Chungthang

Chungthang is a small town in Mangan district of North Sikkim, at roughly 5,500 feet, built where the Lachen and Lachung rivers meet to form one stream. Its name is traced to the Tibetan Tsemo Rinchen Thang, usually rendered as 'top precious plain'. The town was long a halt on the old trading routes between India and Tibet, and today it is the road junction for both Lachen and Lachung.

Local belief holds that Guru Padmasambhava stopped here in the 8th century on his way back from Tibet, overcame a troublesome demon, and made rice fields grow by scattering his leftover grain. A sacred rock called Lhedo or Neydo is said to carry his imprints, and a monastery built by Lepcha Buddhists in 1788, Tsun Hang Rigdzin Choeling Gonpa, keeps the tradition alive. Wooden houses line the streets, and the rapids at the confluence are used for rafting.