Rumtek Monastery, Buddhist monastery in East Sikkim district, India

Rumtek Monastery, the Dharma Chakra Centre, is a Tibetan Buddhist gompa in East Sikkim at about 1,500 metres. Its main temple has a red-pillared facade, a white banner with blue diamond and wheel motifs above the ground floor, a balcony with a gold and red railing, and a red roof with gold ornaments. A taller blue building with gold roofs stands behind it.

Rumtek was originally built in the mid-18th century under Changchub Dorje, the 12th Karmapa, and served as the Karma Kagyu seat in Sikkim. By 1959, when Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, arrived after fleeing Tibet, it lay in ruins. With support from the Sikkim royal family and local people, he rebuilt it; construction took four years and the new Dharma Chakra Centre was inaugurated on Losar in 1966.

Rumtek is the seat in exile of the Gyalwang Karmapa, inaugurated on Losar in 1966 by the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. Sacred items and relics brought from Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet were installed here. Monks of the Karma Kagyu lineage perform its rituals and practices at the site, which is also called the Dharma Chakra Centre.

The monastery sits roughly 24 kilometers from Gangtok and can be reached via mountain roads from the city. You can arrange accommodation on-site, and photography is generally allowed in most areas after getting permission from the monks.

Within the monastery grounds sits a golden stupa holding relics of the 16th Karmapa, serving as a sacred memorial to this important religious leader. The complex also houses a Buddhist studies institute where scholars engage in deep study of classical texts.