Monasteries of Darjeeling and Ghoom: A Visitor's Guide

Why Buddhism runs deep in these hills

Darjeeling's very name points to Buddhism. It is usually read as dorje, the thunderbolt sceptre used in Tibetan ritual, and ling, a place: the place of the thunderbolt. Tradition links it to a Buddhist shrine called Dorje-ling that once stood on Observatory Hill, the knoll above Chowrasta, before the British hill station was built. The Chogyal of Sikkim granted the hill tract to the East India Company in 1835, and Lepcha, Bhutia, Sherpa and Tibetan families kept their monasteries going through the tea and railway years that followed.

A second wave came after 1959, when Tibetans who fled with and after the Dalai Lama settled in Darjeeling. Today you will find monasteries of more than one Tibetan Buddhist school within a short ride of each other, Hindu and Buddhist worship on the same hilltop, and prayer flags on almost every ridge. None of the sites below needs more than a small fee or a donation, and most are best seen in the quiet of the morning.

Yiga Choeling, the old monastery at Ghoom

Yiga Choeling, the monastery everyone calls Ghoom Monastery, was founded in 1850 by Lama Sherab Gyatso and belongs to the Gelug school, the tradition of the Dalai Lama. It stands a short walk below the main road at Ghoom, about 7–8 km from Darjeeling and close to the highest station on the toy train line at 2,258 m.

The heart of it is a statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha, about 15 ft (4.6 m) tall, the Buddha who Buddhists believe is yet to come. Around him are old murals, butter lamps and shelves of scriptures wrapped in cloth. The monastery is modest in size and quiet most of the day; morning prayers, when the monks chant and the drums sound, are the best time to come. There is a small entry fee or a donation box, and photography inside the shrine hall may not be allowed, so ask first.

Most visitors arrive on the dawn Tiger Hill tour, along with Batasia Loop, which means a crowd between about 7 and 9 am in season. If you want peace, come later in the morning by shared jeep (₹30–50 from Darjeeling) or on the toy train joyride, which stops at Ghum station.

Samten Choling and the Sakya monastery

Ghoom has two more monasteries that most tours skip. Samten Choling stands in Ghoom, a short walk from Yiga Choeling. The Sakya monastery, of the Sakya school, lies on the Hill Cart Road just below Ghoom on the Sonada side. We do not give founding dates for either here, because the figures we have seen do not agree.

Visiting all three on foot takes about two hours with time to sit. Follow the road and ask for directions; everyone in Ghoom knows them. Entry is free or by donation. If a puja is in progress, stand or sit quietly at the back and wait, rather than walking across the hall.

Bhutia Busty, Mahakal and the refugee centre

Bhutia Busty monastery lies below Chowrasta on the slope toward the north, about 20–30 minutes on foot down a steep lane. The local account is that the monastery first stood on Observatory Hill and moved to its present site after damage in the Gorkha wars of the early 1800s; we repeat that as the story told locally rather than settled history. On clear days the mountains show across the valley from the slope around it.

Mahakal temple crowns Observatory Hill itself, a short steep climb from Chowrasta. It is one of the few places where Hindu and Buddhist priests share a shrine: Hindus worship Shiva as Mahakal, and Buddhists honour the same site, the old Dorje-ling of the town's name. Prayer flags and temple bells hang side by side. Watch out for monkeys; they snatch food and bags.

The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, set up in October 1959 at Hill Side on the Lebong road, is not a monastery but belongs on this circuit. Refugee families started it to earn a living, and visitors can still walk through the workshops and watch carpets being woven on upright looms. There is a shop, and there is no pressure to buy.

Monasteries and shrines at a glance

Distances are rounded from Chowrasta, and fees are indicative for 2025–26. Timings change with the season and the monastery calendar, so check current status before you travel.

A morning route that links them all

You can see every site in this guide in a day and a half without a car. Take an early shared jeep from the Darjeeling stand to Ghoom, about ₹30–50 and 25–30 minutes, and reach Yiga Choeling for morning prayers. Walk on to Samten Choling and down to the Sakya monastery, then return to the road for tea and momos in Ghoom bazaar, where a plate costs about ₹80–150. If you have the energy, walk back down toward Darjeeling along the toy train line and stop at the Batasia Loop on the way; otherwise catch a jeep.

Spend the afternoon in town. Climb Observatory Hill to the Mahakal shrine, then follow the lanes down to Bhutia Busty while the light is still good. Keep the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre for the next weekday morning, when the looms are working, and combine it with Happy Valley Tea Estate, a short walk further down the Lebong road. Wear shoes you can slip off easily, carry small notes for donations and a warm layer for Ghoom, and you will spend very little beyond your jeep fares.

Etiquette inside a monastery

Monks and caretakers are used to visitors and are usually welcoming. A few habits show respect and make the visit easier for everyone.

• Walk clockwise around stupas, prayer wheels and the inside of shrine halls, and turn prayer wheels clockwise too.
• Take off your shoes before entering a shrine hall if others have, and do not step on the raised threshold.
• Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered, hats off inside.
• Ask before taking photographs, and never use a flash; many halls ban cameras inside.
• Do not point your feet at the altar or at a monk when you sit, and do not sit on raised seats meant for lamas.
• Do not touch statues, offerings or the scriptures on the shelves.
• Keep your voice low during prayers and switch your phone to silent.
• Put donations in the box or hand them over with both hands; ₹20–100 is a kind gesture.

Losar and festival days

Losar, the Tibetan New Year, falls in February or March, following the lunar calendar. It is the time when the monasteries of Ghoom and Darjeeling are at their busiest: new prayer flags go up, families visit in their best clothes, and some monasteries hold prayers and masked dances in the days around it. Dates move each year, so check current status before you travel. Winter is cold at Ghoom, around 2,258 m, so bring warm layers if you come for Losar.

Other good days to visit are full-moon days, which carry special prayers, and Buddha Purnima in spring. On any morning, though, you can sit at the back of the hall, listen to the chanting and drink the butter tea if it is offered, which is often the visit people remember most.