Rhenock post office that has been turned into staff quarters. Picture by Prabin Khaling

Rhenock (East Sikkim), July 12: Rhenock post office, a silent witness to the bustling border trade between India and Tibet through the Old Silk Route, is on track to be declared a heritage building by the Union government.

Although no official document is available to show the year of the building’s construction, a brochure dating back to 1910 and preserved at the Ram Gauri Shangralaya museum in Rhenock mentions the post office in Darjeeling district as part of its address.

“A catalogue of Chandra nursery announcing its establishment in 1910 shows Rhenock post office as its postal address suggesting that it was already there when the nursery was set up,” said 62-year-old Ganesh Kumar Pradhan, who runs the museum.

The post office was shifted to a new building in 1957 and the old single-storied structure was converted into staff quarters, said a sub-post master of Rhenock, Ashoke Rai.

Rhenock, 60km from Gangtok, was the second most important town after Gangtok during the monarchy in Sikkim. The first police outpost in the state was at Aritar near Rhenock.

“I had seen the post office when I was a kid and from here the Chandra nursery used to send flower saplings and seeds to clients in Britain. From there mails also used to be sent to Tibet through the Jelepla Pass,” said Chaygu Tshering Bhutia, 91, who was a mandal (headman) during the Chogyal regime.

The nursery was famous in the early 90’s and used to export horticulture products outside Sikkim.

Rangpo post office, 45km from Rhenock, could also be accorded the status of heritage building following a visit by a Parliamentary Standing Committee. A 12-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology was on a three-day visit to inspect the telecom and postal services in the state recently. They had visited the post office in Rangpo. “Rhenock post office was perhaps the first one to be established in Sikkim and hence, should be declared as a heritage building. The view of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology is positive. They have also seen the potential tourism value of the place (Rangpo),” said Sikkim Lok Sabha member P.D. Rai.

Rangpo is the main entry point to the state and according to postal department records, the post office was established in 1927.

“The whole history of Sikkim can be interpreted through the post office. Once it is declared as a heritage post office, tourists coming to Sikkim will love to visit it,” said Rai. He added that the Union government was likely to declare the places as heritage sites in the current financial year.

“Once a structure is declared a heritage building, its architecture will be maintained in its original form,” said M.P. Achuthan, chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.