O utside the city of Gangtok, Sikkim, 15-year-old monk Karma Yonten Phuntsok wanders the Lingdum Monastery all alone. "The other monks were away at a retreat," says photographer Steve Winter. "Young Phuntsok was, in effect, the keeper of the temple for the day. He was a bit shy but performed his duties with a calm demeanor."
T he name Gangtok, given to this capital of the Indian state of Sikkim, means "hilltop." This shot, taken outside the main market, shows a sloping topography crowded with buildings. Sikkim itself is a lofty, formerly independent kingdom between Nepal and Bhutan that is nestled in the shadows of the Himalaya. Elevations in Sikkim range from a thousand feet above sea level up to 28,000 feet. Though its population is mostly Hindu, Sikkim is noted for its numerous Buddhist monasteries.
A pprentice artist Urgen Bhutia puts the finishing touches on a painting at the Government Institute of Cottage Industries. This center, with a showroom where visitors can buy finished works, teaches young people a craft they can use to help make a living. "Bhutia paints beautiful tankas, which are traditional Tibetan paintings, that are sold at very good prices," says photographer Steve Winter. "Other handmade goods available when I was there included carpets, stuffed animals, woven scarves, and other clothes."
I shot this traditional Tibetan sacred text at the Tendong Lho Rum Faat, a festival celebrating the Lepcha culture in the town of Gyalshing in west Sikkim," says photographer Steve Winter. "Participants told me the text was over 200 years old and contains prayers of the Lepcha people." The Lepcha are the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim, with their own language and script.
{ Photographs by Steve Winter Text by Scott Stuckey}
