INTRODUCTIONSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. The state borders Nepal to the west, Tibet Autonomous Region, People'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 secondsmallest state afterGoa in total area, covering approximately 7,096 km2 (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-highest peak, is located on Sikkim's border with Nepal.[6] Sikkim is a popular tourist destination, owing to its culture, scenery andbiodiversity. It also has the only open border between India and China.

Sikkim has 11 official languages: Nepali , Bhutia, 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 Vajrayana Buddhism. Gangtok is the capital and largest city.

Geography The state of Sikkim is characterized by mountainous terrain. Almost the entire state is hilly, with an elevation ranging from 280 metres (920 ft) to 8,585 metres (28,000 ft). The Himalayan mountains surround the northern, eastern and western borders of Sikkim. The Lower Himalayas, lying in the southern reaches of the state, are the most densely populated.

Sikkim's hot springs are renowned for their medicinal and therapeutic values. Among the state's most notable hot springs are those at Phurchachu, Yumthang, Borang, Ralang, Taram-chu and Yumey Samdong. The springs, which have a high sulphurcontent, are located near river banks; some are known to emit hydrogen. The average temperature of the water in these hot springs is 50 C (122 F).

Climate Sikkim is one of the few states in India to receive regular snowfall. The snow line ranges from 20,000 feet in the north of the state to 16,000 feet in the south. During the monsoon, heavy rains increase the risk of landslides. The record for the longest period of continuous rain in Sikkim is 11 days. In the northern region, because of the high altitude, temperatures can drop below 40 C ( 40 F) in winter. Fog affects many parts of the state during winter and the monsoons, making transportation perilous.

Flora and fauna Sikkim has around 5,000 flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60 primula species, 36 rhododendron species, 11 oak varieties, 23 bamboo varieties, 16 conifer species, 362 types of ferns and ferns allies, 8 tree ferns, and over 424 medicinal plants. A variant of the Poinsettia, 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 state tree.

The fauna include the snow leopard, the musk deer, the Himalayan Tahr, the red panda, the Himalayan marmot, the serow, the goral, the barking deer, the common langur, the Himalayan Black Bear, the clouded leopard, the Marbled Cat, the leopard cat, the wild dog, the Tibetan wolf, the hog badger, the binturong, the jungle cat and the civet cat. Among the animals more commonly found in the alpine zone are yaks, mainly reared for their milk, meat, and as a beast of burden.

Cusines of Sikkim: Of the dietary culture of the various ethnic groups of people consisting of the Nepalese, Bhutias and Lepchas. Rice is the staple food. Meat and dairy products are also consumed depending on availability. Besides these, various traditional fermented foods and beverages, which constitute of about 20 per cent of the basic diet for long centuries are prepared and consumed.

Momo: Momo, steamed dumpling prepared from wheat flour and meat/vegetable is very common Tibetan food. Momo has already entered commercial production and is well placed in menus of all local hotels/restaurant.

Thukpa/ GyaThuk: Thukpa/Gya-thuk is a typical Tibetan style noodles in soup. Thukpa/Gyathukis very popular local cuisine also available in all restaurants and hotels of these regions.

Kinema: Kinema is a traditional fermented soybean food having characteristic stringy property with unique flavour, commonly consume as a main side-dish curry served as meat substitute along with cooked rice in meals. Kinema serves as an inexpensive high source of plant protein food in the local diet. The word Kinema might have originated from the Limbu (one of the major castes of the Nepalis) dialect Kinambaa, Kimeaning fermented, nambaa means flavour.

Gundruk & Sinki: Gundruk and Sinki are traditional fermented 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 toGundruk 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 biopreservation of perishable vegetable. Gundruk and Sinki are good appetizers due to high content of lactic and acetic acid developed during fermentation.

Mesu: Mesu is a traditional fermented bamboo shoot product with sour-acidic taste eaten as pickle. In the Limbu dialect, me means young bamboo shoot and su means sour, the word Mesu is directly derived from the Limbu dialect. Young bamboo shoots are fermented under natural anaerobic condition for 7-15 days, initiated by spp. of Lactobacillus and Pediococc us to get Mesu. It has high content of organic acid and low pH with rich mineral contents.

Saelroti Widely prepared during Nepali festivals, Saelroti is normally eaten with potato curry or non-vegetarian dish. Normally not available in restaurants but Saelroti is prepared from well-mixed fermented rice batter which is deep fried, ring-shaped, spongy, pretzel-like product commonly consume as confectionery bread in festival and special occasions. The batter is fermented by spp. of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria.

Jaanr/ Chaang: 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. Jaanr/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.

Sikkim Travel and Tourism: The state is legendary for its peaceful nature and simplicity. Famous for Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world at 8586m, the mountain state of Sikkim offers tremendous variety of plant and wildlife besides a diverse ethnic mix of people with rich cultural tradition.

Sikkim is rich with wide variety of flora and fauna. About 450 varieties of orchids, over 600 species of butterflies, 500 species of birds along with red pandas, snow leopards and other animals can be seen in Sikkim. The largest collection can be seen at the Kanchenjunga National Park which covers an area of 850 square kilometers. As a result ornithology tourism is also gaining in prominence in Sikkim.

Entering 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. The State Capital - Gangtok, the capital 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 trips around Gangtok have a monastery as their ultimate destination. The monasteries that are closest to Gangtok are Enchey, Rumtek and Phodong.

Places to 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 Ravangla. The East District is where capital Gangtok is situated. West District offers destinations such as Pelling andYuksom as well as beautiful treks such as the one to Dzongri. The north district bordering China has been recently opened to tourists. The most common destination here is Yumthang.

Tourism and Development in Sikkim: Sikkim is blessed with exquisite natural beauty, salubrious climate, rich biodiversity and a friendly host population. In addition to this the state s unique cultural traits adds to its attraction. In fact the altitudinal variation and lack of enough plain land which has acted as a hurdle in the path of industrial development has contributed positively by increasing the state s topographical variety and its natural beauty.

Growth of tourism: Sikkim s natural beauty and rich cultural heritage has been attracting large number of tourists to the state. As a result tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and has been identified by the government as one of the thrust areas. The number of tourists visiting Sikkim has shown an increasing trend since 1980. Though during the early years, which was the formative stage, there were slight fluctuations in the tourist flow, from nineties onwards till recent years there has been a steady increase.

Sikkim is an ideal destination for practising ecotourism and village tourism. The scenic beauty, congenial climate rich biodiversity, has made tourism a key sector in the field of future development. Strategically also tourism development is important as due to topographical constraints development of heavy and medium is not viable. Hence tourism in Sikkim has been identified as the best alternative. The state tourism has elaborately designed a long-term sustainable development plan to conserve the ecological fragility of the region. In Sikkim therefore the government has accorded high priority for development and promotion of tourism based on the tenets of ecotourism and village tourism. In fact all efforts are made to prove that sustainable tourism can economically benefit the host population and at same time be a saviour of the environment.