INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION. S i k k i m is a l a n d l o c k ed I n d i a n s t a t e nestled in the Himalayas . The state borders Nepal to the w e s t , Tibet Autonomous Region , P e o p l e ' s Republic of China to the north and east, and Bhutan to the southeast. The state of West Bengal borders Sikkim to its south..

 With around 600,000 permanent residents, Sikkim is the least populous state in India and the second- smallest state after Goa in total area, covering approximately 7,096 km 2 (2,740 sq mi). [5] Sikkim is nonetheless geographically diverse due to its location in the Himalayas. The climate ranges from subtropical to high alpine . Kangchenjunga , the world's third-highe s t peak, is located on Sikkim's border with Nepal . [6] Sikkim is a popular tourist destination, o wing to its c ulture, scenery an d b i o d i v e r s i t y . It also has the only open border between India and China ..

 Sikkim has 11 o ff i c i a l language s : Nepali , Bhuti a , Lepcha (since 1977), Limbu (since 1981), Newari , Rai , Gurung , Mangar , Sherpa , Tama ng (since 1995) and Sunwar (since 1996). English is taught in schools and used in government documents. Sikkim is the only state in India with an ethnic Nepalese majority. The predominant religions are Hinduism and V a j r a y a na Buddhism . Gangtok is the capital and largest city..

Cl imate. Sikkim is one of the few states in India to receive regular snowfall. The snow line ranges from 20 , 0 0 0 f e e t i n t h e n o r t h o f t h e st a t e t o 1 6 , 00 0 f e e t i n t h e s o u t h . D u r i n g t h e m o n s oo n , he a v y r a i n s i n c r e a s e the risk of landslides. The record f or the longest p e r i o d o f c o n t i nu o u s r a i n i n S i kk i m i s 1 1 d a y s . I n t h e northern regi o n, because of the high altitude, t e m p e r a t u r e s c a n d r o p b e l ow  4 0 ° C (  4 0 ° F ) i n winter. Fog affects many parts of the state during winter and the mo n soons, making transportat i on perilous..

F l o r a a n d f a u n a.  Sikkim has around 5,000 flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60 primula species, 36 rhododendron species, 11 oak varieties, 23 bamboo varieties, 16 conif e r species, 362 types of ferns and ferns allies, 8 tree ferns , and over 42 4 m e d i c i n a l p l a n t s . A v a r i a n t o f t h e P o i n s e tt i a , locally known as "Christmas Flower", can be found in abundance in the mountainous state. The orchid Dendrobium nobile is the official flower of Sikkim, while the rhododendron is the s t a te t r ee ..

 The fauna include the snow leopar d , t h e musk dee r , the H i m a l a y a n T a h r , the red pand a , the Himalayan marmo t , the s e r o w , the g o r a l , the barking dee r , the common langu r , the Himalayan Black Bea r , the clouded l e o p a r d , t h e Marbled Cat , the l e o p a r d c a t , the wild do g , the Tibetan wol f , the hog badge r , the binturon g , the jungle cat and the c i v e t ca t . A m o n g t h e a n i m a l s m o r e c o mm o n l y f o und i n the alpine zone are y ak s , m a i n l y r e a r e d f o r their mil k , meat, and as a beast of burden..

Mo m o: M omo , s t e a m e d. dumpling prepared from wheat flour and meat/vegetable is very common Tibetan food. M omo has already entered commercial production and is well placed in menus of all local hotels/restaurant..

Th u k p a / G y a - Thu k :. T h u k p a / G y a - t h uk is a typical Tibetan style noodles in soup. T h u k p a / G y a - t h uk i s v e r y p o p u l a r local cuisine also available in all r e s t a u r a n t s a n d hotels of these regions..

K inema : K inema is a traditional fermen t ed so y bean food having characteristic stringy property with unique flavour, commonly consume as a main side-dish curry served as meat substitute along with cook e d rice in meals. K inema serves as an inexpensive high source of plant protein food in the local diet. The w o r d K inema m i g h t h a v e originated from the Limbu (one of the major castes of the Nepalis) dialect K inambaa , K i meaning fermented, nambaa means flavour..

G u nd r u k & S i n k i Gundruk and S i n k i are traditional fermen t ed vegetable products prepared during winter when fresh perishable vegetable is plenty. Gundruk is a fermented product of leafy vegetable such as rayo sag ( Brasicca rapa spp. campestris variety cuneifolia ), leaves of mustard, radish and cauliflower. Sinki is prepared from radish tap root only. The quality attributes to Gundruk and Sinki basically depends upon the typical flavour and sour-acidic taste which is developed during natural fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, mainly spp. of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. Gundruk and Sin ki are sun dried after fermentation and stored for consumption. Due to high content of organic acid and low pH, these products can be preserved for a year or more. This is a good example of b i o p r e s er v a t i o n o f p er i s h a b l e vegetable. Gundruk and Sinki are good appetizers due to high content of lactic and acetic acid developed during fermen t ation..

M es u : M esu is a traditional fermen t ed bamboo shoot product with s our-acidic tas t e eaten as pickle. In the Limbu dialect, me means young bamboo shoot and su means s o ur , t h e w o r d M esu is directly derived from the L i m b u d i a l e c t . Y o un g b a m b o o shoots are fermented under natural anaerobic condition for 7-15 days, initiated by spp. of Lactobacillus and Pediococc us t o g e t M es u . It has high content of organic acid and low pH with r ich mineral contents..

Sae l r o ti. Widely prepared during N e p a l i f e s t i v a l s , S a e l r o t i i s normally eaten with potato curry or non-vege t arian dish. Normally not available in r e s t a u r a n t s b u t Saelroti is p r e p a r e d f r o m w e ll - m i x e d fermented rice batter which is deep fried, ring-shaped, s p o n g y , p r e t z e l - li k e p r o d u c t commonly consume as confectionery bread in festival and special occasions. The batt e r is fermented by spp. of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria..

J aanr/ C h aang : Fermented alcoholic beverages have strong ritual importance among the various ethnic groups of people of the Sikkim Himalayas. The social activities in these regions require provision and consumption of appreciable amount of alcoholic beverages. Traditionally prepared alcoholic beverages are commonly served in main meals among the alcohol-drinker communities as a part of dietary culture. Ja a nr/Chaang is a mild alcoholic and sweet-sour fermented cereal-based beverage. It is sipped from a bamboo receptacle using bamboo pipe. The receptacle which has millet in it is topped with warm water a couple of times until the millet loses its flavour. Chang can sometimes be strong and very intoxicating..

E ntering Sikkim - Foreign visitors to this state must first get tourist permits before travel to Sikkim. naturebeyond assists foreign visitors in getting the same. To promote tourism the entry formality has been considerably eased up.  Th e State C apita l - Gangt o k, t h e capita l of Sikkim lies on a ridge with fine views of the Kanchenjunga. This is the most common tourism destination for those who travel to Sikkim.  Culture : Sikkim's cultural life is related to Tibetan traditions. The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in Gangtok has one of the largest collections of Tibetan books in the world. Many Buddhist monasteries are repositories of artistic treasures, including wall paintings, tankas, and bronze images. Buddhism is an integral part of Sikkim and its culture, and many of the recommended t rips around Gan g tok have a monas t ery as their ultimate destination. The monasteries that are closest to Gangtok are Enchey, Rumtek and Phodong..

P l aces t o Visit in Sikkim. To really see this himalayan state, it is necessary to leave the hamlets and travel to the remote areas. It is impossible not to be awed by Sikkim's sharp, lush hills, leaping waterfalls, thundering rivers, and placid lakes. The people, sculpted by lives of low-tech farming and mountainous travel, have behind them generations of communal intermixing. Sikkim is divided into 4 districts - in South Districts main attraction is R avang l a . The East District is where capital Gangt o k is situated. West District offers destinations such as P e ll ing and Y u ks o m as well as beautiful treks such as the one to Dz o ngri . The n o rt h district bordering China has been recently opened to tourists. The most common destinati o n here i s Y u m t h an g ..

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NAME-SIDDARTH SINHA CLASS-10C ROLL NO-30 SCHOOL-MDH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SEC-6 DWARKA.