Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Monasteries of Gangtok

Gonjang, Enchey and Rumtek Monasteries

Prayer Wheels at the Rumtek Monastery against the backdrop of the hills...


It was noon, and lunch was on our mind. “Let’s take a quick look around and leave” was our only thought as we stepped inside. The hum of chanting voices filled the monastery, and we stood, mesmerized, at the sight of rows of monks saying their afternoon prayers. 


All thoughts of lunch forgotten, we sat down and just listened, oblivious to the world outside. The chants went on and on, and I was reminded of the Veda chanting in temples. The rhythmic chant was so soothing and reassuring, we lost track of time. Then, some of the monks lifted their varied types of trumpets and horns, and the sounds reverberated through the hall, a fitting finale to the divine experience. And that is what I shall always remember of our visit to the Gonjang Monastery in Gangtok.

Figures over the entrance of the Gonjang Monastery


This was the second monastery we had visited in Sikkim, and this experience was just as divine, just as memorable, as the first one we visited – the Pemayangtse Monastery in Pelling, which I have already written about, here. Over the next couple of days, we visited two more monasteries, both in Gangtok.

The Enchey Monastery is located atop a hillock, and commands a wonderful view of the Kanchenjunga. The uphill walk from the entry was made easier by the prayer wheels which lined the path. Samhith was so busy trying to turn each and every one of them, he almost forgot to complain about having to walk!

The Enchey Monastery


This monastery, built like a Chinese Pagoda, was completely deserted when we visited, probably because it was afternoon, just after their prayer session. It was, therefore incredibly peaceful inside, and really cool, considering the harsh afternoon sun. We were wary of disturbing the peace, and didn’t even try to explore, but just sat for a while and came out.

Windows of the Enchey Monastery


Every monastery we had visited so far had been interesting, but we rued the lack of information. For laymen like us, who knew little about Buddhism, and even less of Tibetan Buddhism, there was nothing which explained the meanings of the paintings, or the names of the deities. We wished there was someone who could tell us more.

Then, on our last day in Sikkim, we visited the Rumtek Monastery, and there, the first thing we noticed, was a board announcing “Guides Available”! It was almost as if someone up there had heard our wish! The chap at the ticket counter was taken aback, when, even before asking for the ticket, I asked for the guide!

Monks and guards at the Rumtek Monastery. A dispute between two sects has led to the army being posted here!


A young man standing nearby smiled and came forward, asking me to buy the ticket, assuring us that he was the guide. Over the next hour or so, he took us around, showing us the highlights of the monastery, telling us about the concepts and ideas, and patiently answering our many questions.


Shankar deep in discussion with our guide


I was most fascinated by the concept of the Wheel of Life or the Bhavachakra, which adorns the front wall of each monastery. We had seen it before, but having it explained made all the difference. The idea of the three poisons – attachment, ignorance and aversion – leading to actions, or karma, which eventually lead to suffering, and being caught in the wheel of life, is a concept not too different from Hinduism. That this wheel can be escaped, and that we can attain enlightenment, is certainly a very Buddhist idea, and we had an interesting discussion, right at the entrance of the monastery.

The Wheel of Life


On the outer walls of the main monastery, we were surprised to see a painting of Ganesha. Interestingly, we learnt that the Karmapa, during the construction of this monastery, had a vision of Ganesha removing the obstacles which came in the way, and ordered the painting of Ganesha along with the four other guardian deities who adorn these walls.

Rumtek Monastery


Inside, the massive idols of Mahakala and Mahakali, which are taken out during festivals reminded me of our ‘utsava vigrahams’! (Photography isn’t allowed inside, so no photos, sorry). A beautiful painting of the Buddha adorns a wall, and near it stands an imposing, ten feet tall statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. The painting, we were told, originally stood in place of the idol, and the eyes were painted by the Karmapa himself! Around them, in niches, stand one thousand small statues of the Buddha, representing the arrival of 1000 Buddhas in this era. The throne of the Karmapa takes centre stage. After all, this is his seat. And all around are religious texts – the sacred scrolls which are the commentaries of the Buddha’s teachings, translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan, and also commentaries on these teachings. It is surely the importance and veneration accorded to these texts which adds to the allure of the monasteries!

A painting of the Rumtek Monastery on one of the entrance walls


Our guide then led us to the hill behind, where we visited the Golden Stupa, housing the relics of the Sixteenth Karmapa. It was here that we learned of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and that we had so far visited monasteries of two schools – the Pemayangtse Monastery as well as the Gonjang and Enchey Monasteries belong to the Nyingma order, which is the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, while the Rumtek Monastery belongs to the Karma Kagyu school, and is the main seat of the Karmapa (the head of the order) in Sikkim. There are two other schools, which we have yet to learn more about, and hopefully will have the opportunity soon!

Buddhas painted on the outer walls


One thing is for sure, the monasteries of Sikkim have whetted our appetite for knowledge, and we are now eager to explore more monasteries!


Information:

  • Gonjang Monastery is located 6 Km from Gangtok. We stopped at the Monastery while driving down from the Gangtok Zoo to the Bakthang Falls.

  • Enchey Monastery is located near the TV tower, about 3 Km from the city centre.

  • Rumtek Monastery is located about 24 Km from Gangtok.
    • Website: http://www.rumtek.org/
    • Our guide at Rumtek was Monay Rai, an enthusiastic young man, who very patiently and exhaustively discussed Buddhism with us. You can write to him at monayrai@yahoo.com or call him on +91 8343072702



Comments

  1. Beautiful monasteries. Glad to know more about them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loving the series and absolutely love the photographs. We are planning a trip to Sikkim soon and I have a question ... can you please tell me the condition of the roads? I assume we will have to take cars or jeeps, hence the question.
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sharmila! The roads arent all that good, but you can take a car. It is best to hire a vehicle from Sikkim itself since outside vehicles arent allowed everywhere. Small cars will work for tours in and around Gangtok, but bigger vehicles will be needed for other trips... such as Nathu La, or trips to North Sikkim.

      Delete
  3. Thanks for sharing information on Rumtek Monastery. It is one of the most beautiful and popular monasteries in Sikkim.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie