Baba Mandir: The Soldier Saint of the Sikkim Border

A shrine near Kupup in East Sikkim, at about 13,123 ft between Nathu La and Jelep La, to Harbhajan Singh, a soldier who died in 1968 and whom troops believe still guards the border.

Yellow buildings with red roofs sit in a bare valley ringed by high mountains, prayer flags snapping in the cold wind. Inside, soldiers keep a shrine as though its occupant might walk in at any moment.

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was a sepoy of the 23rd Punjab Regiment who served from 1965 to 1968 and died near Nathu La in 1968. A board beside the shrine says he fell into a stream while escorting a mule column from Tuku La to Dongchui La. His body was found after three days, and it is believed a fellow soldier was led to it in a dream. Troops came to believe that Baba still protects the border.

Old and new shrines

The original samadhi, near Chhokya Chho, is known as the Old Baba Mandir and is reached by 50 stairs. For the convenience of visitors, a new samadhi was built on 11 November 1982 at the junction of the Kupup–Gnathang road and the trail to Menmecho Lake. This New Baba Mandir stands between Nathu La and Jelep La at about 13,123 ft, roughly 52 km from Gangtok, and is usually visited with Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La.