One can truly experience the blessings and energy of Lord Hanuman, revered as the protector of the sacred land of Sikkim and the Indian Army at Hanuman Tok located at a little distance away from Gangtok. Legend has it that Lord Hanuman rested here briefly while returning to Lanka with the Dronagiri Parvat after failing to identify the Sanjeevani booti that was necessary to revive Lord Lakshmana after he was rendered unconscious by Indrajit.
Interestingly, this shrine had only a large stone that was venerated by the locals for centuries. In the 1950s, Shri Appaji Pant had a dream in which he was instructed to build a temple in honour of Lord Hanuman. He did so immediately using a dazzling red stone to carve Lord Hanuman and the temple came to be called Hanuman Tok.
The temple is situated at an altitude of about 7,200 feet above mean sea level and is immaculately maintained by the Indian Army. A flight of steps along with viewing galleries makes the climb enjoyable.
The temple is built in the typical pahadi style with bright colours, richly decorated murals and sculptures and simple ornamentation. The temple layout has the main shrine, old temple and circular temple.
The temple offers a panoramic view of the Himalayas particularly of Kanchenjunga. A large number of people assemble here before sunrise to catch a glimpse of the sunbeams gently caressing the peaks of the Himalayas.
There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga within the premises.
Written by Lakshmi Subramanian
sahasa.in 
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