Tharpa Choling Monastery - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 2 km from Kalimpong Bus Station, Tharpa Choling Monastery is a beautiful Buddhist monastery situated off the KD Pradhan Road in Kalimpong town of West Bengal. Perched atop Tirpai hills, it is one of the three oldest monasteries in Kalimpong and among the must visit Kalimpong Tourist Places.

Tharpa Choling Monastery was founded by Domo Geshe Rinpoche Ngawang Kalsang in 1912 AD. According to history, Domo Geshe Rinpoche lived in Kalimpong in 1906 when he came to India for pilgrimage and to collect medicinal plants from India, Nepal and Bhutan. At the request of the Tibetan merchants and some Bhutanese leaders living in Kalimpong, Rinpoche established this monastery. For building the monastery, lots of acres of land with paddy fields and orange plantations were donated by the people of the region. Tharpa Choling monastery is a non-profitable development Association.

Tharpa Choling Gompa belongs to the Yellow Hat or Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The style of building of this monastery is simple but the images of Buddha and other deities are quite amazing. The remarkable feature of the monastery is the presence of sacred Buddhist scriptures and old literary works from various saints. The Gompa contains idols of the Bhaisajya, Sakyamuni and Maitreya Buddhas. The tiny hall is decorated with images of flayed animals and humans. One of the most ideal locations for meditation in Kalimpong, the monastery entices several Buddhist monks and devotees.

The major attraction of the monastery is the museum which houses many old scriptures and artifacts showing the visit of Dalai Lama to this monastery. Apart from the monastery building, there are few other structures inside the compound which include Ge-sar Lhagang or the Chinese temple, Lha Ten, Lu Khwang or the Temple of Naga, Mani Lhagang and Shrine for Shangmo Dorje Bhuti.

Timings: 9 AM - 6 PM