Why Kalimpong has both
Kalimpong changed hands twice before it became a hill town. It was part of Sikkim's lands and is said to have come under Bhutanese control in 1706; the Bhutanese built monasteries here, among them Thongsa in town and, later, Sangchen Dorjee on the trade road at Pedong. After the Anglo-Bhutan war of 1864–65, the Treaty of Sinchula in November 1865 gave the land east of the Teesta to the British, and Kalimpong joined Darjeeling district in 1866.
Two new arrivals then shaped its streets. Scottish missionaries came in the 1870s and built schools and churches, and the wool trade with Lhasa over Jelep La brought Tibetan traders, monks and money. After 1959, Tibetan refugees and lamas settled here in numbers, and new monasteries followed. The result is a town of about 43,000 people (2011 census) where a morning can take you from a 17th-century Bhutanese gompa to a Scottish chapel in under half an hour by car.
The main sites at a glance
Dates below are those we can confirm; timings are typical, not official. Entry is free at all of them unless stated, and a small donation at a monastery's offering box is always welcome.
| Site | Where | Founded | Tradition | Best time to visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thongsa Gompa | Kalimpong town | 1692, by the Bhutanese | Bhutanese Buddhist | Morning |
| Zang Dhok Palri Phodang | Durpin hill, 1,372 m | 1957; consecrated 1976 | Tibetan Buddhist | Morning prayers, clear days for views |
| Sangchen Dorjee Monastery | Pedong, 20 km east | Early 1700s, under Bhutanese rule | Drukpa Kagyu | Combine with Damsang fort |
| Kagyu Thekchen Ling | Lava, beside the Neora reservoir | Opened 6 June 1990 | Kagyu | Late afternoon, before the cold |
| Dr Graham's Homes | Foot of Deolo hill | 1900, as St Andrew's Colonial Homes | Church of Scotland mission | Weekday daytime; ask at the gate |
| Cross Hill | Pedong | 1882, by Fr Auguste Desgodins | Catholic memorial | Clear morning for the view |
Zang Dhok Palri on Durpin hill
Durpin hill rises to 1,372 m south of the town centre; the local explanation of its name is "durbin", the Nepali word for binoculars, for the views it gives in every direction. On its crest stands Zang Dhok Palri Phodang, established in 1957 by Dudjom Rinpoche, the great Nyingma teacher, and consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1976. The name refers to Zangdok Palri, the Copper-Coloured Mountain, the pure land of Guru Padmasambhava in Tibetan Buddhist teaching.
Inside, the monastery holds the 108 volumes of the Kangyur, the collected teachings of the Buddha in Tibetan translation. Upstairs rooms and wall paintings are sometimes open and sometimes not; ask a monk politely rather than trying doors. Come in the morning when prayers are on, then walk the hill road past the army golf course. Morgan House and Tashiding, the WBTDC lodges, are on the same hill, so a night there puts the monastery a short walk away. A local car from town costs about ₹300–500 for the round trip.
The monastery is at its fullest at Losar, the Tibetan New Year, which falls in February or March by the lunar calendar, when families climb Durpin to make offerings and the prayer halls fill. If your dates are flexible, a morning here in Losar week shows the monastery as a living place rather than a sight. The dates move each year; check current status before you travel.
A local planner turns it into a route for your dates.
Thongsa, the oldest, from 1692
Thongsa Gompa, also called Jangsa Dechen Choling, was built by the Bhutanese in 1692 and is Kalimpong's oldest monastery. It belongs to the period when this ridge was a Bhutanese frontier, long before the British hill town or the Tibetan wool trade. It is small, close to the town centre, and easy to visit in half an hour. Make it your first stop before Durpin, so that you see the oldest layer of the town's Buddhist history before the grander, later one.
Other monasteries and churches in and around town are worth a stop if you have time, among them Tharpa Choling and St Teresa's Church; ask locally about visiting hours.
Lava and Pedong: two very different gompas
Kagyu Thekchen Ling at Lava opened on 6 June 1990, founded by the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. It stands beside the Neora reservoir on the edge of the forest, at about 2,200 m, and is the landmark you see first as the road enters Lava. It is a working Kagyu monastery, far younger than the Bhutanese-era gompas; visit in the afternoon after a morning in Neora Valley, and wrap up, because Lava is cold once the sun drops.
Sangchen Dorjee Monastery at Pedong is far older, built in the early 1700s under Bhutanese rule, and follows the Drukpa Kagyu school that is still Bhutan's state religion. Pedong was a stop on the mule road to Jelep La and Lhasa, and the monastery sits close to that history. Combine it with the ruins of Damsang fort, 2–3 km away, and Cross Hill for a half-day; shared jeeps run from Kalimpong to Pedong for ₹80–120 a seat.
The Scottish mission and Dr Graham's Homes
Christianity reached Kalimpong with the Scottish missionaries. Rev. William Macfarlane set up the first schools in the early 1870s, and the Macfarlane Memorial Church in town carries his name. In 1900 Rev. Dr John Anderson Graham founded the St Andrew's Colonial Homes for Anglo-Indian children, beginning with six children in a single cottage. Renamed Dr Graham's Homes, it grew into a large residential school on the slopes below Deolo hill, with residential cottages and a chapel on the campus.
It is still a working school, so treat it as one. Visitors usually walk the campus roads in daytime; ask at the gate, keep away from classrooms and children's cottages, and do not photograph pupils. The walk down from the top of Deolo, about 5 km and mostly downhill, ends here and makes a good half-day with the Deolo Tourist Lodge or the Science Centre.
Cross Hill at Pedong
On a ridge above Pedong stands a white cross raised in 1882 by the French missionary Fr Auguste Desgodins, as a memorial to missionaries who died or disappeared trying to reach Tibet. Pedong sat on the mule road toward Jelep La and Tibet, which is why the memorial stands here rather than in Kalimpong. The climb from the road is short, and on a clear morning the view runs across the valleys toward Sikkim. Few visitors come, so it is a quiet place to think about how close Tibet felt from these hills.
Pedong makes an easy half-day from Kalimpong. Take a morning shared jeep for ₹80–120 a seat, or hire a car for ₹1,800–2,500. See Sangchen Dorjee first, then Cross Hill, then drive the 2–3 km to the Damsang fort ruins, the Lepcha stronghold of the late 17th century. Eat momos or a thali in Pedong market for ₹150–250 and be back in town by mid-afternoon, before the cloud comes up the valley. If you are staying in Sillery Gaon or Icchey Gaon, Pedong is even closer.
Etiquette at gompa and chapel
Monks, priests and congregations here are used to visitors and generous with them. A few habits keep it that way:
- Walk clockwise around a monastery, a stupa or a row of prayer wheels, and turn the wheels clockwise
- Take off shoes and caps before entering a prayer hall; there is usually a rack by the door
- Ask before photographing inside, and never photograph during a ritual unless a monk says yes
- Do not sit with your feet pointing at the altar or step over cushions and texts
- Cover shoulders and knees at both monasteries and churches
- A donation of ₹20–100 at the offering box is welcome; there is no fixed fee
- In a chapel during a service, sit at the back and stay until the end or leave quietly
Questions people ask
Good to know
Who built Zang Dhok Palri Monastery in Kalimpong?
Zang Dhok Palri Phodang on Durpin hill was established in 1957 by Dudjom Rinpoche, the Nyingma teacher, and consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1976. It holds the 108 volumes of the Kangyur. The name refers to the Copper-Coloured Mountain, Guru Padmasambhava's pure land. It sits at about 1,372 m, a short drive south of the town centre.
Which is the oldest monastery in Kalimpong?
Thongsa Gompa, also called Jangsa Dechen Choling, built by the Bhutanese in 1692, is Kalimpong's oldest monastery. It dates from the time when Kalimpong was a Bhutanese frontier, before the 1865 Treaty of Sinchula passed the land to the British. Sangchen Dorjee at Pedong, built in the early 1700s, is the other old Bhutanese-era monastery in the district.
Is there an entry fee for Kalimpong monasteries?
No. Zang Dhok Palri, Thongsa, Lava's Kagyu Thekchen Ling and Pedong's Sangchen Dorjee are all free to enter, and a donation of ₹20–100 at the offering box is welcome. Some inner rooms may be closed to visitors on some days. Photography inside prayer halls usually needs permission, so ask a monk before you take out your phone.
Can tourists visit Dr Graham's Homes?
Usually yes, by day, on the campus roads. Dr Graham's Homes, founded in 1900 by Rev. Dr John Anderson Graham, is a working residential school, so ask at the gate, stay away from classrooms and cottages, and do not photograph children. Many visitors arrive on foot, walking about 5 km down from the top of Deolo hill.
What is Cross Hill in Pedong?
Cross Hill is a ridge above Pedong where the French missionary Fr Auguste Desgodins raised a cross in 1882, as a memorial to missionaries who died or disappeared trying to reach Tibet. Pedong lay on the trade road to Jelep La and Lhasa. It is a short climb from the road and gives wide views toward Sikkim on clear mornings.
When was the Lava monastery built?
Kagyu Thekchen Ling in Lava opened on 6 June 1990. It was founded by the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and stands beside the Neora reservoir at about 2,200 m, on the edge of Neora Valley National Park. It is the town's main landmark and an easy visit in the afternoon after a morning walk in the forest.
How long does a monastery and church tour of Kalimpong take?
Allow a full day for town: Thongsa and Zang Dhok Palri in the morning, Deolo and the walk down to Dr Graham's Homes after lunch. A half-day car costs about ₹1,800–2,500 and a full day ₹3,000–3,500. Pedong's monastery and Cross Hill make a second half-day, and Lava's monastery fits into a Neora Valley trip.
What should we wear to visit monasteries in Kalimpong?
Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees, and shoes that slip off easily, because you remove them before entering a prayer hall. Take off caps indoors. In winter carry warm socks, as monastery floors are cold, especially at Lava at about 2,200 m. The same modest dress works for Kalimpong's churches and the chapel at Dr Graham's Homes.
Why are there so many churches and monasteries in Kalimpong?
Because of its history. Bhutanese rule from the early 1700s left Drukpa Kagyu monasteries; Scottish missionaries arrived in the 1870s after the British took the area in 1865; Tibetan traders came with the wool trade over Jelep La; and Tibetan refugees and monks settled after 1959. Each group built its own places of worship, and most are still active.