Tashiding

Tashiding is a small hilltop settlement in Gyalshing district of West Sikkim, renowned for the sacred Tashiding Monastery. Perched between the Rathong Chu and Rangeet rivers at about 1,465 metres, it offers views of Kanchenjunga. Founded in 1641, the Nyingma monastery is one of Sikkim's most revered Buddhist sites, famous for its chortens, mani walls and annual Bumchu festival attracting pilgrims and visitors.

Visitors can expect a tranquil hilltop monastery complex reached by a steep uphill walk lined with prayer flags and mani stones. The site includes the main Tashiding Monastery, numerous chortens and stupas, a long mani wall with carved stones, and open courtyards with views of the Rathong and Rangeet valleys and Kanchenjunga range on clear days. The surroundings are forested and quiet, with small shops and tea stalls near the entrance.

Tashiding Monastery was founded in 1641 by Ngadak Sempa Chempo Phunshok Rigzing, one of the three lamas who performed the consecration of the first Chogyal of Sikkim. It belongs to the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is regarded as one of the oldest and most sacred monasteries in Sikkim. The monastery was extended and renovated over centuries and houses sacred chortens and relics.

Tashiding is considered the most sacred Buddhist site in Sikkim. The Bumchu festival held annually on the 14th and 15th day of the first Tibetan lunar month draws pilgrims to witness the opening of the sacred water vase, believed to predict the future. The Thongwa Rangdol chorten is believed to cleanse sins of those who see it, and the site is an important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists.