Culture and history · Rumtek
The golden stupa and the monks' college
Behind Rumtek's main hall a small shrine holds the golden stupa with the relics of the 16th Karmapa, who rebuilt the monastery. Across the courtyard is the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute, where monks train for years in Buddhist philosophy.
The 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, died in 1981, fifteen years after he inaugurated the new Rumtek. His relics rest in a golden stupa inside a small building behind the main hall. It is the most revered object at Rumtek, and monks watch over it. When the shrine is open you may enter quietly, walk round the stupa clockwise and offer a khata, the white scarf, or a small donation. Opening hours vary, so do not be surprised if it is closed for a ritual.
Facing it is the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies, a college where monks study philosophy, logic, debate and ritual over many years. You may see students debating in pairs in the courtyard, clapping their hands to make a point, or crossing with stacks of loose-leaf texts. It is a working college and not open for tours, but the courtyard gives you a sense of the place.
Between the two, take time to look at the building itself: the painted eaves, the gold roof ornaments and the prayer wheels along the walls. The design follows Tsurphu, the Karmapa's seat in Tibet, which is one reason the monastery feels so large for a hillside village. Keep to the paths, keep your voice down and ask before photographing any monk.
Cost: Free · donation customary at the stupa
Questions people ask
Good to know
Whose relics are in the golden stupa at Rumtek?
The golden stupa at Rumtek holds the relics of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, who rebuilt the monastery after leaving Tibet in 1959 and inaugurated it in 1966. He died in 1981. Visitors may enter quietly when the shrine is open, walk round clockwise and offer a scarf or small donation.
Can we visit the monk college at Rumtek?
The Karma Shri Nalanda Institute is a working college for monks, not a museum, so classrooms are not open to visitors. You can see it from the courtyard and often watch students crossing or debating outside. Keep a respectful distance and ask before photographing anyone.
Is photography allowed at Rumtek?
Photography is usually allowed in the courtyard and outside the buildings, but often not inside the main hall or the stupa shrine. Signs and monks will tell you. Ask before photographing any monk, and never use a flash during prayers. Drones are not allowed.
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