
Ghoom monastery, also spelt as Ghum is the popular name of the Sampten Choling Monastery or Yiga Choeling Monastery located at Ghum at an approximate elevation of 8,000 feet, 8 km from Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal, India. The monastery follows the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism and the 15-feet high statue of "Coming Buddha" (Maitreya Buddha), resplendent in gold polish and embedded with precious stones in the monastery is a must watch sight for the tourists. The monastery also contains images of Buddha`s disciples, namely Chenrezi and Chongapa. Ghoom monastery is considered to be one of the holiest monasteries as the renowned Tomo Geshe Rimpoche of Tibet personally blessed this place.
Ghoom monastery was built in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyatso and is largest of the three monasteries in Ghum. Amongst the Buddhist texts of this monastery, the Kangyur, the Tibetan Buddhist canon counts upto almost 108 volumes of religious texts which are preserved. Thangkas adorn the ancient walls of this monastery and one will find a rare collection of books on Buddhism as well as Tibetan translations of great Sanskrit works in the library of Ghoom monastery. With its high altitude and misty surroundings, the interiors of the Ghoom monastery often seem dark and ancient giving it its sobriquet of the gloomy and shadowy atmosphere.
The age old Ghoom monastery captures the eyes of all the visitors. It is a historic and significant monastery of the Shakya Order. The original monastery was built sometime in 1915 and has supported the monastic community over the years. The main prayer hall can accommodate about 60 monks.
This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to
content@indianetzone.com