| Rumtek Himalays |
 |
|
| Dharma Chakra Centre, the monastery of Rumtek located at a height of 5,500 feet above sea level facing the city of Gangtok. Built by the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje in 16th century, Rumtek served as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in Sikkim for some time. The sacred items and relics brought out from Tsurphu Monastery, the Karmapa's seat in Tibet, were installed. On Tibetan New Year's day (losar) H.H. the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa officially inaugurated the new seat called the Dharmachakra Centre. This was the first monastery built in India in the traditional design, and it became the model for many other monasteries built later throughout India. |
|
| A spacious stone courtyard in the front of monks' quarters is the pleasure to watch and these quarters surround the temple. The ghanzira is a golden sculpture that crowns the roof peak of the four-storied temple. Symbolizing the five Buddha families; Amithaba, Vairochana, Amoghasiddhi, Akshobya and Ratnasambhava the five distinct shapes; the lotus, the wheel, the bell, the vase and the jewel are present bottom to top of the temple. |
|
| According to the legend is that after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha chose an isolated place for meditation. The great gods Brahma and Indra approached the Buddha in meditation. They offered a golden wheel with a thousand spokes and a white, right-turning conch shell to the Buddha in return to teachings on the holy dharma. Two deer emerged from the nearby forest and gazed directly at the wheel. To symbolize this dharma wheel and a pair of deer are present on every Buddhist temple and monastery. Victory over negative forces of all directions is represented by six metal and golden gyaltsen or victory banners this completes the roof decoration. |
|
| At the entrance of the main temple Tibetan monastic painting style grace with richly colored murals in the traditional is reflected. The Four Guardians of the universe: Virudaka, Virupaksha, Dritarashtra, and Vaishravana in stand life-size at door of the temple protecting the east, west, south, and north cardinal directions. At the entryway the Guardian Kings present as the four approached him and promised to protect all the Buddha's monasteries and temples in the future. |
|
| The spacious Main Shrine Hall is supported by robust red pillars. Paintings of the Kagyu lineage, the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, the Sixteen Arhats (the saints to whom Buddha Shakyamuni entrusted his doctrine), and the Genduk Chogngi (Shakyamuni Buddha and the eight greatest scholars of Buddhist India: Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Dharmakirti, Gunaprabha, and Sakyaprabha) fill the walls. Long, round silk banners and ancient thangkas hang from these columns. |
|
| The religious texts of the Kangyur - Buddha's teachings and Tengyur are housed in the hall on either side of the main shrine. A ten-foot-tall Buddha statue at the back of the hall is protectd by Shariputra and Mangalputra. One thousand small buddha statues made of clay and painted gold present on either side of the rupa. A Golden Stupa contains the relics of the 16th Karmapa. Opposite that building is a college, Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies. |
|
| The temperature in Summer is between a maximum of 20.7 and minimum of 13.1 (deg.C°.); in Winter, maximum 14.9 / minimum 7.7. The best season to visit, in terms of weather, is March to late May, or from October to mid-December. |
|
| Rumtek is located 24 km from Gangtok, the capital of the Sikkim, at an altitude of about 1500 m. |
|
| To reach Rumtek |
The nearest airport is Bagdogra (124 kms). The nearest railway stations are in Siliguri (114 kilometers (kms)) and New Jalpaiguri (NJP) (125 kms).
Rumtek is well connected through roads to Gangtok with Siliguri (114 kms), Darjeeling (139 kms), Calcutta (725 kms), and Guwahati (589 kms). Local Transportation like buses and taxis are available. |
 |