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Phodong Monastery

Phodong Monastery

pilgrimage site · Sikkim

State
Sikkim
Type
Pilgrimage Site

The murals are the reason to stop, an old collection held in a building that is itself a reconstruction of an early eighteenth-century monastery, which in turn replaced something older. Phodong is one of three the ninth Karmapa founded in Sikkim at the king's invitation, alongside Rumtek and Ralang, and Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal rebuilt it. Around 260 monks live here, so it is a working monastery rather than a monument. Go in quietly. It sits twenty-eight kilometres from Gangtok, so pair it with something else rather than driving out for it alone.

Phodong Monastery is known for

Ancient muralsEarly 18th-century monasteryAround 260 monks

Phodong Monastery guide & itineraries

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