Source: The Scotsman

Wire Service: Reuters

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=860772006

On June 11, 2006 Reuters reported, "On the face of it, Buddhism is alive and well in Sikkim, high in the Himalayas between Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal, a former Buddhist kingdom which merged with India only in 1975. But behind these peaceful scenes, the thick walls of Enchey monastery have deep cracks running across their colourful murals. The monastery, on a hilltop in the heart of Sikkim's capital Gangtok, says it does not have the money to repair the damage caused by an earthquake four months ago, and is still waiting for government help. Many monks in Sikkim say the cracks are symbolic of a deeper malaise. The Buddhist religion has been marginalized in Sikkim, the mainly Buddhist Bhutia and Lepcha tribes outnumbered and outmanoeuvred by the majority ethnic Nepali Hindus, they say. 'The peaceful way of living is slowly and gradually disappearing,' said Yapo S. Yongda, the chief lama of Pemayangtse monastery and the head of the Assembly of Monasteries of Sikkim."