Enchey Monastery

THE ENCHEY MONASTERY

The 200-year-old Enchey Monastery is atop a hill in Gangtok. It is in the shape of a pagoda as we notice in China. It was constructed in the early part of the 1900s (1909-1910). The Chogyan or ruler of Sikkim at that time was Sikyong Tulku.

The complex of Enchey monastery plays host to the images of several religious objects including those of Gods and Goddesses.
There are more than 90 lamas of the Nyingma order in the Enchey monastery.

This spot has been blessed by renowned tantric guru Lama Druptob Karpo. Lama Karpo was especially revered for his powers with which he can fly. Lama Karpo first set up a hermitage here after ‘flying’ from Maenam Hill located in the southern part of Sikkim. Built during the regime of Thutob Namgyal, the Enchey hermitage is one of the prominent Nyingma pilgrimage spots.

Two of the prime annual attractions of the Enchey Monastery are the masked dance – locally termed Chaam’ and which is a part of their religious beliefs – in January and the puja celebrated in the 12th month of the Sikkimese lunar calendar. The annually organized puja falls is a two day affair on the 18th and 19th.

TRAVELLING TO ENCHEY MONASTERY

There are many ways to reach Enchey monastery.
Most of the tourists opt for the road communication. The Enchey monastery can be reached from Siliguri (140 km) and also from Kolkata – the capital of West Bengal. You can contact any of the tour operators or even hire a cab directly to this popular tourist spot. You have a variety of choices to pick from like land rovers, jeeps, and even cabs. The journey is through all-weather roads.

You can also reach the Enchey monastery from Bagdogra, the nearest airport just 124 km away. There are daily copter fights to Bagdogra from Gangtok, Guwahati and Delhi. The most popular copter schedule is Gangtok – Bagdogra – Gangtok.

If you wish to travel by train, the nearest railway stations are New Jalpaiguri located 125 km away and Siliguri situated 114 km from Enchey monastery. Both the aforementioned railway stations are connected with Kolkata, Guwahati, Kalimpong and Darjeeling.