Sikkim garden brews heritage tourism plan

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, 10 September 2019, Gangtok: Come October, tourists flocking Sikkim will have a new address at the picture-perfect Eco Adventure Resorts at Temi Tea Garden to stay and explore the many splendours of the Himalayan state.

STATE-OWNED TEMI TEA ESTATE TO BE OPENED FOR VISITORS FROM OCTOBER

Set up by the Calcutta-based Priya Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. (PEPL) in association with the Sikkim government in public-private partnership (PPP) mode, the resort will be formally inaugurated on Wednesday and begin operations next month.

The main attraction of the resort, located in the South district, is a refurbished five-room heritage bungalow of 1885 vintage. The Temi bungalow -- popularly called Bada Bungalow -- was built by the British during the time of the Chogyals for its travelling pastors. It later became the official residence of the manager of Temi Tea Garden, which was established by the Sikkim government in 1969.

Bungalow apart, the resort has seven cottages, a viewing deck and a lounge, with plans to set up a spa and a casino in the future. "The property is uniquely positioned as a heritage destination and suitably located (for tourists) to engage in outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking and paragliding," said a spokesperson for the company.

The resort has been set up on a halfacre plot let out to the company by the garden on a 25-year lease. "The bungalow was damaged in the earthquake of 2011, and since then it had been lying vacant…We thought of either getting it repaired or start a resort since we had heard about Glenburn (the tea estate-cum-boutique hotel in Darjeeling)," said Mrinalini Srivastava, the managing director of Temi Tea.

Srivastava said apart from restoring and refitting the bungalow, the company has set up cottages on the adjacent land. "The condition we set was that it (execution of the project) should be fast and there should be minimum 75 per cent employment for locals. The project was started last year and completed in 15 months." Arijit Dutta, the managing director of PEPL, said the company plans to position the resort as a destination for eco and adventure tourism.

Temi also hosts the annual Cherry Tea Festival in the winters.