Gangtok

Gangtok is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is situated in the lower Himalayas, located at {{coor d|27.2|N|88.4|E|}}. Known for its clean surroundings and temperate climate, this hill station of about fifty thousand people is the centre of Sikkim's tourist industry.

City institutions

A centre of Buddhist learning and culture, Gangtok's most famous Buddhist institutions are the Enchey monastery, the Do-drul Chorten stupa complex and the Rumtek Monastery. The Enchey monastery is the city's oldest monastery and is the seat of the Nyingma order. The two-hundred year old baroque monastery houses images of gods, goddesses, and other religious artifacts. In the month of January, the Chaam, or masked dance, is performed with great fanfare. The Dro-dul Chorten is a stupa which was constructed in 1945 by Trulshi Rimpoché, head of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism. Inside this stupa are complete set of relics, holy books, and mantras. Surrounding the edifice are 108 Mani Lhakor, or prayer wheels. The complex also houses a religious school.

Related Topics:
Enchey monastery - Rumtek Monastery - 1945 - Tibetan Buddhism

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The Rumtek Monastery on the outskirts of the town is one of Buddhism's most sacred monasteries. The monastery is the seat of the Kagyu order, one of the major Tibetan sects, and houses some of the world's most sacred and rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and religious objects in its reliquary. Constructed in the 1960s, the building is modelled after a similar monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. Rumtek was the focus of international media attention{{ref|Karmapa}} in 2000 after the seventeenth Karmapa, one of the four holiest lamas, fled Lhasa and sought refuge in the monastery.

Related Topics:
Rumtek Monastery - Kagyu - Tibetan Buddhist - 1960s - Lhasa - Tibet - 2000 - Karmapa

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The Namgyal Research Institute of Tibetology, better known as the Tibetology Museum, houses a huge collection of masks, Buddhist scriptures, statues, and tapestries. It has over two hundred Buddhist icons, and is a centre of study of Buddhist philosophy. The Ganesh Tok and the Hanuman Tok, dedicated to the Hindu gods Ganpati and Hanuman and housing important Hindu temples, are located in the upper reaches of the town.

Related Topics:
Ganpati - Hanuman

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The Himalayan Zoological Park exhibits the fauna of the Himalayas in their natural habitats. The zoo features the Himalayan Black Bear, the barking deer, the snow leopard, the civet cat, red pandas and the spotted deer. The Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Gardens, near Rumtek, houses many species of bamboo and as many as fifty different species of tree, including many oaks.

Related Topics:
Himalayan Black Bear - Barking deer - Snow leopard - Civet cat - Red panda - Spotted deer - Jawaharlal Nehru - Bamboo - Tree - Oak

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