SIKKIM

Sikkim : A Himalayan state, far from the eyes of the world, drifting through time, smoothly and leisurely. The surface of life here is quiet and undisturbed, the mountains and forests are caressed by the Teesta and Rungit rivers. The people have soft feet and quiet voices. The air is crisp. Around Sikkim, the magnificent Himalaya dominate the landscape. Kanchenjunga (8579 m), the world's third highest peak, rises from this area. Through the mountain ranges, the wind whistle and sigh with an occassional howl and screech.

In a sense, this is a vertical country with villages tucked on the slopes of high ridges. Sikkim boasts of several hundred different kinds of orchids and is frequently referredto as a botanist's paradise. Sikkim's economy is basically agrarian.

State Government : http://www.sikkim.gov.in

Capital :	Gangtok
Area :	7,096 square Kilometers
Population :	540,851 (2001 census)
Literacy :	68.81% (2001)
Language :	Lepcha, Bhutia, Hindi, Nepali, Limbu
Roads :	2,383 Kms
Railways :	Kms
Airport :	Gangtok (Heliport)
Seaport :	Nil
Climate :	Summer (21° - 13° C), Winter (13° - 0° C), Monsoon : June to September
Best Season :	March to May & October to December
Places of Interest :	State Tourism : http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/tour_off.htm
	Gangtok : Handicrafts, Trekking, Palace, Tibetan Research Institute, Orchid Sanctuary, Deer Park, Dodrul Chorten, Monasteries, Botonical gardens. [Rumtek (24 Kms) : Monastery.] Lachung : Waterfalls, Yak country. Pemayangtse : Gateway to Western Sikkim, Buddhist Monastery. Tashiding : Monastery. Yuksom : Mini lakes, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Historic Town associated with the Chogyals - the Royal family of Sikkim, Brewery. Yumthang : Yak country, Hot springs.
Festivals :	Losar - Tibetan New Year (February), Saga Dawa (June), Drukpa Tseshi, Pang Lhabsol (August), Dussehra (October), Losoong - Sikkimese New Year (November / December)