Kirat Rai Cultural Center

We learned that the hotel we are staying in near Gangtok is actually much more than a hotel. It is part of an integrated complex that includes an active temple and a cultural center for the Kirat Rai community, which is one of over 33,000 sects within the Hindu religion.

Since day 1 when we showed up here, a particular person has been sort of a guardian angel to us. His name is Sanjai, and he has helped us get situated when we first arrived, gave us his number and said to call if we had any issues (we have done so many times to help with communication and logistics), and has just been super friendly and helpful. Well, he does not even work for the hotel, he works for the cultural center!

It turns out his Hindu community, backed by the state of Sikkim, built the entire complex to preserve, promote, and keep alive their cultural history and traditions. The hotel (the nicest we have ever stayed in, no exaggeration) was built both as an income-earning property and a guesthouse for visitors to the center.

So when Sanjai was done with his official work for the day, he gave us a detailed tour of the entire facility. Along the way we got an incredible lesson in the culture, history, and traditions of his Hindu community. This community numbers about 2 million worldwide.

The place has amazing architecture, artwork and displays which walk you through the formative stories of his religion. We even got to visit the inside of the temple, and see some textiles made from nettle fiber (traditional to his group).

It was such an incredible and meaningful tour. After which we continued to be completely spoiled by the hotel staff!Read more