Do-drul Chorten, Gangtok — the white stupa with 108 prayer wheels
What it is
The Do-drul Chorten, also written Dodrul Chorten, is a white stupa on a hillside above Gangtok. Wikipedia lists it among the city's most notable Buddhist institutions, with the Enchey Monastery and Rumtek.
Photos: Prof Ranga Sai (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
History
Wikipedia says the site was once considered haunted, so the young Chogyal of Sikkim called Trulshik Rinpoche over from Tibet to bless the site and drive off harmful influences. Building began in 1945 and finished the next year. In the central chamber Trulshik Rinpoche sealed the Dorjee Phurba objects, volumes of the Kangyur, long rolls of mantras and other ritual items.
What you see
A white stupa of the classic Tibetan form: a square base, a rounded dome about 27 m high, and a golden spire of thirteen rings under a parasol. Four smaller stupas stand at the cardinal points, and 108 prayer wheels line two terraces around them, each engraved with the Om mani padme hum mantra. Two small halls, the Chorten Lakhang and Guru Lakhang, hold statues of Guru Rinpoche, and a school for young lamas stands next to the stupa.
How to visit
Walk the platform clockwise and turn the wheels as you go; that is the custom. It is a working religious site, so dress modestly and keep your voice low. We have no verified opening hours or entry rules.
Getting there
It lies on the Gangtok hillside south-west of the centre; see the quick facts for the measured road time. The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology is about 500 m below it.
Combine it with
The one-day plan puts the stupa and the institute together before the ridge. Read things to do in Gangtok and how to reach Gangtok.
Plans that include this
All 2 plans that stop here →
Nearby places
All of Gangtok →
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
What is the Do-drul Chorten?
A stupa in Gangtok built in 1945 and finished the next year. Wikipedia says Trulshik Rinpoche was invited from Tibet to consecrate it after a young Chogyal considered the spot haunted. Sealed in its central chamber are Dorjee Phurba objects, the Kangyur scriptures and rolls of mantras.
What are the 108 wheels around it?
Mani Lhakor, prayer wheels, each bearing the mantra Om mani padme hum. Wikipedia says there are 108 of them on two terraces, and that visitors turn them clockwise while walking round the stupa. The number 108 carries meaning in both Buddhism and Hinduism, which is why it is repeated here.
How tall is the Do-drul Chorten and where is it?
Wikipedia puts the dome at about 27 m above its base, topped by a golden spire of thirteen rings. It stands about 500 m above the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, so the two are naturally visited together. We have no verified opening hours, so ask locally, and walk the circle clockwise.