#travelwithgdp Fact: A prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes. Prayer flags are believed to have originated with Bon. In Bon, shamanistic Bonpo used primary-colored plain flags in Tibet.
Description: Gangtok, or actually the whole of Sikkim and the surrounding area can be found with various types of hanging flags. It’s a common tourist practice to get a set of flags back to indicate your visit to such places. Traditionally, the flags are known as prayer flag come in sets of five: one in each of five colors. The five colors are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. The five colors represent the five elements and the Five Pure Lights. Different elements are associated with different colors for specific traditions, purposes, and sadhana. Blue symbolizes the sky and space, white symbolizes the air and wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements.
Place: Gangtok, Sikkim, India
Date: July, 2017
Weather: Monsoon (Rainy)
Shot On: @canonasia
Travelling With: @numbstax and @praveen_nadarajah
Places Visited on Trip: West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Meghalaya, India
Trip Total Days: 11 Days
Budget Required: INR 8,000-15,000