LACHUNG

village, northeastern Sikkim state, northeastern India, on the Lachung River, a tributary of the Tista. A small trading centre (corn and pulses), it is equipped with a dispensary, rest house, and monastery and is linked to Gangtok, Sikkim's capital, 27 miles (43 km) south, by the North Sikkim Highway. It is the site of a government agricultural station. To the north of its bazaar are seasonal grazing settlements, while to the south many hamlets are perched along the riverbanks. A trail from Lachung leads east to the Tibetan border pass of Thang Kar.