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Welcome to Lost Paddle Adventure (P)Ltd.
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| Sikkim/
Darjeeling >> Explore Cultural |
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| Explore
Cultural |
The people of
Sikkim are warm, simple and friendly with a nature
gaiety. The customs and rituals of Sikkim are
as diverse as the ethnic that inhabit the land;
the 'Lepchas -- essentially children of the forest
, the 'Bhutias' and the 'Nepalese'. All communities
live in perfect harmony sharing each other’s
culture, ethos, and traditions with the result
that there is now a Sikkimese culture, which is
composite of all the three prominent communities. |
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| Most of the
people speak Nepali, which is also the state language.
It is the harmony of the place that provides justification
to the name of the state derived form Sukhim,
meaning “happy home, a place of peace”.
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The state's cultural
life is related to Tibetan religious and aesthetic
traditions. The cultural climax of the year comes
with the 2-day Phanglhapsol festival, when masked
dances are performed in honour of Kanchenjunga,
presiding deity and the mountain. The Namgyal
Institute of Tibetology has one of the largest
collection of Tibetan books in the world. Many
Buddhist monasteries are repositories of artistic
treasures, including wall paintings, tankas (religious
paintings mounted on brocade), and bronze images. |
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The Sikkimese culture finds
expression in it's beautiful arts and crafts.
Knotted woollen carpets with the dominating dragon
emblem, and eight auspicious signs; wood carvings,
Lepcha handlooms in traditional designs and rich
colours for clothes, bags, linen and accessories;
leather jackets and handbags, articles of homemade
paper, Thanka (religious scroll paintings) and
Sikkimese Dragon Jewellery |
make a fascinating
collection of handicrafts, inspired by an age
old culture. Carry back a momento of your holiday
- be it an intricately carved piece of furniture
(choktse), a highly embellished carpet or an artifact
of woven bamboo. |
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