Located in the western part of Sikkim and surrounded by tall trees and colourful flowers is the magical Sanga Choeling monastery. It is on a hill, 2 km from the popular town Pelling. You can enjoy a lovely 4 km trek through dense forest up the hill, to the monastery. Pelling is half-a-day's driving time from Darjeeling and can also be reached through Gangtok and Siliguri, which are connected by highways. Bagdogra is the nearest airport to Gangtok and you can take a helicopter to Gangtok.
The 17th century Sanga Choeling monastery provides a rich brew of nature, mysticism and magic. Founded by the Lama Lhatsun Namkha Zigme in 1697, Sanga Choeling is known as the “island of esoteric teaching ‘or ‘the place of secret spells’ and is part of the traditional Buddhist pilgrimage tour.
The Sanga Choeling monastery has been rebuilt several times, owing to incidents of fire and earthquake. The exquisite murals displaying tantric rituals and clay idols of the Buddha and various deities are certain to mesmerize travellers. There is a 300 yr old sacred Buddhist cemetery, which is called Dhuthoe Silwar Tshar, where the founder lama was cremated and his relics were preserved. Later these relics were transferred to the Tumlong monastery, as Gurkha warriors from Nepal frequently raided this. The Pemayangtse monastery is 7 km from here and can also be explored.
