Richenpong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (November 2006)

Richenpong is a town in West Sikkim, India. It is famous for the Rigsum monastery and trekking routes. Richenpong is located at an altitude of 1,700 metres and situated amidst a heavily forested area.

This happens to be the site of a historical battle between the forces of the then Chogyal (King) of Sikkim and the invading British forces. The latter faced a thorough drubbing in what could be described these days as "biochemical warfare". The Lepcha tribesmen used a concotion of unidentified herbs to poison the only water source, a lake (local term : pokhri). As a result more than half of the British forces were wiped out in a humiliating defeat which stopped the British invasion and resulted in an accord.

The lake remains poisoned even to this day an is known as bikh-pokhri (poisoned lake).