About Gonjang Monastery

Gonjang Monastery, also known as Tingkye Gonjang Monastery, is located at a distance of 7. 6 kms from the city of Gangtok.

The founder of the monastery, H. E. Tingkye Gonjang Rimpoche, was said to be the incarnation of a fifteenth century century Nyingmapa Terton, Yolmo Terton Ngakchang Shakya Zangpo. The monastery received the blessings of H. H. Dalai Lama in 1981. The idols of the three founding fathers of Tibetan Buddhism from the 8th century, Khen-lop Cho-Sum, are built inside the monastery. Je-bang Nyer-Nga, the twenty five disciples of Guru Padmasambhava, have their statues engraved inside the building. It attracts a considerable number of tourists every year to the city of Gangtok. A course of nine whole years, at the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, is offered at the monastery. Languages like Tibetan and English are taught to the monk students acquiring monastic education. Moral values based Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, along with comparative Indian studies, is taught at the institution. At present, there are about 100 monks studying at the monastery. A health care centre for the monks and the locals, called Dorjee Memorial Community Health Care Centre, is present on the premises. The atmosphere of the place is very peaceful and soothing. The architecture of the building is reflective of its Tibetan descent. It is clean, well-maintained and serene. As per tourists, the monks at the place are happy to answer any of your questions about their lives at the monastery. It is a wonderful place to visit and learn about the rich Tibetan culture and history.

Best time to visit will be during the day, as the place looks even more enchanting during day time. Visitors may spend 2-4 hours at the monastery, depending on the nature of visit.

Tourists can visit the Gonjang Monastery during timings 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.