The Sanga Choeling Monastery, also spelt Sange Choeling Monastery (, THL ''Sangngak Chö Ling''), established in the 17th century by Lama Lhatsün Chempo, is one of the oldest monasteries in the

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...

. The literal meaning of Sanga Choeling is "Island of the Guhyamantra teachings", where ''gling'' means a vihara and "secret Mantra teachings" is a synonym for "

Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

". The monastery is located on a ridge top above

Pelling Pelling is a small hill town in the district of West Sikkim, India. Pelling is nestled at an altitude of 2,150 m (7,200 feet). The town is located at a distance of 10 km from the district headquarters of Geyzing and 131 k ...

at a distance of from

Pemayangtse Monastery The Pemayangtse Monastery is a Buddhism, Buddhist monastery in Pemayangtse, near Pelling in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, located 110 km west of Gangtok. Planned, designed and founded by Lama Lhatsun Chempo in 1647, it is one o ...

and is accessed by walking the steep hilly track of , which traverses through rich forest cover. Pilgrimage to Sanga Choeling Monastery is undertaken by many Buddhist devotees as part of a religious and heritage circuit encompassing

Rabdentse Rabdentse was the second capital of the former Kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814. The capital city was destroyed by the invading Gurkha army and only the ruins of the palace and the chortens are seen here now. However, the ruins of this city a ...

ruins,

Khecheopalri Lake Khecheopalri Lake, originally known as Kha-Chot-Palri (meaning the heaven of Padmasambhava), is a lake located near Khecheopalri village, west of Gangtok in the West Sikkim district of the Northeastern Indian state of Sikkim. Located to the ...

Norbugang Chorten The Norbugang Chorten is a stupa situated in the Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district in the Indian State of Sikkim. It was erected following the crowning of the first Chogyal of Sikkim in 1642 at Narbugong Coronation Throne near Yuksom. ...

Dubdi Monastery Dubdi Monastery, occasionally called Yuksom Monastery, is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism near Yuksom, in the Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district, in eastern India. The Chogyar Namgyal established the fir ...

Yuksom Yuksom is a historical town in Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district in the Northeast Indian state of Sikkim. It was the first capital of Kingdom of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first Chogyal (temporal and ...

and Tashiding Monastery.

Architecture

Sanga Choeling Monastery, built in 1697, is also known as the place of secret spells. It has clay statues dating back to the 17th century. The monastery was affected by fire several times and was rebuilt. The Monastery's location provides very scenic and panoramic view all round.

Religiosity

On the tenth day of every month according to the

Tibetan calendar The Tibetan calendar (), or Tibetan lunar calendar, is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years ...

, lamas recite hymns at this monastery. Every morning and evening prayers are special here. The monastery is reserved for men only and belongs to the

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...

sect.

Gallery

File:Entrance to Sanga-Choeling Monastery.jpg, Entrance to Sanga-Choeling Monastery File:Painting of a siant in Sanga-Choeling Monastery.jpg, Painting of a saint in Sanga Choeling Monastery File:A mythical painting in Sanga-Choeling Monastery.jpg, A mythical painting in Sanga Choeling Monastery File:Painting of a drummer in Sanga-Choeling Monastery.jpg, Painting of a drummer in Sanga Choeling Monastery File:A mandala painting in Sanga-Choeling Monastery.jpg, A

Wheel of Life The bhavacakra (Sanskrit: भवचक्र; Pāli: ''bhavacakka''; Tibetan: སྲིད་པའི་འཁོར་ལོ, Wylie: ''srid pa'i 'khor lo'') is a symbolic representation of saṃsāra (or cyclic existence). It is found on th ...

painting in Sanga Choeling Monastery

References

External links

Coordinates of Sanga Choeling Monastery
{{Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim