Rumtek Monastery

24 kms from Gangtok is situated the famous monastery of Rumtek.  Rumtek  Dharma Chakra Centre built in 1960 by His Hiliness the late 16th Gyalwakarmapa about  2 kms  away from Dharma  Chakra Centre is the  recently rebuilt 300 years old Rumtek Monastery. The largest monastery in Sikkim sprawling over a huge area. It was originally built in 1730 by the ninth Karmapa but was destroyed by fire and was reconstructed to the present state by the late 16th Gyalwa Karmapa in 1960. It includes a school built on modern lines to impart teachings in Tibetan and various aspects of Buddhism. An aviary containing the most exotic birds also exists in the monastery complex. Some distance above the monastery is a hermitage in which monks go into complete seclusion for meditation for periods up to 3 years. Rumtek Monastery - Sikkim It is believed that the monastery is an absolute replica of the original Kagyurpa Monastery in Tsurphu, Tibet. The center houses some of the worl