The Rumtek Monastery at Gangtok in Sikkim

Rumtek Monastery also known as Dharmachakra Centre is the most important pilgrim centre of Tibetan Buddhist monastery. It is located near Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim. The Centre houses some of the world’s most important religious scriptures and rare objects. The monastery, the largest in Sikkim, is home to the monk’s community, the place where they perform the sacred rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

Many sacred objects are housed within the complex, and one of the most magnificent is the Golden Stupa, which contains the precious relics of His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa. Opposite that building is the shedra, or college, Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies.