Gangtok City Map Poster

About Gangtok

The city is noted for its distinct cultural identity, with the Lepcha people dominant. The majority of residents are Hindus and Sikkimese Buddhists. The name Gangtok comes from the Tibetan word གདྭ་འབ (Wylie: "gdab 'og") meaning "place of the gods". It may also be related to Tibetan  "gong-pa", which means a place above or high up in relation to sea level, but this is less likely since it would mean that Gangtok was built on higher ground than nearby Tumlong/Tawang Monastery (which lies at an elevation of 3,600 m). According to legend, in ancient times Guru Rinpoche meditated at Namchi and left behind a foot impression; when he flew back over Tibet on his tigress he stopped there and said that this should be a place where people go for pilgrimage. Hence it became a sacred site for both Bonpo as well as Buddhist pilgrims ever since.