Sikkim – The Land of Monasteries

Sujit Chakraborty**

Sikkim is quintessential a Buddhist State. The places of worship called the Gonpas or monasteries have a rich tradition. Buddhist iconography, frescos and murals are distinct in all of them.

Although the monasteries and monastic practices are of Tibetan descent, yet Tibet itself derived this tradition from India and transformed it according to its own needs. Besides, after reaching Sikkim, the Tibetan tradition also got transformed according to Sikkim’s own needs and aesthetics.

These monasteries, therefore, portray a fascinating mix of three traditions. If studied in its historical progression they can shed much light on the cultures and cultural exchanges that shaped the history of Sikkim.

Origin

The foundation of modern Sikkim in the mid-17th century was theocratic in nature. But secularism has been the hallmark of Sikkim’s polity. It was practised ardently by its erstwhile kings, the chogyals of the Namgyal dynasty. It is said that in Sikkim almost every hilltop has a monastery. This is not an overstatement.

The monasteries in Sikkim were built for different reasons - sometimes to honour local deities; some to follow specific orders laid down in the holy texts; sometimes when a sect or a sub-sect had decided to have its own monastery with distinct prayers and rituals; or some of the famous ones like the Dharma Chakra Centre at Rumtek village, which had been founded by the head of the Khagyu sect, His Holiness the 16th Karmapa.

However, the monasteries of the oldest sect of Vajrayana Buddhism, the Nyingmapa school, were ordained by Guru Padmasambhava, a Tantrik Buddhist reincarnate in the 17th century and were built in most cases according to the instructions laid down in the texts he had hidden in various places and later discovered by his followers.

The known oldest monastery in Sikkim is Drubdi, pronounced Dubdi and meaning ‘retreat’ or ‘hermitage’ which was the abode of Lhatsun Chenpo or Lhatsun Namkha Jigmed. He was the saint ordained by Guru Padmasambhava to bring Buddhism to Sikkim and set up the Dharma Raja system, called the Chogyal, in which temporal and spiritual leadership of the State was vested in one person.

The monasteries of the Karma Kagyud sect, which was the first reformist sect within the Vajrayana school, are among the most important ones.

After Tibet was taken over by China, the Kagyud sect also fled Tibet like Dalai Lama’s Gelug sect. His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa sought refuge in Bhutan. Later, he was invited by the Chogyal of Sikkim and offered a small piece of land with revenue rights to start his hermitage near the old Rumtek Monastery. This became the global centre for the Kagyud sect. They were known as Dharma Chakra Centre. However, two other monasteries of the Kagyud sect, Phodong in North District and Ralang in South District are much older than the Dharma Chakra Centre.

Pemayangtse or the Perfect Sublime Lotus is the cardinal monastery of Sikkim. It was established after the first Chogyal was consecrated and contains the best of texts and scriptures of Nyingma Buddhism.

Although the original chapel was built a long ago by Lhatsun Chenpo, the monastery as it now stands was constructed in 1705, during the reign of the third Chogyal, the learned Chagdor Namgyal. According to tradition, all the 108 monks of this monastery have to be Bhutias from the leading families of Sikkim. Previously, the Dorje Lupon, or the head monk of Pemayangtse, used to crown the Chogyals.

Pemayangtse has the distinction of being the referral centre on issues confronting Nyingma Buddhism. The Lamas here are the ones best trained in the rituals and dances, including Pang Lhabsol, which is the dance ritual for praying to Khangchendzonga and Mahakala – the protecting deities of Sikkim. Pemayangtse houses the massive Thankas depicting Sakya Mui Buddha and his two principal disciples. The frescos and idols in the main shrine are unique. In fact, the main idol of Guru Padmasambhava had been built in Patan, Nepal, piece by piece. It was then dismantled and brought from there, again piece by piece, and re-assembled here.

On the first floor of the monastery are the fabulous statues of the Eight Aspects of Guru Padmasambhava along with hundreds of original texts on Buddhism. The monastery also houses the fantastic Sangtoedpalri. This was made according to a Treasure Text by the Guru. In the 1960s the main Sangtoedpalri was dismantled. Then it was re-built by a holy person. There is not a single metal nail in the structure.

It is said that Guru Padmasambhava once shot an arrow and vowed to meditate wherever it landed. Tashiding, possibly one of the holiest monasteries of the Nyingma sect, stands where the arrow is said to have fallen. The Guru prayed here which gives this massive hill a spiritual aura that is unsurpassed by any of the other monasteries.

This Nyingma monastery was built in 1716 during the reign of the most learned of the early Chogyals, Chagdor Namgyal. The hill rises above the laps of the Rangit and Rathong rivers, both considered holy due to their link with religious practices. The hill itself is a major sacred grove teeming with medicinal plants. Once practically inaccessible to anyone but the most arduous Lamas, Tashiding was created as a hermitage for special Lamas. Today, the cobbled but motorable road ends half-way above the base of the Tashiding Hill.

The main shrine is not too large. But the real significance is that it is here that the mystical urns holding the sacred water is kept. This urn is worshipped during the mystical Bum Chu (Holy Water) festival sometime in February or March.

There are several other monasteries in Sikkim which are also revered by all. They hold an attraction for devotees and explorers alike. (PIB Features)

**Senior Journalist, Gangtok