Old Ghoom Monastery is the popular name of Yiga Choeling. The monastery belongs to the Gelukpa or the Yellow Hat sect and is known for its -high statue of the

Maitreya Buddha Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

. The external structure of the building was established in 1850 by the Mongolian astrologer and monk Sokpo Sherab Gyatso, who was head of the monastery until 1905. In 1909, Kyabje Domo Geshe Rinpoche Ngawang Kalsang, popularly called Lama

Domo Geshe Rinpoche Domo Geshe Rinpoche Ngawang Kalsang (1866-1936) Domo Geshe Rinpoche is said to have been Shariputra, the Mahadsiddha Gayadhara, Dharmashri, Munijnana, Tönmi Sambhota, King Trisong Detsen, Dromtönpa, Milarepa, Khedrup Rinpoche, and Dragpa Gy ...

, succeeded Sherab Gyatso as the head. It was he who commissioned the statue of the Maitreya Buddha, and he remained head until 1952. During the Chinese occupation of 1959 in Tibet many high ranking abbots fled to India and took refuge in the monastery. In 1961,

Dhardo Rimpoche Dhardo Rinpoche (1917-1990), born Thubten Lhundup Legsang, was the 12th in a line of tulkus from Dhartsendo on the eastern border of Tibet who hailed from the Nyingma Gompa in Dhartsendo called Dorje Drak (not to be confused with Dorje Drak in C ...

became head of the Yiga Choeling monastery Ghoom, Darjeeling. He died in 1990 and three years later, a boy named Tenzin Legshad Wangdi was recognised as his reincarnation. On 25 April 1996, he was enthroned at Kalimpong Tibetan ITBCI school. The thirteenth in the line of

Tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

s, Tenzin Legshad Wangdi, still goes by the name of Dhardo Tulku. He is studying Tibetan Philosophy at Drepung Loseling University in South India. Under the supervision of Dhardo Rimpoche, the Managing Committee was set up in order to improve the monastery. Some of the initiatives have been successful, others not. For the last two decades, the monastery has been going through severe crises in terms of both monks and finance. Till now, the grants-in-aid entitled to the monastery have not been received either from the government nor from any other source. Presently the monastery is meeting its needs through donations and contributions from local devotees.

Samten Choeling

The Samten Choeling monastery lies below the road and is today less visited by local people due to various religious beliefs and confusion.Agarwala, A.P. (editor), ''Guide to Darjeeling Area'', 27th edition, p. 78, . The monastery, which was built in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyatso, follows the

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...

school of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

. Amongst the Buddhist texts available are the

Kangyur The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined collection of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, comprising the Kangyur or Kanjur ('Translation of the Word') and the Tengyur or Tanjur (Tengyur) ('Translation of Treat ...

, the

Tibetan Buddhist canon The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to sutrayana texts from Early Buddhist schools (mostly Sarvastivada) and Mahayana sources, the Tibetan canon incl ...

, running into 108 volumes. The monks fly prayer flags in the Tibetan tradition.

Gallery

Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghum 01.jpg, Gate of Yiga Choeling Monastery Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghum 41.jpg, Garuda at Yiga Choeling Monastery Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghum 06.jpg, Maitreya Buddha in Yiga Choeling Monastery Ghoom Monastery.jpg, Samten Choeling monastery Darjeeling_Ghum_Monastery1.jpg, Maitreya Buddha in Samten Choeling monastery Buddhist Temple Darjeeling West Bengal India (5).JPG, Chortens

References

{{Buddhist monasteries in West Bengal Gelug monasteries and temples Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling district Buildings and structures in Darjeeling Tourist attractions in Darjeeling Religious organizations established in 1875 Maitreya