Old Nga-dag monastery in Namchi to come up as a ‘model’ monastery

The old Nga-dag monastery

PURAN TAMANG
NAMCHI, 06 Feb: Namchi has now become the most sought after town in the state as far as pilgrimage tourism is concerned. The town boasts of various religious spots and sites which cater to followers of various religious faiths of the state. In addition to the already existing attractions like the statue of Guru Padmasambhava and Char Dham, the Namchi Nga-dag monastery, among the oldest and a very important monastery of Sikkim is being upgraded.
Namchi Nga-dag monastery has completed more than 400 years and according to the records, Pendi Ongmoo conspired the murder of her half brother Chhador Namgyal the third King (1686-1717 AD) in order to usurp his throne. However, immediately after, she was put to death in this monastery by the order of the Royal Darbar.
The monastery committee along with the monks erected a substitute monastery in 1978 and after its completion in 1982 all the religious artifacts were transferred from the old monastery to the newly built one. The old monastery was left under the care of the Culture and Heritage Department as a heritage site.
With the view to revive this important heritage site, the Building and Housing Department began upgradation work on the old monastery in 2008 at the cost of Rs. 23 crore which is in the final stages of completion.  Speaking with media persons, the Chultimpa (head administrator), Pem Tsh. Lama of Nga-dag Gumpa informed that this monastery will be a model for other monasteries in Sikkim as its unique design is not found in the entire country.
He on behalf of the Buddhist community living in Sikkim thanked the Chief Minister for his support and for his initiative of the renovation of this historic monastery.