Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC)

Upper Syari, P. O. Deorali - 737102, East Sikkim E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.siblac.org Ph. +91 9434144224

To Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal Ji Hon’ble Chief Minister Government of Himachal Pradesh Shimla Himachal Pradesh

Sub: Restoration/Renovation of the sacred Rewalsar Lake @ Tso Pema at Rewalsar, District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Hon'ble Sir, It is a matter of great appreciation that the State of Himachal Pradesh has turned into a must visit destination for tourist visiting India while at the same time the State has off late evolved as the tourist hotspot under your stable leadership. We further appreciate the conspicuous quality of surface transport networks that is an uncompromising requirement to boost tourism development to such an extent. Furthermore, for Sikkim and the Sikkimese Buddhists, your State is one of its most sacred pilgrimage centre by virtue of being the land of the above mentioned Rewalsar Lake alias Tso Pema, a sacred lake associated with great Buddhist Master Mahaguru Padmasambhava, the second Buddha who was arrested and put to burning flame by the then King Indrabodhi of Jahor in the 8th century A.D. The Mahaguru converted the flame into the present day Rewalsar Lake alias Tso Pema and miracled himself seated on a lotus amid the lake and thus the name Tso Pema meaning "Lotus Lake". Under the circumstances, may I solicit your dynamic leadership's kind attention and intervention to ensure the following: 1. Renovating and maintaining the Lake befitting to its significance to the entire Buddhist world. This shall not only go a long way in addressing to our concern but shall also highly be yielding in the furtherance of your State's Tourism potential to even further higher level. 2. Further more boating and other human activites in the Lake in the past has created a massive unrest and a sense of religious genocide amongst the Buddhist the world over which however could not be traced during our last week visit to Rewalsar. In this regard, we would also solicit your support and cooperation to make the Lake free of any such human activity thus ensuring the sanctity and sacredness of the same. Such development shall definitely put the Rewalsar Lake amongst world's prominent Tourist circuit. Submitted for your most considerate deliberations and sympathetic favour please. Sarva Mangalam

Tseten Tashi Bhutia, Convenor SIBLAC Former Minister, Sikkim Dated: June 25, 2010 Camp: New Delhi