If you want to get away from it all, the Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse in West Sikkim is just about as far away from it all as it gets. It’s 126km from Gangtok and almost the same distances to Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri. You can spend the day gazing at Mt Kanchanjunga which gazes down sternly on the region. Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse stands on a heavily wooded estate owned by the Sharpekahlon family, who settled in this area around the end of 17th century when the capital of Sikkim was moved from Yuksom to Rhabdentse in West Sikkim.
Unlike her ancestors, who chose this place for its remoteness as it promised a safe haven from invaders, the current owner Dekyi Gyatso, took refuge in the wilderness to ‘save’ her ancestral home from withering away. She says: “I had toyed with the idea of a homestay for a long time. I worked for two years in a bank in Gangtok and then decided to return to my roots.” She employed local villagers who helped her with getting the property’s basic functions up and running; not much of restoration was required as the house was made organically – employing local architecture made with wood and stone. The double-storied structure withstood years of weather challenges.
The Farmhouse has opened its doors for guests this June, after over a year of restoration work. There are eight cottages that overlook a mandarin orange grove and two heritage rooms for guests in the main house. two heritage rooms that are open for guests – Zimchung, which is the Sharpekhalons family bedroom and Gol Kamra, the traditional parlour that has now been converted into a second bedroom. The dining area on the ground floor has been left just the way it was, save for the murals on the wall that was added later. The dining area on the ground floor has been left just the way it was.
“I opened the doors of my ancestral home to travellers to give them a glimpse of our way of life,” she says. The restaurant here serves home-style local cuisines like kinema (fermented soyabean) curry, together with the ubiquitous momos and thukpa. A one-time tool shack now serves as the bar. My favourite activity on this estate was to simply sit in the expansive balcony and read a book amidst the decadent silence interrupted only by the sounds of nature. You could also visit local hotspots like Khangchendzonga Falls and the Shinshore Bridge that are a day’s excursion away.
Tariff: Rs 8,950 for doubles with meals. Reservations: 09593978750, biksthang@gmail.com; Best time to visit: between March to June and September to December.
Basu and The Bees 