Zuluk or Dzuluk, located at a height of around 10,100 feet on the rugged terrain of the lower Himalayas in East Sikkim, India, is a small village beside a winding road. A branch of the old Silk Road "2000 years ago" passed over the mountains near Gangtok, and you can still follow it today. It was once a transit point on the historic Silk Route from Tibet (China) to India. It is a relatively emerging and offbeat destination in East Sikkim.
This small village accommodates a population of around 700 people. It is the very first village within this whole Silk Route circuit to offer homestay facilities for tourists. Zuluk itself does not offer views of the snow peaks, but only 14 km away, the Thambi Viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the entire Mt. Kanchenjunga range. Zuluk is a hilltop and a transit point within the Silk Route. The road through Zuluk makes almost 32 hairpin turns to reach Lungthung and a total of 97 S-curves from Lingthum until Zuluk, which makes it a unique engineering feat. There is a local Nag Temple here. The temple has a cave-like structure, and devotees worship the deity of the King Cobra, or Nag, the famous Hindu mythical god, there. Another remarkable attraction of Zuluk lies in watching the sunrise over Mt Kanchenjunga and its allied peaks from Thambi View Point (around 14 km away) at 11,200 feet. The glittering rays of the rising sun kiss the snow-clad peak of Mt. Kanchenjunga, which slowly turns crimson and then golden and finally silver.
The village of Zuluk itself is an attraction, with a mixed population of Nepali, Sikkimese, and Tibetan people. There is a substantial army presence in the town, and you should be careful about photographing army installations. The old Silk Road is a rare confluence of natural beauty and the history of human civilisation. The Silk Route, or Silk Road, refers to a network of ancient trade routes connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa. Extending more than 6,500 km, the Silk Route was mainly used to transport Chinese Silk to Europe through Central Asia from the 2nd Century BC. However, many trade routes (both sea and land routes) existed in much earlier times that connected the main Silk Route and traded in different commodities ranging from salt to gold. Silk Route’s greatest contribution to world history was not the mere trading of a few commodities but the exchange of ideas, art and science between Asia, Europe and Africa. It was the world’s first information superhighway.
First Image credit: Somshri Patnaik
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| This road is also fascinating and dangerous. There are a total of 97 S-curves from Lingthum until Zuluk. Image credit: Saikat Thakur |
Image credit: Sourav Guha
Image credit: atimit kundu
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| The Incredible Maize, Locally known as Bhul Bhulaiya, This road starts from Lingthum and after 97-S curves reaches the top of Zuluk. Image credit: Saikat Thakur |
Image credit: Siddhartha Mandal
Army camp. Image credit: Pradipta Basu
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| Zig-zag road of Zuluk ‘Bhulbhulaia’, the view of the zig-zag road from Thambi is unique to Zuluk. One can see the complete road starting from Zuluk, passing through the lower hills up to Thambi. Image credit: Pradipta Basu |
Image credit: Pradipta Basu
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| Silk Route, Zuluk, East Sikkim – Over the years several trade routes, which played a major role for the rise of international trades round the globe that we see now, have been closed and unused. They are never used any more for the exchange of commodities and culture. One such route was known as the “Silk Road", which has got tremendous historic reference. Image credit: Gokul Banik |
Image credit: sandip1805
A FASCINATING JOURNEY. I WISH I COULD GO THERE THOUGH I AM 80YEARS YOUNG
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