ગંગટોક

**ગંગટોક** ભારત દેશના ઉત્તરપૂર્વ ભાગમાં આવેલા સિક્કિમ રાજ્યમાં આવેલું મહત્વનું નગર છે. ગંગટોક  સિક્કિમ રાજ્યની રાજધાને અને સૌથી મોટું શહેર છે.

ગંગટોક્લ હિમાપય પર્વતની શિવાલિક પર્વતમાળામાં સમુદ્ર સપાટી થી  ૧૪૩૭મી કે ૪૭૦૦ફૂટ  જેટલી ઊંચાઇ પર વસેલું છે. તેની આસપાસ ચારે ય બાજુ પર્વતમાળાઓ આવેલી છે, જેનાં શિખરો મોટેભાગે બરફથી છવાયેલ તેમ જ વાદળોથી આચ્છાદિત હોય છે. અહીં બરફવર્ષા પણ થાય છે. અહિયાં ફરવાની બહુ મઝા આવે છે. આ કારણે અહીં પ્રવાસીઓની અવરજવર મોટા પાયે થતી હોય છે. અહીં ચારે બાજુ લિલોતરી છવાયેલી છે. અહીં તિબેટીયન સંસ્કૃતિના અભ્યાસ માટેની સંસ્થા કાર્યરત છે. આ ઉપરાંત અહીં બૌદ્ધ ધર્મના અનેક મઠો જોવા મળે છે.

આ શહેરની વસતિ ૩૦,૦૦૦ની છે  અહીં ઘણી નેપાળી જનજાતિ, લેપ્ચા, ભુટિયા આદિ જાતિ ના લોકો રહે છે અને અહીંનો કારભાર સિક્કિમ સરકારના વિવિધ વિભાગો દ્વારા ચલાવવમાં આવે છે. 

The town, with a population of thirty thousand belonging to different ethnicities such as Nepalis, Lepchas and Bhutia, is administered by various departments of the Government of Sikkim. Nestled within higher peaks of the Himalaya and enjoying a year-round mild temperate climate, Gangtok is at the centre of Sikkim’s tourism industry.

Gangtok rose to prominence as a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site after the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840. In 1894, the ruling Sikkimese Chogyal, Thutob Namgyal, transferred the capital to Gangtok. In the early 20th century, Gangtok became a major stopover on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and cities such as Kolkata (then Calcutta) in British India. After India won its independence from Britain in 1947, Sikkim chose to remain an independent monarchy, with Gangtok as its capital. In 1975, after the integration with the union of India, Gangtok was made India's twenty-second state capital.

The precise meaning of the name *Gangtok* is unclear, though the most popular meaning is "hill top". Today, Gangtok is a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning, with the presence of several monasteries, religious educational institutions, and centres for Tibetology.

## History 
સીક્કીમ ની જેમ ગંગટોક નો પ્રાચીન ઇતિહાસ પણ અજ્ઞાત છે. આનો સૌથી પ્રાચીન ઉલ્લેખ ૧૭૧૬માં મળે છે જેમાં એવું જણાય છે કે અહીં ગ્રામ્ય સ્તરીય ગંગટોક મઠ બંધાવાયો હતો.. ૧૮૪૦માં એંચી મઠના બ^ધકામ પહેલાં ગંગટોક એક ગામડું જ રહ્યું. આ મઠના બનતા તે એક તીર્થ ધામમાં રૂપાંતરણ પામ્યું.  ૧૯મી સદીના અરાજકતાને પરિણામે અંગ્રેજો દ્વારા તાબે અક્રાયેલ ક્ષેત્ર બાદ કરતાં બછેલ ક્ષેત્રની ગંગટોક રાજધાની બની. ૧૯મી સદીના અંતમાં બ્રિટિશરો દ્વારા તિબેટિયનોનો પરાજય થતાં ગંગટોક તે સમયના બ્રિટિશ ઈંડિયા અને ચીન વચ્ચેના વેપારનું મુખ્ય મધ્યવર્તી કેંદ્ર બન્યું.  . This pact gave the Indians control of external affairs on behalf of Sikkimese. Trade between India and Tibet continued to flourish through the Nathula and Jelepla passes, offshoots of the ancient Silk Road near Gangtok. These border passes were sealed after the Sino-Indian War in 1962, which deprived Gangtok of its trading business.  The Nathula pass was finally opened for limited trade in 2006, fuelling hopes of economic boom.

In 1975, after years of political uncertainty and struggle, including riots, the monarchy was abrogated and Sikkim became India's twenty-second state, with Gangtok as its capital after a referendum. Gangtok has witnessed annual landslides, resulting in loss of life and damage to property. The largest disaster occurred in June 1997, when 38 were killed and hundreds of buildings were destroyed. It is situated in the lower Himalayas at an altitude of . In addition to being the state capital, it is the headquarters of the East Sikkim district. The town lies on one side of a hill, with "The Ridge", a promenade housing the governor's residence, at one end and the palace, situated at an altitude of about , at the other. The city is flanked on east and west by two streams, namely Roro Chu and Ranikhola, respectively.

Most of Sikkim, including Gangtok, is underlain by Precambrian rock which contains foliated phyllites and schists; slopes are therefore prone to frequent landslides. Surface runoff of water by natural streams (*jhora*) and man-made drains has contributed to the risk of landslides. Summers (lasting from late April to June) are mild, with maximum temperatures rarely crossing . The monsoon season from June to September is characterised by intense torrential rains often causing landslides that block Gangtok's land access to the rest of the country. Rainfall starts to rise from pre-monsoon in May, and peaks during the monsoon, with July recording the highest monthly average of . Summer and spring seasons are the most popular tourist seasons. Many of Gangtok's residents are employed directly and indirectly in the tourism industry, with many residents owning and working in hotels and restaurants. 

 Ecotourism has emerged as an important economic activity in the region which includes trekking, mountaineering, river rafting and other nature oriented activities. Sikkim's mountainous terrain results in the lack of train or air links, limiting the area's potential for rapid industrial development. As Sikkim is a frontier state, the Indian army maintains a large presence in the vicinity of Gangtok. This leads to a population of semi-permanent residents who bring money into the local economy.  The Sikkim government started India's first online lottery *Playwin* to boost government income, but this was later closed by a ruling from the Sikkim High Court.
Ram Chandra Pradeep Kumar Jewellers located on Lall Market Road is a well renowned jewelery shop and by far the leading dealer of gold jewelery all over in Gangtok, including parts of South Sikkim. The firm was set up in the year 1962 and has been faring excellently in the jewelry industry in Gangtok.

## Civic administration 
 and Governor of Sikkim.]]

 Legislative Assembly in Gangtok. Fog is common in Gangtok.]]

Gangtok is not administered by a municipality but directly by the various departments of Government of Sikkim, particularly the Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD) and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). These departments look after the civic functions such as garbage disposal, water supply, tax collection, license allotments, and civic infrastructure. An administrator appointed by the state government heads the UDHD. The Sikkim Municipal Act, 2007 has approved the formation of Gangtok Municipal Corporation to be made up of 12 wards and which shall take over the administration from the UDHD. 

As the headquarters of East Sikkim district, Gangtok houses the offices of the district collector, an administrator appointed by the Union Government of India. Gangtok is also the seat of the Sikkim High Court, which is India's smallest High Court in terms of area and population of jurisdiction. Gangtok does not have its own police commissionerate like other major cities in India. Instead, it comes under the jurisdiction of the state police, which is headed by a Director General of Police, although an Inspector General of Police oversees the town. Rongyek jail in Gangtok is Sikkim's only central jail.

Gangtok is within the Sikkim Lok Sabha constituency that elects a member to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) of the Indian Parliament. The city elects one member in the Sikkim state legislative assembly, the Vidhan Sabha. The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) won both the parliamentary election in 2004  and the state assembly seat in the 2004 state assembly polls.

## Utility services 
Electricity is supplied by the power department of the Government of Sikkim. Gangtok has a nearly uninterrupted electricity supply due to Sikkim's numerous hydroelectric power stations. The rural roads around Gangtok are maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, a division of the Indian army. Several roads in Gangtok are reported to be in a poor condition, and many have their own vehicles such as  two-wheelers and cars. The share of personal vehicles and taxis combined is 98% of Gangtok's total vehicles, a high percentage when compared to other Indian cities.

Gangtok is connected to the rest of India by an all-weather metalled highway, National Highway 31A, which links Gangtok to Siliguri, located  away in the neighbouring state of West Bengal. The highway also provides a link to the neighbouring hill station towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, which are the nearest urban areas. Regular jeep, van, and bus services link these towns to Gangtok. Gangtok is a linear city that has developed along the arterial roads, especially National Highway 31A.

## Demographics 
According to the 2001 census of India, the population of Gangtok "Notified Town Area" (a census unit) was 29,354. Males constituted 54% of the population and females 46%. The Gangtok subdivision of the East Sikkim district had a population of 179,376, About 8% of Gangtok’s population live in the nine notified slums and squatter settlements, all on Government land. More people live in areas that depict slum-like characteristics but have not been notified as slums yet because they have developed on private land. Of the total urban population of Sikkim, Gangtok Notified Town Area has a share of 55.5%. Including Gangtok, East District has a share of 88% of the total urban population. The quality of life, the pace of development and availability of basic infrastructure and employment prospects has been the major cause for rapid migration to the city. With this migration, the urban services are under pressure, intensified by the lack of availability of suitable land for infrastructure development.

Ethnic Nepalis, who settled in the region during British rule, comprise the majority of Gangtok's residents. Lepchas, native to the land, and Bhutias also constitute a sizeable portion of the populace. The town has remained secular, having never witnessed any sort of inter-religious strife in its history. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in Sikkim as well as Gangtok. English and Hindi being the official language of Sikkim and India respectively, are also widely spoken and understood in most of Sikkim, particularly in Gangtok. Other languages spoken in Gangtok include Bhutia (Sikkimese), Tibetan and Lepcha.

## Culture 
 Museum displays rare Lepcha tapestries, masks and Buddhist statues.]]

Apart from the major religious festivals of Diwali, Christmas, Dussera, Holi etc., the diverse ethnic populace of the town celebrates several local festivals. The Lepchas and Bhutias celebrate new year in January, while Tibetans celebrate the new year (*Losar*) with "Devil Dance" in January–February. The *Maghe sankranti*, *Ram Navami*, *Chotrul Duchen*, *Buddha Jayanti*, the birthday of the Dalai Lama, Loosong, Bhumchu, Saga Dawa, Lhabab Duechen and Drupka Teshi are some other festivals, some distinct to local culture and others shared with the rest of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.

A popular food in Gangtok is the *momo*, a steamed dumpling containing pork, beef and vegetables cooked in a doughy wrapping and served with watery soup. Wai-Wai is a packaged snack consisting of noodles which are eaten either dry or in soup form. A form of noodle called *thukpa*, Restaurants offer a wide variety of traditional Indian, continental and Chinese cuisines to cater to the tourists.  *Churpee*, a kind of hard cheese made from cow's or yak's milk is sometimes chewed.  *Chhang* is a local frothy millet beer traditionally served in bamboo tankards and drunk through bamboo or cane straws. one of the major Tibetan sects, and houses some of the world's most sacred and rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and religious objects in its reliquary. Constructed in the 1960s, the building is modeled after a similar monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. Rumtek was the focus of international media attention in 2000 after the seventeenth Karmapa, one of the four holiest lamas, fled Lhasa and sought refuge in the monastery.

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, better known as the Tibetology Museum, houses a huge collection of masks, Buddhist scriptures, statues, and tapestries. It has over two hundred Buddhist icons, and is a centre of study of Buddhist philosophy. The Ganesh Tok and the Hanuman Tok, dedicated to the Hindu gods Ganpati and Hanuman and housing important Hindu temples, are located in the upper reaches of the town.

The Himalayan Zoological Park exhibits the fauna of the Himalayas in their natural habitats. The zoo features the Himalayan Black Bear, the barking deer, the snow leopard, the leopard cat, Tibetan wolf, Masked Palm Civet, red pandas and the spotted deer amongst the others. Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Gardens, near Rumtek, houses many species of orchid and as many as fifty different species of tree, including many oaks.

## Education 
Gangtok's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organizations. Schools mainly use English and Nepali as their medium of instruction. The schools are either affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, Central Board of Secondary Education or the National Institute of Open Schooling. Notable schools include the Tashi Namgyal Academy, Colleges conferring graduate degrees include Sikkim Government College, Sikkim Government Law College and Damber Singh College. Students usually go to large cities in the vicinity such as Siliguri or Kolkata in pursuit of higher education.

## Media 
More than 50 newspapers are published in Sikkim, most of them in Gangtok. whereas regional and national Hindi and English newspapers, printed elsewhere in India, are also circulated.  The English newspapers include *The Statesman* and *The Telegraph*, which are printed in Siliguri; *The Hindu* and *The Times of India*, which are printed in Kolkata. *Sikkim Herald*, the newsweekly of the Government of Sikkim is published in thirteen languages of the state. *Dish TV* and  *Doordarshan*. The national *All India Radio* along with two fm stations Nine fm and Radio Misty are the three radio stations in the city. BSNL, Reliance and Airtel have the three largest cellular networks in the town. There is a Doordarshan TV tower in Gangtok.

## References
## External links 
શ્રેણી:સિક્કિમ