Sikkim is a semi-closed state bordering Nepal, Tibet, China
and Bhutan. It is predominantly Buddhist and monasteries are colourful, lively places which welcome visitors. The mountain ranges define the lives of people here, and somehow draw you to them. After a few days in Gangtok I felt compelled to go deeper into the Himalayas, so hired a driver and drove for a day to Pelling, which is not much more than a cluster of hotels with the most amazing vista!
A nice walk from Pelling is to the Rabdentse Ruins - an ancient ruined city perched on a hilltop with a panorama of the ranges. The atmosphere here is silent and serene. A day passed immersed in the stillness and the aura of the mountains.
It was soon time to take the narrow windy roads back down out of the mountains to board the train for Kolkata, and then on to Jharkand (Bihar) for the 'Sat Chandi Mahayajna', a large international festival at the Bihar School of Yoga's ashram in Deoghar, located outside the remote village of Rikhia.
The program included a yajna (purification ceremony to beneift the planet and humanity), and sita kalyanam (a custom of honouring the divine qualities of young village women before marriage). Westerners were given the most unauspicious seva (selfless service) which was interspersed with the 8 hour per day program which included many hours of sublime chanting by the local village children, and the offering of gifts to villagers.
The event was overseen by Swami Niranjanananda, on behalf of his guru Sri Swami Satyananda of the Sivananda lineage who blessed us with his divine presence for a few fleeting moments!
Six days passed in a flash here - the program was so intensive... but the blessings received and the purification which occured will last a lifetime. It had been a lifelong dream to be in the presence of the great Sri Swami Satyananda, and it was no mean feat to have realised this dream!'
After a local train back to Kolkata and a pleasant evening of shopping and looking about the city it was time to depart for Hyderabad - and my experiences here at the Somanatha Kshetram with my beloved guru were really the heart of whole trip...
Far Right: Swami Niranjanananda prays with the local pundits.
