluence of the Lachen and Lachung rivers, which combine to form the Teesta River.[1] Located at a distance of 95 kilometres (59 mi) from the state capital Gangtok, the Indian Army has a major forward base with a medical centre in Chungthang.
Geography
Chungthang is located at 27°37′N 88°38′E / 27.62°N 88.63°E.[2] It has an average elevation of 1,790 metres (5,870 ft).
History
According to a legend, the Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava visited the town before going to Tibet and left his footprint on a rock where he once rested. Around the rock some paddy rice grows, which is supposed to be a miracle as paddy does not grow in these conditions. Local people earned their livelihood on these paddy fields until the Indian Army was deployed here.
It is believed Guru Nanak visited Chungthang during his trip (udasi) to China and Tibet. Guru Nanak dug in his walking stick at a place where eventually it grew into a tree, which had a stick-shaped trunk and leaves below the rounded trunk that look like the handle of a stick. An Amrit Kund (holy water tank) was also made to appear here by the Guru. Guru Nanak visited the place during his third udasi in order to give solace the Karma Pa Nying Ma Pa sect then being hounded out from Tibet by the Ge Lug Pa sect. It is also said that Guru Nanak, on one of his journeys along with his disciples, had come across this place and vanquished two demons here before proceeding. The footprints of that battle were believed to be still left on a cordoned off rock. It is said that Chungthang is derived from the Punjabi, "Changa sthan" or good place, which Guru Nanak had bestowed on it
People
Most of the residents of the town are Lepcha.[1] Chungthang is rich in biodiversity with a wide variety of orchids, plants and animals. As of the 2001 Census of India, the village had a population of 3,766 with a population density of approximately three persons per hectare.[3]
References
- 1 2 "North Skikkim". National Informatics Centre. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Chungthang
- ↑ Choudhury, Maitreyee (2006). Sikkim: Geographical Perspectives. Mittal Publications. p. 109. ISBN 978-81-8324-158-8.