The Ralang Monastery of South Sikkim

The Ralang monastery, also known as Ralang Gompa, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Karma Kagyu order in South Sikkim, set in the hills near the town of Ravangla. The site in fact comprises two monasteries: the older Ralang, a historic foundation of the Kagyu tradition, and the newer and larger Palchen Choeling monastery built in recent times nearby. Ralang is especially celebrated for its vivid ritual mask dances, including those linked to the Pang Lhabsol and Mahakala observances, which draw crowds of devotees and visitors. A living centre of Tibetan Buddhist practice, as explored in our guide to Buddhism, Ralang preserves the worship, art and festivals of the Kagyu school, and this account keeps to broadly established history where particular dates and details are uncertain.

Key Takeaways

• Ralang monastery is a Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist monastery in South Sikkim.
• It lies in the hills near the town of Ravangla in South Sikkim.
• The site has two monasteries: the older Ralang and the newer Palchen Choeling.
• Ralang is famed for its ritual mask dances, or chaam.
• The monastery is associated with the Pang Lhabsol and Mahakala (Kagyed) observances.
• It remains a living centre of Tibetan Buddhist worship in Sikkim.

Read on for the history, culture, and legacy in detail.

Quick Facts

What Is the Ralang Monastery of Sikkim?

The Ralang monastery, also called Ralang Gompa, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Karma Kagyu order in South Sikkim, counted among the notable religious sites of the state. The name is in fact shared by two monasteries near one another: the older Ralang, a historic foundation of the Kagyu tradition, and the newer and much larger Palchen Choeling monastery, built in recent times close by. Together they form an important centre of Tibetan Buddhist worship and learning in the hills of South Sikkim. Ralang is especially celebrated for its vivid ritual mask dances, performed on festival occasions, which draw devotees and visitors from across the region. As a living monastery, it preserves the worship, art and festivals of the Kagyu school within the Buddhist culture of Sikkim. Ralang is remembered above all as a leading Kagyu monastery of the state and as a centre of its colourful religious festivals.

Where Is Ralang Located?

Ralang is located in South Sikkim, in the hills near the town of Ravangla, within the mountainous country that gives the state its dramatic character. The monasteries stand amid forested slopes and terraced hillsides, set against the backdrop of the great Himalayan range for which Sikkim is renowned. The site lies within reach of Ravangla, a hill town that serves as a base for visitors to the monasteries and viewpoints of the district. The setting, high among the hills of South Sikkim, places Ralang within the wider network of Buddhist sites that are scattered across the state. The cool, often misty climate and the lush green landscape form a striking contrast to the high desert monasteries of the western Himalaya. The location of Ralang near Ravangla, amid the hills and forests of South Sikkim, is central to its character as a mountain monastery and to its appeal for pilgrims and travellers.

What Order of Buddhism Does Ralang Belong To?

Ralang belongs to the Karma Kagyu order, one of the principal schools of Tibetan Buddhism, which has a strong presence in the Buddhist life of Sikkim. The Kagyu tradition is known for its lineage of teachers and its emphasis on meditation and devotion, and Ralang is among the monasteries in the state that follow this school. As a Karma Kagyu foundation, the monastery preserves the worship, teachings, art and festivals particular to this tradition within the wider family of Tibetan Buddhism. The newer Palchen Choeling monastery, built close to the older Ralang, continues this Kagyu heritage on a larger scale. The monastery is linked to the network of Kagyu institutions that spread across the Himalaya under the patronage of rulers and lamas. Its place within the Karma Kagyu order shapes its rituals, including the celebrated mask dances. The Kagyu identity of Ralang is central to understanding both its worship and its heritage within Sikkim.

What Is the Difference Between Old Ralang and the New Monastery?

The difference between old Ralang and the new monastery lies chiefly in their age and scale: old Ralang is the historic foundation of the Kagyu tradition at the site, while the newer Palchen Choeling monastery is a much larger complex built nearby in recent times. Old Ralang preserves the older heritage of the monastery, with its historic shrines and long association with the Kagyu school in Sikkim. Palchen Choeling, by contrast, is a grand modern monastery, built on a larger plan to serve as a major centre of worship, learning and community for the Kagyu tradition in the state. The two stand near one another, so that the name Ralang is associated with both the old and the new foundations. Together they reflect the continuity of the Kagyu presence at the site, from its historic roots to its flourishing in the present. The pairing of old and new is a distinctive feature of Ralang.

Who Founded Ralang Monastery?

Ralang monastery is traditionally attributed to the Kagyu tradition in Sikkim, though the precise founders and dates of the older foundation are not firmly established and are best treated with caution. According to tradition, old Ralang was established as a monastery of the Karma Kagyu order during the era when the Buddhist institutions of Sikkim grew under the patronage of its rulers and lamas. The newer Palchen Choeling monastery was built in more recent times to serve as a larger centre of the same tradition. The attributions preserved in tradition connect the monastery to the lineage of Kagyu teachers and to the religious history of the state, but the exact chronology belongs to the broadly recorded history of Sikkim rather than to secure dates. What is clear is that Ralang arose as a Kagyu foundation and has remained a centre of that tradition. Its founding is remembered as part of the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Sikkim.

What Is the Palchen Choeling Monastery Like?

The Palchen Choeling monastery, the newer and larger foundation at Ralang, is a grand complex built to serve as a major centre of the Karma Kagyu tradition in South Sikkim. Built in recent times on a spacious plan, it comprises a large assembly hall, shrines, living quarters for the monks and spaces for worship, teaching and festival. The monastery is richly adorned in the manner of Tibetan Buddhist institutions, with painted murals, images of the Buddha and other revered figures, and the ritual furnishings used in worship. Its scale and grandeur make it one of the notable monasteries of the state, a fitting home for the large community it serves and for the great festivals held there. The complex stands near the older Ralang, continuing the Kagyu heritage of the site. As a modern monastery built in the traditional style, Palchen Choeling reflects the living strength of Tibetan Buddhism in Sikkim and the enduring vitality of the Kagyu order.

What Is the Pang Lhabsol Festival?

The Pang Lhabsol is a distinctive festival of Sikkim, associated with the reverence shown to the great guardian mountain of the region and with the protective traditions of the state, and it is among the observances linked to Ralang. According to the traditions of Sikkim, the festival honours the sacred mountain regarded as a guardian of the land, and it is marked by prayers, ceremonies and ritual mask dances performed at monasteries and other sites. At Ralang, the festival is an occasion for the colourful chaam dances for which the monastery is celebrated, drawing devotees and visitors to witness the performances. The observance reflects the deep bond in Sikkimese tradition between the Buddhist faith, the land and its guardian spirits. The ceremonies are performed with reverence as part of the religious life of the community. The Pang Lhabsol is one of the most distinctive festivals of Sikkim, and its association with Ralang adds to the renown of the monastery.

What Are the Mahakala and Kagyed Mask Dances?

The Mahakala and Kagyed mask dances are among the ritual performances for which Ralang is celebrated, belonging to the chaam tradition of Tibetan Buddhist festival. Mahakala is revered in Tibetan Buddhism as a powerful protector, and the dances connected with such protective figures are performed by masked and costumed monks as a sacred ritual rather than mere spectacle. The Kagyed observance, associated with the Kagyu tradition, is marked at Ralang by these vivid masked dances, performed on festival occasions before the assembled community. The dancers, in elaborate masks and robes, enact the sacred dances to the sound of ritual music, in a performance that is at once worship, instruction and celebration. These dances are treated with reverence as part of the religious life of the monastery. The Mahakala and Kagyed mask dances are among the most striking features of Ralang, drawing crowds of devotees and visitors and expressing the rich festival tradition of the Kagyu order in Sikkim.

What Is the Chaam Mask Dance at Ralang?

The chaam is the sacred masked dance of Tibetan Buddhism, performed at Ralang on festival occasions, and it is among the chief reasons the monastery is so widely known. In the chaam, monks don elaborate masks and richly coloured costumes to enact sacred dances, accompanied by the sound of horns, drums and cymbals, as part of the religious observances of the monastery. The dances depict revered figures and protective deities of the tradition, and they are understood as acts of worship and blessing rather than ordinary performance. At Ralang, the chaam is associated with the great festivals of the monastery, when the community gathers to witness the dances in the courtyard. The spectacle of the masks, costumes and music makes the chaam a vivid expression of the devotional culture of Tibetan Buddhism. Performed with reverence and skill, the chaam mask dances of Ralang are a cherished tradition and a highlight of the religious calendar of South Sikkim.

How Does Ralang Sit in the Landscape near Ravangla?

Ralang sits amid the forested hills and terraced slopes of South Sikkim, near the town of Ravangla, in a setting of great natural beauty against the backdrop of the Himalaya. The monasteries stand on hillsides surrounded by greenery, with views over the valleys and ridges that characterise the district, and in clear weather toward the great snow peaks of the range. The cool, often misty mountain climate and the lush vegetation give the site a serene and secluded atmosphere well suited to a monastery. Ravangla, a nearby hill town, serves as a base for visitors to Ralang and to the other monasteries and viewpoints of the area. The setting places the monastery within the wider landscape of Buddhist sites scattered across the hills of Sikkim. The way Ralang nestles among the hills near Ravangla, framed by forest and mountain, is central to its character and to the appeal that draws pilgrims and travellers to this part of South Sikkim.

What Art, Murals and Images Does Ralang Hold?

Ralang holds the painted murals, sculpted images and sacred art characteristic of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, adorning the halls of both the older and the newer foundations. The assembly halls and shrines are decorated, in the Kagyu tradition, with wall paintings depicting the Buddha, revered teachers of the lineage, bodhisattvas and protective deities, worked in the rich colours of Himalayan sacred art. Alongside the murals stand images of the Buddha and other figures, together with the thangkas, ritual objects and furnishings used in worship. The newer Palchen Choeling monastery, built on a grand scale, is especially richly adorned in this manner. The art of Ralang serves both to beautify the temples and to instruct and inspire the devotee, in keeping with the devotional purpose of such imagery. It belongs to the broader tradition of Tibetan and Sikkimese sacred art. The murals and images of Ralang are an important part of its heritage and its appeal to visitors.

How Is Ralang Connected to Other Sikkim Monasteries?

Ralang is connected to the other monasteries of Sikkim as one of the notable gompas of a state rich in Tibetan Buddhist sites, linked by a shared faith and heritage. The monasteries of Sikkim grew up under the patronage of its rulers and the lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, and together they form one of the important concentrations of Buddhist institutions in the eastern Himalaya. Ralang, as a leading Karma Kagyu foundation, takes its place among them alongside monasteries of the Kagyu and other orders set across the hills of the state. These monasteries share the worship, art and festival traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, while each preserves its own history and character. Ralang is often visited together with the other monasteries and viewpoints of South Sikkim on journeys through the district. Its connection to the wider family of Sikkim monasteries is central to understanding its setting within the Buddhist landscape of the state and the eastern Himalaya.

What Role Does Ralang Play in the Community?

Ralang plays a central role in the religious and cultural life of the Buddhist community of South Sikkim, serving as a place of worship, learning and gathering. As an active monastery of the Karma Kagyu order, it is home to a community of monks who maintain the daily round of prayer, study and ritual, and it draws lay devotees from the surrounding villages and towns. Its great festivals, with their celebrated mask dances, bring the community together in worship and celebration, strengthening the bonds of faith and tradition. The newer Palchen Choeling monastery, built on a large scale, serves as a major centre for the Kagyu tradition and its followers in the state. Through its worship, teaching and festivals, Ralang sustains the religious culture of the region. The role of Ralang in the community reflects its standing as a living monastery, not merely a monument, at the heart of the Buddhist life of South Sikkim.

Why Do Pilgrims and Visitors Come to Ralang?

Pilgrims and visitors come to Ralang for its celebrated mask dances, its grand monastery, and its serene setting among the hills of South Sikkim. Devotees come to worship at the shrines, to receive blessings and to take part in the great festivals of the monastery, while travellers are drawn by the spectacle of the chaam dances and the beauty of the site near Ravangla. The pairing of the historic old Ralang with the grand newer Palchen Choeling monastery offers visitors both heritage and the living vitality of the Kagyu tradition. The festivals, with their vivid masks, costumes and music, are a particular attraction, drawing crowds on the appointed days. The monastery is often visited together with the other sites of South Sikkim. For many, a visit to Ralang combines devotion, culture and landscape in a single memorable experience. The reasons that bring pilgrims and visitors to Ralang reflect the many strands of its significance within the Buddhist culture of Sikkim.

How Is Ralang Cared For Today?

Ralang is cared for today as a living monastery and a valued part of the Buddhist heritage of Sikkim, tended by its monastic community in the traditions of the Karma Kagyu order. The monastery maintains its daily worship, its festivals and the upkeep of its shrines, murals and images, while the newer Palchen Choeling monastery serves as a flourishing modern centre of the tradition. As one of the notable monasteries of the state, Ralang benefits from the devotion of its community and the interest of pilgrims and visitors who come to the site. Care is given to preserving both the religious life of the monastery and the artistic and architectural heritage it holds. The great festivals continue to be observed, keeping alive the mask-dance traditions for which Ralang is known. The care of Ralang today seeks to sustain both its worship and its heritage for future generations, in keeping with its standing among the Buddhist sites of Sikkim.

Ralang Monastery Today

Ralang monastery today is a flourishing centre of Tibetan Buddhist life in South Sikkim, remembered and visited for its celebrated mask dances, its grand monastery and its serene mountain setting near Ravangla. The pairing of the historic old Ralang with the newer and larger Palchen Choeling monastery reflects both the heritage and the living vitality of the Karma Kagyu tradition in the state. Pilgrims come to worship and to take part in the great festivals, while travellers are drawn by the spectacle of the chaam and the beauty of the hills. Together with the other monasteries of Sikkim, Ralang forms part of the rich Buddhist heritage of the eastern Himalaya. For readers of Indian heritage, it offers a vivid meeting of faith, festival and landscape. Its legacy endures in the worship of its halls, the colour of its mask dances and the devotion of the community it serves among the hills of South Sikkim.

Sources & Further Reading

• Archaeological Survey of India (asi.nic.in).
• Ministry of Culture, Government of India (indiaculture.gov.in).
• Department of Tourism, Government of Sikkim (sikkimtourism.gov.in).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ralang monastery?

Ralang monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Karma Kagyu order in South Sikkim, near Ravangla. The site includes the older, historic old Ralang and the newer, larger Palchen Choeling monastery nearby. It is especially famed for its ritual mask dances and remains an active centre of Kagyu worship.

Where is Ralang located?

Ralang is located in South Sikkim, in the hills near the town of Ravangla, amid forested slopes and terraces against the backdrop of the Himalaya. Ravangla serves as a base for visitors to the monastery and to the other sites of the district.

What order does Ralang belong to?

Ralang belongs to the Karma Kagyu order, one of the principal schools of Tibetan Buddhism, which has a strong presence in Sikkim. The monastery preserves the worship, teachings, art and festivals particular to the Kagyu tradition, including its celebrated ritual mask dances.

What are the mask dances at Ralang?

The mask dances, or chaam, at Ralang are sacred ritual dances performed by masked and costumed monks on festival occasions, including those linked to the Pang Lhabsol and Mahakala (Kagyed) observances. They are acts of worship and blessing, accompanied by ritual music, and are among the chief attractions of the monastery.

What is the difference between old Ralang and Palchen Choeling?

Old Ralang is the historic foundation of the Kagyu tradition at the site, while Palchen Choeling is a much larger monastery built nearby in recent times. The two stand close together, so the name Ralang is associated with both the old and the new foundations.

Can visitors attend the festivals at Ralang?

Yes. Ralang’s great festivals, with their vivid mask dances, draw devotees and visitors on the appointed days. Many come to witness the chaam performances and to worship at the monastery, combining devotion with the spectacle of the festival in the serene setting of South Sikkim.