His Majesty the
XIth King Sir Tashi Namgyal invited Karmapa Lama to Sikkim where he made his
seat for some years in the
Old Rumtek Gonpa
. Later, the King offered a piece of land
measuring
74 acres for the establishment of this Centre to preserve the wealth of
his lineage and spiritual treasures. The architecture of this four-storied
building is said to have been based on the original style of the
Tshurphu
monastery of Tibet.
The top floor of the adjacent building has a
small altar where one can see a
Golden Stupa containing the
relic of the
Late
16th Karmapa Lama and the Statues of the Karma Kagyu Gurus and the Past
Karmapas. The Karmapa stated that Rumtek could be
the proper site of his seat outside Tibet, although he hoped one day to return
to Tibet. During his stay in Sikkim he imparted his precious blessings to the
devotees of Sikkim. Unfortunately he passed away on
5th November 1981 into
Parinirvana at the American International Clinic in Zion, near Chicago, USA. His
Kudung (body) was flown back to India. On
20th December 1981 his cremation
ceremony took place in Rumtek Gonpa. His holy crown, said to have woven by the
Dakinis is still preserved at this monastery as a
Ter (Religious artifact).
Mask
Dances are being performed here during religious festivals like
Saga Dawa (birth
anniversary of Lord Buddha),
Guru Trungkar Tshechu (birth anniversary of Guru
Padmasambhava) and
Gutor Chham on the eve of
Losar (the Tibetan New Year).
Being the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa, Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre is now the
International Headquarters of the
Kagyupa Sect. Presently the Gonpa has
243 monks
and
186 novice monks in its Sheda.