Culture and history · Pedong
Pedong bazaar and the old mule road
Wander Pedong's bazaar in the late afternoon and look for traces of the trade that once came down from Tibet over Jelep La: old shopfronts, family businesses and elders who remember the mule caravans.
Until 1962, Pedong was a stage on the road that carried Tibetan wool down to Kalimpong, India's main market for it. Mule caravans came over Jelep La, through the Chumbi valley side, down through Rhenock and Pedong, and on to Kalimpong. Grain, cloth, sugar, kerosene and manufactured goods went the other way. The 1962 war closed the pass, and the trade stopped almost overnight.
Today the bazaar is an ordinary hill market of jeeps, hardware shops, grocers and tea stalls. But ask around, politely, and some families will tell you their shops or houses date from the trading days, or that a grandfather worked with the caravans. These are personal memories, shared on the families' terms; do not press.
Late afternoon is a good time, when villagers come in to shop and the jeeps fill for the ride home. Eat a plate of momos or a thali for ₹80–200, buy local cardamom or churpi, and watch the light fade over the Sikkim hills.
Cost: ₹100–250 for tea and snacks
Questions people ask
Good to know
Was Pedong on the Silk Route?
Pedong was on the Kalimpong–Lhasa trade road over Jelep La, which carried Tibetan wool until 1962. Travellers often call the whole network the Silk Route. The popular Silk Route drive today runs through Rongli and Zuluk in East Sikkim, across the Rishi river from Pedong.
What was traded through Pedong?
Mainly Tibetan wool coming south to Kalimpong, India's chief market for it, along with other Tibetan goods. Northbound mules carried grain, cloth, sugar, kerosene and factory goods. The trade ended when Jelep La was closed after the 1962 war.
Is Jelep La open today?
No. Jelep La, on the Sikkim–Tibet border, has been closed to trade and travel since 1962. Limited border trade with Tibet reopened through Nathu La in 2006. Visitors can go to Nathu La from Gangtok with permits, but not to Jelep La.
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