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Comprising
the two-third population of Sikkim, the Nepalese
community follows Hinduism. Lepchas continue to be the staunch believers
of their traditional customs. They have faith in spirits and in the "Shamans"
who cure illnesses and preside over ceremonies during birth, marriage and
death. The Bhutias practise Buddhism and were responsible for converting
the Lepchas to Mahayana Buddhism.
Buddhism
Buddhism was introduced in Sikkim primarily due
to strife among the Buddhists of Tibet in the 15th and 16th centuries. The
root of this strife was the reformation brought about in Tibetan Buddhism
by Dipankar Srijana or "Atisha". He was an Indian monk who
visited Tibet in the 10th century. He led a missionary journey in 1042 and
preached celibacy and moral abstinence and opposed the Tantric arts.
The Gelugpa or the reformed order, headed by the Dalai Lama, originated
during this period of time. The unreformed or the old order was the
Nyingmapa, whose source of inspiration were the great mystic yogis of the
time. The Nyingmapa trace their origins to thegreat yogi Milarepa. They
resisted the reform of the Gelugpaand maintained their beliefs in the
Tantric practises.
The gap between the followers of the two sects deepened. In time, the
Gelugpa sect, headed by the Dalai Lama, became the prominent influence in
Tibet, while the Nyingmapa sought refuge in Sikkim.
Major Festivity
The major festival in Sikkim is the Phanglhapsol festival. On this
occasion, masked dances are performed by the people in honour of
Kanchenjunga, the presiding deity and the mountain. This festival lasts
for two days.
The
Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in the region has a fantastic
collection of Tibetan books - the largest in this part of the world. Most
of the Buddhist monasteries are big repositories of artifacts, wall
paintings, Tankas or Thangkas (religious paintings) and bronze images.
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