Rs. 20 cr Ngadak Monastery dedicated to Sikkim

NAMCHI, 15 Jan [IPR]: The ‘Ngadak Thupten Shedup Dhargay Choeling Gompa’ was inaugurated here today by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling in the presence of the Taklung Tsetrul Rimpoche, the head of the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, who performed the “Rapney” [consecration ceremony] of the new monastery constructed at a cost of a little over Rs. 20 crores.
The older monastery also stands at the same complex, preserved and maintained in its original form. The Chief Minister was accompanied to the inauguration by his wife, Mrs Tika Maya Chamling, his Cabinet colleagues, senior government officials and other guests.
It may be recalled that the Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone for the new monastery on 20 May 2007.
The Ngadak Chyangter Gompa is located in Ghurpishey a short distance above Namchi bazaar and has been taken up under the South East Asian Regional Buddhist Cultural, Traditional and Heritage Study Centre in the form of a project which has been initiated and conceived by the State Government to incorporate this Monastery as a museum and a centre for learning and preservation of Buddhist Culture, Tradition and Heritage.
In this context, the Ngadak Monastery has become another historic Buddhist institution to be added to the list of other prominent religious tourist spots like the statue of Guru Padmasambhava at Samdrupste nearby, Char Dham at Solophok and Buddha Park at Rabongla in the South District.
The history of Ngadak Monastery is interesting, seeped in the era of monarchial system in Sikkim as well as foundation of Buddhist here.
It must be mentioned here that the original monastery has not been torn down and still stands here for the visitors to see with everything, including all the old features persevered and intact. For the present, the State government has put up metal props around the old structure of Ngadak Chyangter Monastery because of its fragile and dilapidated state after the earthquake of 1989 which rendered the monastery unsafe, adding upon the centuries old architect and materials used which consist of timber beams and post framework.
This old monastery is a two storied structure with the ground floor having stone and mud flooring and the first floor has timber planks and mud with husk in between the floor and ceiling.
As per the technical details presented by the Chief Engineer, Buildings & Housing Department, Rinzing Dorjee, the total cost of the project till date has been revised to Rs. 2,076.79 lakhs owing to the additional works of the project.
The notable features of the new monastery include the “yabring” in the foreground of the monastery; intricate traditional carvings on the wood and concrete, paintings, religious decorations in the exteriors of the monastery; and most importantly are the huge statues of three eyed Guru Rigzin Thongdup, Chenrezig and Guru Dorjee Dakpo Chal (Yap Yum) crafted at the site and installed in the Altar said to be rarest and important combination of divine statues.
The main monastery has a plinth area of 48,300 sq ft. The project was completed with the collaboration of various teams like Ecclesiastical Department, Buildings & Housing Department and Ngadak Duchi Committee. Artisans from Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim were engaged in the project.
The vision of the Chief Minister in undertaking such ambitious projects was accentuated in his public address today. He shared that in the days to come, he hopes to make Sikkim the Pilgrimage and Religious Destination for people of all faiths and religions and from all walks of life. A part of this vision materialized today and took another step forward with the inauguration of the Ngadak Gompa.
“In the near future, Sikkim will become a place of worship for all people in the world with the ongoing pace of creation of holy places and monuments here,” the Chief Minister said in his inaugural address. He further stated that this monastery was dedicated to the people of Sikkim in its materialized form and congratulated them upon its official opening.
This monument has not been constructed merely in the form of a monastery but as a monument to preserve and protect the culture, heritage and custom of Buddhism, the Chief Minister underlined.
He added that the monastery will become a study centre for learning the language, history, literature and spiritual aspect of Buddhism for all enthusiasts. It has always been the aim of the state government that whenever a religious place or a monument is created for any community, all the necessary aspects are respected, conserved and protected giving them timeless form, underlined the Chief Minister.
The CM went on to comment that physical comfort given by materialistic development was not sufficient to achieve complete development in human lives and highlighted that spiritual development was more important to achieve inner peace and overall progress.
Religion should bring about purity not only in the minds of the people but on all other parts of the society and even to Politics, he said.
The CM highlighted that one of the most important achievements of the present government has been the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the state.
Informing the people of various other upcoming and ongoing projects of religious significance, he went on to recall that during the term of the present government, there has been the maximum development of religious places and protection of all the communities in the state. In this regard, he mentioned the ongoing Ropeway project in Namchi to Samdrupste which would elevate the tourism prospects of Samdrupste even more.
He informed the youth of the State government’s initiative to provide vehicle loan support for them to service and benefit from the tourism boom and further informed of other government’s financial aid for them in the business related to hotels/ fast food, horticulture, dairy/poultry farming and related sectors.
The state government will undertake all initiatives to strengthen and encourage the youth of Sikkim, emphasized the Chief Minister. He urged the people to live in peace and harmony and come together with the patriotic sentiment to safeguard the peace and tranquility of the state.
The Chief Minister was felicitated today by the Ngadak Duchi Committee for his support and initiative in the construction of the new monastery. Other officials, engineers, workers, Monks involved in the project were also felicitated by the Chief Minister.
The inaugural ceremony was also attended by Speaker KT Gyalsten, Chief Secretary R Ongmu, Ministers DN Thakarpa and Tilu Gurung, a host of other official dignitaries, religious delegates, and members of Ngadak Dichu Committee.