Ghum Monastery

Geographical Location: The Ghum Monastery, also known as Yiga Choeling Monastery, is located about 8 km from the city of Darjeeling, in the state of West Bengal.

Historical Timeline: The monastery was constructed in 1850 by a famous Mongolian monk and astrologer, Sokpo Sherab Gyasto.

Visit time: The monastery can be visited on all days of the week, from early morning till night (5:00 am to 11:00 pm).

Nearby places (Landmark, sightseeing): The city of Darjeeling is a highly visited place, known for its temples and other natural wonders. The Mahakal temple, located on top of the Observatory hill, offers a sweeping view of the surrounding mountains. The Shivalingas in this temple are believed to have self-manifested in the 1700s. Other than the main idol of Lord Siva, there are also idols of Durga, Kali, Ganesha, etc. in the temple complex. Nearer to the town centre, there is a two storied Japanese temple, with a prayer room on the upper floor. Visitors are allowed to join the prayers that take place twice a day. Next ... More

Ghum Monastery

Geographical Location: The Ghum Monastery, also known as Yiga Choeling Monastery, is located about 8 km from the city of Darjeeling, in the state of West Bengal.

Historical Timeline: The monastery was constructed in 1850 by a famous Mongolian monk and astrologer, Sokpo Sherab Gyasto.

Visit time: The monastery can be visited on all days of the week, from early morning till night (5:00 am to 11:00 pm).

Nearby places (Landmark, sightseeing): The city of Darjeeling is a highly visited place, known for its temples and other natural wonders. The Mahakal temple, located on top of the Observatory hill, offers a sweeping view of the surrounding mountains. The Shivalingas in this temple are believed to have self-manifested in the 1700s. Other than the main idol of Lord Siva, there are also idols of Durga, Kali, Ganesha, etc. in the temple complex. Nearer to the town centre, there is a two storied Japanese temple, with a prayer room on the upper floor. Visitors are allowed to join the prayers that take place twice a day. Next to the temple is the peace pagoda, which has a large idol of Lord Buddha. Another beautiful temple is the Dhirdham Temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva, which is located near the Darjeeling railway station. This was built in 1939, inspired by the architecture of the Pasupatinath temple, in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. The Aloobari or the Mak Dhog Monastery, located 3kms away from Darjeeling town, is dedicated to world peace as its construction coincided with the time of World War 1. It has various statues such as those of Buddha and sage Padmasambhava, who transmitted Buddhism to Tibet and Bhutan. The famous Tiger hillis the highest point in Darjeeling and is best known for the dazzling sunrise view of the Kanchenjunga and the snow covered peaks of the entire eastern Himalayan range. From here, Mount Everest can also be seen on a clear day. The other places of interest are the Batasia Loop, Darjeeling Ropeway, Darjeeling Mall (Chowrasta),Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, Rock Garden and the Ganga Maya Park. 

Accommodation: Ghum monastery does not provide accommodation to visitors. However, a lot of private hotels and lodges are available nearby.

Accessibility route: The monastery is just a 10 minute walk from the Ghum railway station. The nearest airport is Bagdogra which is approximately 103 km away from the monastery. There are taxis and private vehicles available from the airport to reach the monastery.

Sect: The Monastery belongs to the Yellow Hat sect also known as the Gelupka.

Calendar: 

The Padmasambhava Puja Calendar lists the events that are to take place throughout the year. This calendar is available on the website of the monastery. The main events listed there are the following: 

• January 4th: Guru Rinpoche received the Rabjung ordination from Buddha’s favourite disciple, Ananda.
• February 2nd: The king of Zahor tried to burn Guru Rinpoche, but the Guru transformed the fire into a Lake (Rewalsar) and established Dharma in Zahor, taking Mandarava as his consort.
• March 3rd: Guru Rinpoche is worshipped as Padma Vajra Chhal.
• April 2nd: When Tirthikas from South India attempted to harm the Buddhist Dharma, then Guru Rinpoche with his great power vanquished them along with their gods and guardians. On this day he is remembered as Guru Senge Dradok or the one who raised the banner of victory for the Dharma.
• May 31st: Guru Rinpoche’s date of birth. It is held that on this day, at sunrise, Guru Rinpoche was miraculously born in a lotus bed on Lake Danakosha.
• June 30th: The Tirthikas threw Guru Rinpoche into the Ganges, but the Guru rose from the water and reversed the flow of the river. He then performed a Vajra Dance in the sky. After that Tirthikas were inspired with devotion and started following the Dharma.
• July 29th: On this day Guru Nyima Woser described the rays of the sun.
• August 27th: Guru Rinpoche took the form of Vajrakumara at Yang Lesho in Nepal, and subdued the local deities and negative forces. He did Sadhana and atttained the Vidyadhara stage of Mahamudra realization.
• September 26th: Guru Rinpoche arrived in central Tibet and defeated all the aggressive negative forces, founds the great monastery of Cho-Khor Pal-gyi Samye and then lighted the lamp of the Holy Dharma.
• October 25th: To preserve the practice of Dharma, and secure the commitment of the local spirits for extending their protection across generations, Guru Padmasambhava came out as Guru Dorje Drolo.
• November 24th: On this day Guru Padmasambhava appeared in the world in the form of Guru Padma Gyalpo, which is directly related to Buddha Amitabha, or the Buddha of compassion.
• December 22nd: Guru Rinpoche gave up his kingdom, practiced yoga and meditation in Sitavana, and attained liberation.

Philosophy: The philosophy at Ghum monastery is based on Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is based on Mahayana Buddhism and the tantric Vajrayana Buddhism. It includes Tantric practices, such as deity yoga and the Six Dharmas of Naropa (Six Yogas of Naropa). Its main purpose is Buddhahood or the attainment of the condition or rank of the “awakened one”, and the rainbow body, which is a level of realization or the perspective of a third person about someone else having attained complete knowledge.