Initially, the monastery was built under the supervision of Wangchuk Dorje, the 9th Karmapa Lama in the mid-18th century. Rumtek monastery served as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu Buddhist sect in Sikkim state for some time. After fleeing Tibet, when the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, arrived in Sikkim in 1959, the monastery was in ruins. The Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek. To him, the site possessed various auspicious qualities and was surrounded by many favourable attributes, such as flowing streams, mountains in the back, a snow covered mountain range in the front, and a river below. With the kindness and help of the Sikkim royal family and the local people of Sikkim, it was rebuilt.

The construction of the monastery was completed after four years. The religious items and artefacts brought from the Tsurphu Monastery, the Karmapa's seat in Tibet, were installed. It was formally inaugurated during the Losar festival in 1966, and the 16th Karmapa the called it the ‘Dharmachakra Centre’. The monastery is currently the largest in Sikkim ... More

Initially, the monastery was built under the supervision of Wangchuk Dorje, the 9th Karmapa Lama in the mid-18th century. Rumtek monastery served as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu Buddhist sect in Sikkim state for some time. After fleeing Tibet, when the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, arrived in Sikkim in 1959, the monastery was in ruins. The Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek. To him, the site possessed various auspicious qualities and was surrounded by many favourable attributes, such as flowing streams, mountains in the back, a snow covered mountain range in the front, and a river below. With the kindness and help of the Sikkim royal family and the local people of Sikkim, it was rebuilt.

The construction of the monastery was completed after four years. The religious items and artefacts brought from the Tsurphu Monastery, the Karmapa's seat in Tibet, were installed. It was formally inaugurated during the Losar festival in 1966, and the 16th Karmapa the called it the ‘Dharmachakra Centre’. The monastery is currently the largest in Sikkim state. It is home to a community of monks who perform the practices and rituals of the Karma Kagyu