Detail of Tholung Monastery (Sikkim) History & Architecture

The Tholung Monastery is one of the most famous monasteries of Sikkim. It is situated in the remotest part of northern Dzongu in Sikkim. The Tholung Monastery is believed to be one amongst the most sacred monasteries of Sikkim. The name Tholung shall be broken into two halves to understand its meaning in the local language that is THO-LUNG. The first half "Tho" means "Area" and the second half "Lung" means "Place or Country". The surroundings of the Tholung Monastery provides you that every reason to be there and enjoy each second of your time spent here. By now you can make out that the Tholung Monastery is rich in having natural and scenic beauty. The Tholung Monastery provides you that peaceful feeling which only a religious place can provide, as it is here that purity resides in each and every thing you see.

Tholung Monastery Mythology & History

The legend has it that the Tholung Monastery was built in the 1760 A.D and the person behind it is the 4th Lhatsun Kunzang Jigmed Gyatso. The year in which the Tholung Monastery was built was known as the iron-Dragon year of the 13th Rabjung cycle that is as per the Tibetan calendar. Later in the year 1789 A.D a different spiritual monastery was constructed just to store the spiritual properties of the Tholung Monastery. This new monastery for storage was constructed by the 5th Lhatsun Pema Denchen Gyatso and thereby this new monastery possessed the valuable art works, artifacts, paintings and ancient holy scripts. The monastery has outstanding art

It was during the Gorkha invasion from Nepal that caused a great threat to the Buddhist monks and so they transferred all the valuable possessions of the ancient Lamas, artifacts, statues, murals and paintings to the Tholung Monastery. Such is the importance of the Tholung Monastery since the historic times.

Tholung Monastery Architecture

The Tholung Monastery has a Tibetan Style of architecture and looks very attractive and interesting from the very first look. The Tholung Monastery is two storeyed and colorful like any other monastery of Sikkim but what makes it different is its location in the remote and scenically gifted place. The monastery is made of stones and is rectangular in the pattern of structure. The architecture involves colorful pillars to support the structure and adds that extra color and attraction to the monastery. The statues, artifacts, paintings, holistic texts and scripts are from Tibet. And these were sent here by Lama Dechhen Gyatso that is by two of his assistants. And at first by mistake the two assistants delivered everything at Wolung Monastery in Nepal instead of the Tholung Monastery in Sikkim. Later after three years the mistake was rectified and everything was delivered at the Tholung Monastery. Till 1940's the descendants of Lama Denchhen Gyatso took care of the artifacts of the monastery and today the Government of Sikkim is taking care of the monastery yet the chief patron of the monastery continues to be of the Nangpa family. The architecture of the temple is well planned and consturucted from cultural point of view as well keeping the religious importance intact. Thus from cultural decoration to the enriching paintings and designs, the architecture so well planned that makes it an important part of the Tibetan religion.

Festivals at Tholung Monastery

The Tholung Monastery is famous for celebrating all the Tibetan Buddhist festivals on a large scale. It is here that you can enjoy the famous Chaam dance performed by the monks of the monastery, take a breath of fresh air in the serene environment of the monastery and enjoy the colorful lights and fireworks at the monastery in the night. The amazing scenes which surround the monastery will make your every effort of being at the Tholung Monastery definitely worth it. So make it a point in going through the Tibetan Calendar and being at the Tholung Monastery during the festive season. So let your next holiday be of entirely a different experience! So to understand even more closely about what all you just read be here at Tholung Monastery while on a visit to Sikkim.