Detail of Samdruptse Monastery (Sikkim) History & Architecture

The Samdruptse Monastery is one amongst the most sacred monasteries of Sikkim. It is definitely not the oldest and so the good aspects about the monastery includes that it has got all the modern day architecture and plan included in it. And so it is this very fact which differentiates the Samdruptse Monastery from the rest of the monasteries in Sikkim.

The word "Samdruptse" in the Bhutia local language literally means, "The Wish Fulfilling Hill" and by this name itself we can understand what the devotees feel about this very monastery. The Samdruptse Monastery is just 72 km away from the city of Gangtok and so can easily be reached by the devotees.

When you visit the Samdruptse Monastery you can also visit the Shiv Mandir which has the famous Lord Shiva statue, Solophok which is expected to be a replica of the "Chaar Dhaams"- a famous pilgrimage site of Hindus, Kanchanjunga Handicrafts Center, Salley Bong Cave, Temi Tea Garden, Rayong Sunrise View Point, Tirikhola Dancing Falls and last but not the least the Tendong State Biodiversity Park. So by now you must have understood that if you visit the Samdruptse Monastery then it is not the only thing which you are going to enjoy at Namchi.

Samdruptse Monastery History

The foundation of the Samdruptse Monastery was laid on the 22nd of October that is in the year 1997. Which is quiet recent when compared to the other monasteries in Sikkim. The foundation was laid by the noble dignitary Dalai Lama. It took almost 1000 laborers and many skilled and experienced sculptors, architects and engineers to make this master piece. It took a jaw dropping 3 years of time to make this monastery into a reality. However, you will be happy to know that a 2 section ropeway is under construction which will join Namchi to Samdruptse Monastery.

Samdruptse Monastery Architecture

The architecture of the Samdruptse Monastery is a mixture of Sikkimese, Tibetan and Modern day architecture. The first thing which you shall notice after visiting the Samdruptse Monastery is the Sky-Reaching, Guru Padmasambhava statue. You will be shocked to hear the exact height of the statue. It is 135 feet above the ground level and thereby is literally the center of attraction of the entire monastery. It is the highest statue of Guru Padmasambhava in the entire world! Is it not an amazing fact about the Samdruptse Monastery? The statue looks very attractive in the golden color and the copper shade of clothes which Guru Padmasambhava appears to wear gives that edge to the look of the statue.

The Samdruptse looks amazing and very interesting as it is very colorful. It is also having many historic sculptures, statues, artifacts, paintings etc. The sculptures also decorated the walls of some parts of the monastery with amazing historic story telling paintings. The architectural plan is truly amazing in every sense as it has combined the plans which are best of both worlds that is of both modern times and the historic times. The monastery is constructed in such a way that it surrounds the Guru Padmasambhava statue from all sides.

There are many Monks and Lamas who stay in the Samdruptse Monastery and take care of it and thereby the architectural plan also includes the accommodation for them.

Festivals at Samdruptse Monastery

The Samdruptse Monastery celebrates all the festivals which are related to the Buddhism religion and so you can visit the monastery on the occasion of any festival. The Mask Dance is one amongst the most essential parts of the festivals celebrated in the Samdruptse Monastery. The festivals celebrated here include tasty food, mask dance, religious hymns, rituals performed by the monks, massive decorations of the monastery and extravagant fireworks at night. It is an outstanding experience to be here as one could get to see the extravaganza of culture, rituals as well as the cultural festivals that is celebrated in the hilly region of Sikkim, India.

Is it not exciting to hear all these things? Yes it is! So grab your luggage and leave for the Samdruptse Monastery the next time you are here in Sikkim.