The Dharma Chakra Centre
Rumtek Monastery, rebuilt in the 1960s by the 16th Karmapa after fleeing Tibet, serves as the seat-in-exile of the Karma Kagyu lineage — one of the four principal schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery, formally known as the Dharma Chakra Centre, was constructed to replicate the original Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet, preserving an unbroken transmission of teachings, rituals and sacred artefacts carried out during the Karmapa's escape.
The monastery complex houses an extraordinary collection of thangkas, statues and ritual objects, alongside a golden stupa containing relics of the 16th Karmapa. As Sikkim's most significant Buddhist institution, Rumtek draws practitioners and pilgrims from across the global Karma Kagyu community, alongside travellers drawn to its dramatic hillside setting above Gangtok and the deeply contemplative atmosphere maintained by its resident monks.
