Khecheopalri Lake, 1,700 m (5,580 ft)
A small lake in a bowl of forest, sacred to Buddhists and Hindus alike. Leaves are said not to rest on its water for long, because the birds lift them off.
Photo: Sahil Pandita
Two names
Its old name, Kha-Chot-Palri, means the heaven of Padmasambhava. Locals also call it Sho Dzo Sho: oh lady, sit here. Legend reads the lake itself as the footprint of the goddess Tara.
Photo: Arjis Kundu / Pexels
A Lepcha story
The Lepcha telling begins with a couple stripping nettle bark, who saw two conch shells fall from the sky. The ground shook, and spring water rose to fill the hollow where the lake lies now.
Photo: Aman Kushwaha / Pexels
On the boardwalk
Shoes come off before the wooden boardwalk, so carry thick socks on a winter morning. Keep the prayer wheels on your right as you walk out. Nothing goes into the water: no stone, no coin, no foot. Swimming, boats and fishing are all forbidden.
Photo: Soumyadip Maity / Pexels
March or April, and October
At Maghe Purne, a two-day fair in March or April, pilgrims come from Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and India, and in the evenings butter lamps go out on small bamboo boats tied with khadas. In October, after the cardamom harvest, the villages give thanks at Chho-Tsho.
Photo: Ankit Bhattacharjee / Pexels
When to arrive
The lake is about 27 km from Pelling. Arrive near 09:15 and the water is still and green, the jetty empty before the day's cars. Or walk out at the end of the afternoon, as the light goes, when voices drop on their own.
Photo: Arijit Dey / Pexels
Easy walking
The boardwalk is flat, which makes the lake the gentlest stop in West Sikkim for parents and grandparents. It pairs naturally with Yuksom and its coronation throne, 21 km farther on, in a single day from Pelling.
Photo: Rutva Andharia / Unsplash