Rumtek Monastery

The Rumtek Monastery, the seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa of the Kargyu sect of Buddhism. The largest monastery in Sikkim demonstrates the best of Tibetan architecture and is an almost replica of the original monastery in Tsurpu in Tibet. Rumtek Monastery is house to some of the rarest Buddhist religious art objects that are found in the world and are also a world known for Kargyu teachings. The well decorated and maintained monastery has a preserved Golden Stupa dating back to 16th Karmapa along with various other sculptures. Gaining its importance after Tibet’s annexation by China and many religious leaders taking their accommodation in various regions of Sikkim. It is a sacred and religiously important place for Buddhism followers. The monastery is built accordingly with the ancient designs of ancient Tibetan monasteries and verified by the monks. The interiors are decorated with murals, frescos, traditional Tibetan architecture, sculptures, and paintings. A shrine hall in the main building is decorated in a traditional manner with a religious text, Thangkas, silk banners, including a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. Enshrined with 4 statues- Virupaksha, Virudaka, Dhritarashtra, and Vaishravana, who was considered as the guardians of the universe. As per the facts, Rumtek was the first monastery built in India with all the traditional architectural designs and became the model for various other monasteries built later throughout India. About 2 km away from Dharma Chakra Center is the rebuilt 300-year-old Rumtek monastery which was originally built by the fourth Chogyal. The visiting hours of the monastery are Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and the same schedule for public holidays.