Wandering along Kanchenjunga Day 4 Part 2

     

       Day 4  Part 2

On our way to Nathu La,  we saw the Tsomgo / Changu Lake ... It's a glacial lake that freezes in winter. It can be best described as a lake of shimmering waters... It's about 1  km in length... Its revered as sacred water-body by local Hindus and Buddhists alike... It is said it reflects the colours of the season...

                                                                                       

Between Changu Lake and Nathu La we come across two other glacial lakes named Madhuri and Madhubala after the Bollywood  actors... 

On the way back from Nathu La, we went to Baba Mandir... dedicated to Harbhajan Singh, a Sikh soldier from  14 Rajput Regiment in the Army, who died at the age of 22... He is revered as the "Hero of Nathu La" by soldiers of the Indian army. 

Legend has it that he appeared in a dream a few days after he went missing while patrolling the border, and expressed a desire of a monument to be built in his memory. His fellow soldiers then built a monument that has over the years acquired the status of a pilgrimage centre. Believers leave a bottle of water, and collect it a week later to be used for its healing powers.

According to Army folklore, he was a stickler for discipline and is known to admonish those who do not toe this line.  A camp bed is kept for him and his boots are polished and uniform kept ready every night. The sheets are reportedly crumpled every morning and boots muddy by evening. Legend also has it that in the event of a war between India and China, Baba would warn the Indian soldiers three days in advance. Every year on September 14, a jeep departs with his personal belongings to the nearest railway station, New Jalpaiguri, where it is then sent by train to the village of Kuka, in Kapurthala district in Punjab. As per the rules of the Indian Railways, the  reserved seat is never left empty, but an exception is made for Baba. A seat is reserved on a particular day every year to travel him to his home town  with escort soldiers and return.

                    (The upper reaches of the peak as we near the Pass)   

              

                                                                                                                                     ~~~ oOo ~~~