The source of Teesta river, the life source of Sikkim and North Bengal, lies in the north-eastern range of Kangchenjunga, at the Indo-Tibetan border at an altitude of 17,150 feet, in one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world!
The Gurudongmar lake derives its name from the gurdwara located on the banks of this pristine, turquoise lake. It is dedicated to the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji. The echo of gurbani adds to the sacredness of the place.
We went during May, as the lake is accessible only during the few months of summer. Even during these months, there is no guarantee that one can travel up to it. In case it snows which it does almost every now and then, the roads remain inaccessible till the BRO gets to work. One really needs to invoke the mercy of weather gods before embarking upon this journey!
It was pitch dark when we started early in the morning around 6am, from Lachen, a sleepy quaint hamlet of about thirty odd houses cradled between mountain folds. The Lachen chu (chu meaning river in Sikkim) gurgled past the village, while we drove through rocky bends and gravelly roads. We dressed in layers and layers and layers to beat the cold!
The one thing that differentiates this place from other such high altitude destinations, is its proximity to mountains. You could actually alight from the vehicle and touch the snow walls anytime.
The drive to the lake is a spectacular one through dreamlike moonscapes! On a clear day you would see the sun rising from beyond one of these shining silver peaks, gradually setting it aglow, the silver dissolves into gold, orange and red, magical to say the least!
On both sides of the narrow dusty road, you would see abundant snow, some dusty and fresh, some hardened into weird structures of ice. The river hereon appears as a thin white stream of glass.
We had breakfast enroute at Thangu at 14000 feet, the only halt before Gurgudongmar lake. We gobbled down some delicious soupy maggi, bread-butter and tea while sitting around an earthen furnace, on pretty carpets made of yak wool.
The trail is mostly flat after the initial climb. It plateaus at a cold desert with no vegetation, almost no oxygen and chilled winds descending from the slopes all around. It is difficult to spend more than 10-15 minutes here! The landscape robs you off breath and quite literally! Its a surreal combination of an azure sky, snowy peaks and a sapphire lake. Even at that height, the lake does not freeze owing to the hot spring beneath it.This paradise is not one to be missed if you are visiting North Sikkim.
This paradise is not one to be missed if you are visiting North Sikkim.