Gangtok

One of the most important monasteries of Sikkim and the Nyingma order of Buddhism, the Enchey Monastery is constructed on a site blessed by Lama Druptob Karpo, a revered tantric master reputed for his power to fly. Its large prayer hall is full of vibrant murals and images, representing the entire pantheon of Mahayana Buddhist deities. Enchey Monastery which is over 200 years old, has within its precincts many icons and religious artifacts of great veneration and antiquity.

With its rare collection of medieval Buddhist scriptures, bronzes and embroidered thangkas, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology is the world-renowned centre for Buddhist philosophy and religion. It attracts Buddhist scholars from around the world. The centre also has a wide range of Lepcha and Sanskrit manuscripts and scrolls of ancient vintage.  

One of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist sects the Gyalwa Karmapa, who fled Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese invasion built a replica here of his monastery. Especially splendid is the reliquary chorten of the 16th Karmapa. This lavishly built monastery is said to be a replica of the Tsurphu Monastery of the Kagyupa order in Tibet. When the Chinese occupied Tibet, Gyalwa Karmapa the 16th incarnate of the original Gyalwa Karnapa of Tibetand head of the Kagyupa sect of Buddhism took refuge in Sikkim. The Chogyal of Sikkim gifted him some land to establish a new monastery. With its beautiful traditional architecture, carved and painted woodwork, magnificent murals and treasures of transcripts and icons, Rumtek is a splendid example of the Tibetan monastic art in Sikkim.