Govt provides additional land for Newar cultural facility, commits Rs. 100 crore for proposed Himalayan culture and heritage centre

GANGTOK,: The State government has provided an additional land for the Newar community’s proposed larger cultural facility in Gangtok and committed around Rs. 100 crore for a “Himalayan Culture and Heritage Centre” at Kafley in Namthang, as Chief Minister PS Golay called for greater efforts to preserve the Newar community’s language, culture, traditions and identity.

The announcements were made during the State-level Indra Jatra Celebration 2026 organised by the Sikkim Newar Guthi (SNG) at Manan Kendra here today.

A Land Parcha was also formally handed over by the Chief Minister to the SNG during the programme. Golay said the additional land would enable the community to develop a larger facility in Gangtok, while urging the Newar community to take responsibility for maintaining the building once constructed.

The Chief Minister also announced the proposed Himalayan Culture and Heritage Centre at Kafley, saying the government would spend around Rs. 100 crore for the project, which is intended to serve as a centre for the preservation and promotion of Newar language, identity, culture and traditional heritage.

“However, if we build only this much and you do not work for your language, identity, culture, and traditional attire in its name, then this becomes useless. It will be nothing. It will just be a building, just a structure,” Golay said.

He said the proposed centre should attract visitors from across India and abroad and serve as a place where people could learn about Newar heritage.

The State-level celebration was attended by Cabinet ministers, invited guests and dignitaries from across Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and other areas, members of the 21 communities of Sikkim and representatives of various Newar Guthi branches.

The programme featured traditional Newari cultural presentations and religious rituals. The yearly magazine ‘Smarika’, a ritual book and the Newar Indra Jatra song were released, while the logo of the first Sikkim Travel and Tourism Fair was also unveiled.

The occasion also witnessed the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 to Shradheya Guruji Suryabir Tuladhar, the second Newar Ratna Samman 2026 to Govind Prasad Pradhan and Ganesh Kumar Pradhan, and the Bhanji Bhrikuti Samman 2026 to Satchina Tamang.

Addressing the gathering, Golay extended greetings to the Newar community and acknowledged the participation of guests from Siliguri, West Bengal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, besides representatives from various constituencies and villages of Sikkim.

He explained the religious significance of Indra Jatra, saying the procession and worship of Lord Ganesha, Lord Indra, Goddess Kumari, Lord Bhairavnath, Indra’s mother and Indra’s mount, Airavata, were associated with the community’s faith and prayers for relief from suffering, hardship, crises, epidemics and illnesses.

“I wish to take the opportunity to express my respect to the Newar community, which has contributed historically to the construction and development of Sikkim, and to express gratitude for the contribution you have made to make Sikkim more prosperous through your hard work, culture, traditions, and identity,” he said.

“Every year on the occasion of the Indra Jatra festival, I try my best to participate,” he added.

“Indra Jatra is celebrated not only as the worship of a deity, but also as a festival of enthusiasm that binds nature, agricultural crops, ancestors, life and death, memories, and the community into a single thread. Therefore, Indra Jatra is also a festival of mutual acquaintance, respect, and harmony,” Golay said.

Golay urged the SNG and members of the Newar community to give greater priority to education, saying investment in the sector would strengthen the community’s human resources and future generations.

“According to the work you have done, a lot of your tasks have been accomplished. You are also active in many areas. But above all, please work in the education sector. Work in the education sector. It is said, ‘Investment in education is the best investment,’” he said.

Golay said young people should look beyond Sikkim after completing their education. He said children from poor families earlier could not imagine pursuing expensive professional courses, including medicine, but government assistance had changed the situation.

He urged the Newar Guthi and the community’s intellectuals to strengthen the organisation independently and assured government assistance whenever required.

Speaking about the Newari Bhawan, Golay said the project had initially been started during the previous government but was left incomplete.

He compared the earlier stage to a “proposal” before a marriage, saying his government subsequently completed the work and cleared pending payments.

He said the Newar community later requested additional land at MG Road to construct a larger facility using its own resources and contributions from donors.

Golay said the government initially provided land and subsequently agreed to additional land after the community explained that the original area was insufficient.

“Today we officially granted them additional land as well. Congratulations to them,” he said.

He urged the community to maintain the facility once it was handed over.

Golay said the initial nearly 4,000 sq ft of land near Paljor Stadium had been supplemented with another 1,949 sq ft.

Golay said the proposed cultural heritage project at Kafley in Namthang gained greater urgency after he recently visited the area while attending the last rites of a party worker.

He said the MLA from Namthang constituency had taken him to the proposed site and discussed the possibility of establishing a cultural heritage facility there.

Golay said he questioned whether a major government investment would generate sufficient long-term benefit.

“If we spend 100 crores and there’s no benefit, that would be a losing trade for us, wouldn’t it? Not for us, later it would be a losing trade for the Newar community, which shouldn’t happen,” he said.

He said road expansion would first have to be undertaken and that he had issued the necessary direction.

The project will be known as the “Himalayan Culture and Heritage Centre at Kafley”.

He said the government would spend around Rs 100 crore and cautioned that the project should not continue expanding in cost indefinitely.

He said the completed asset would eventually be handed over to the community.

MLA and Sikkim Newar Guthi chief patron NB Pradhan highlighted what he described as the State Government’s contributions towards the Newar community.

“During the 25 years of the previous administration, our Newar community had only 13 teachers appointed. However, in just 7 years of rule under Chief Minister P.S. Golay, 18 language teachers have been appointed for our community,” he said.

Pradhan said there had previously been no Newar artists in the Culture Department and that the Chief Minister had assured the appointment of 10 artists following a request from the community.

He also said around 15 members of the Newar community had been appointed as OSDs, chairpersons, advisers and members of various commissions under the present government.

Pradhan highlighted the Jaslal Pradhan Boxing Academy and said Bhanjyang Sadam Road had been renamed “Shaheed Kumar Prasad Pradhan Marg” after the Newar soldier who died in the Kargil War.

He also cited the renaming of Namthang Senior Secondary School as “Balkrishna Kasaajoo Senior Secondary School, Namthang” and Rateypani Senior Secondary School as “Tilak Pradhan Senior Secondary School”.

He said the Chief Minister had also suggested taking Indra Jatra beyond Gangtok to areas with significant Newar populations including Melli, Dentam, Rhenock and Soreng.

Pradhan said the Central Committee would discuss organising future celebrations in regional areas.

Sikkim Newar Guthi president Mani Kumar Pradhan said the organisation was established to unite the Newar community across districts and preserve and promote its language, script, literature, art, culture, traditions, values and identity.

He said the Guthi was working to establish and expand 53 Newar branch Guthis.

He also announced plans for a wider State-level Newar Youth Camp and said the organisation was working towards reactivating the National Newar Language and Cultural Institute to provide systematic education in language, culture and literature.

The Guthi has also been publishing annual souvenir booklets documenting the community’s history, activities and cultural contributions.

Mani Kumar Pradhan said the Sikkim Newar Guthi had achieved a milestone by registering its name in the India Book of Records on September 24 for a special performance featuring traditional musical instruments, brass and flute ensembles and Lakhey dance.

He said the achievement was made possible through the collective participation of artists, musicians, dancers, volunteers and supporters.

The Guthi also plans to organise an international conference in Sikkim through the Newar World Organization, inviting linguists, cultural experts, historians and scholars from across the world.

“Our long-term vision is that we should not have to rely on frequent donations to conduct our regular activities in the future, and that cultural programs can be sustained through the Guthi’s own internal fund,” Mani Kumar Pradhan said.

He also said the Newar Ratna Samman was instituted to recognise distinguished Newar personalities who had made significant contributions to society and the nation.

Indra Jatra Celebration Committee chairman Dhiraj Pradhan said the festival had been celebrated on a grand scale in Sikkim since 2000 and was a key festival associated with the worship of Indra, the god of rain.

He said the festival, celebrated from Bhadra Shukla Dwadashi to Ashwin Krishna Chaturthi, includes worship of Ganesh and Indra, hymns and the chariot procession of the living Goddess Kumari and Bhairav.

This year’s theme was “Let’s Unite, Awaken, and Preserve Our Culture and Heritage”.

He said more than 50 branches from different parts of Sikkim participated, including representatives from Lingtam Bigu in Rhenock constituency, Dentam in Geyzing district and Dharamdin in Soreng district.

He explained the significance of the Bhanji Bhrikuti Samman, instituted to honour daughters born through inter-caste marriages who achieve distinction and bring pride to their families, maternal homes and the state.

The celebration also brought together members of the Newar community from across Sikkim and neighbouring areas, reinforcing Guthi's stated objective of preserving the community’s language, culture, traditions and heritage while taking Indra Jatra from the state level towards national and international recognition.