West Bengal and Sikkim. India © Alexei Antonov, 2014

The first mention of Sikkim belongs to the 8th century and is associated with the journey of Guru Rinpoche - Buddhist saint who brought the Dharma in Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. On the very spot from which he blessed the land of Sikkim is now a monastery Tashiding based Ngadak Sempa Lama in 1717 and belonging to Nyingma-pa. Most of the in habitants of the modern state of Sikkim - the descendants of Nepalis who migrated in the 18th and 19th century, the kingdom of Sikkim. The indigenous population of this mountainous country - Lepcha, who lived in these places since prehistoric times, as well as Bhutia, who came Tibetan in the 14th century. Tibetans today called Sikkim - "Denzhong" - "Land of rice" or "valley of rice", but the language of the Lepcha country is called "Nai-ma-el" or simply "Paradise". The highest mountain of Sikkim is without doubt the Kanchenjunga (8585 m) inspired NK Poerich to write so many paintings. Around the mountain stretches across the stat's oldest national park, established in 1977, in addition to the National Park today operates five other reserves, and in the future we plan to organize another five protected areas. Sikkim is famous for is monasteries - Ghoom, Sanga Choling, Tashiding, Pemayantsze, as well as hot springs. Locals say that the water of the river Rangit cure for many diseases. Well developed in the state and tourism infrastructure. More