Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple

Known locally as Baba Mandir, this small temple-style memorial stands in the high country of Gangtok district, close to Tsomgo (Changu) Lake on the way towards Nathu La. It honours Harbhajan Singh, a sepoy of the 23rd Punjab Regiment who came from a village in Punjab and died near the Nathu La pass in 1968 in circumstances that were never fully explained.

Soldiers posted on this stretch of the India-China border believe his spirit still walks the frontier, watching over the troops stationed there, and he is spoken of simply as Baba. Reports of his presence among his comrades led to the building of the shrine, which was opened in 1983. Inside are a bronze statue of the soldier and a bed kept empty for him, and it draws both army personnel and visitors heading up to the lake.