Enchey Monastery

Coordinates: 27°20′9″N 88°37′9″E / 27.33583°N 88.61917°E / 27.33583; 88.61917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Enchey Monastery
East Sikkim, Sikkim, India
CountryIndia
Enchey Monastery is located in Sikkim
Enchey Monastery
Location within India
Geographic coordinates27°20′9″N 88°37′9″E / 27.33583°N 88.61917°E / 27.33583; 88.61917
Architecture
FounderLama Druptab Karpo
Date established1909

The Enchey Monastery was established in 1909 above

Mahākāla here. In view of this legend, the religious significance of Enchey Monastery is deeply ingrained in every household in Gangtok. It is also believed that these powerful deities always fulfil the wishes of the devotees.[5]

Geography

The monastery is built on a stunning ridge of a hill above the Gangtok city to its northeast from where the Kanchendzonga range is visible. It is located on Gangtok –

coniferous trees, bypassing the TV telecommunications tower. It is about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the northeast of the main market place in Gangtok.[2][5][6]
Even though it is a small monastery situated on a strategic peak overlooking Gangtok, compared to other monasteries in Sikkim, it provides views of the Kanchendzonga peak.

Architecture

Ornately carved colourful Window of prayer hall

The monastery was first built in the 1840s by the eighth

Buddha, Loki Sharia and Guru Padmasambhava. The walls of the monastery in the large prayer hall are fully covered with paintings and murals of four religious kings, the deities of the four cardinal directions as stated in the scriptures and the entire galaxy of Mahayan Buddhist deities. Manuscripts of scriptures are kept in an almirah. The four pillars supporting the roof of the monastery are elaborately carved. Built under the Nyingma order, it houses 90 monks.[2][5][6][7][8][9][10] The windows of the monastery are very ornately carved and painted.[11]

The monastery has a large collection of

masks which are used for the annual ritual dances. As its name implies, monastery has a peaceful atmosphere and also maintains a good library.[12]

A very serene atmosphere has been created with the colourful prayer flags fluttering around the monastery.[13] Like all other Nyingmapa monasteries in Sikkim, this monastery is also under the jurisdiction of the Pemayangtse Monastery.

The monastery was gutted in 1947. However, it was rebuilt in 1948 with the support of the devotees.[14]

Earthquake damage

In a reconnaissance report on Sikkim Earthquake of 14 February 2006, it was noted that the Enchey Monastery, apart from other buildings in Sikkim, also suffered severe damage in the 2006 Earthquake (with the maximum intensity of shaking as VII on MSK scale); wide shear and vertical cracks were noted in masonry walls, at corners and near openings. It was not the first time that the monastery, among other masonry structures in Sikkim, was subject to damage by earthquake. Earthquake events in the 1980 and 1988 had also caused damage to the monastery but the repairs done were not adequate, as in 2006, the masonry wall of the building suffered damage again. The report has observed that "The damage seen in and around Gangtok was clearly disproportionate to the size of the earthquake, which was a moderate 5.7 on the Richter scale. This very clearly establishes the high level of seismic vulnerability of the region. Such disproportionate damage is a direct consequence of poor design and construction practices in an inadequate professional environment that is challenged by the lack of trained human resources in the state." Sikkim as a whole, and particularly masonry structures, are vulnerable to suffer damage from such severe earthquakes. Hence, it has been suggested to adopt "safer constructions through choice of appropriate construction systems, incorporation of earthquake resistant technology, use of good construction materials and their quality control, and involvement of competent manpower for design, construction and supervision."[15]

The Enchey Monastery, a heritage structure built in stone masonry with 500 mm thick walls, is a double storied structure with timber frames making up the columns and beams in the roof and also in the flooring. Galvanised iron sheet roofing is also supported on wooden trusses. The masonry wall was damaged due to seismic shear. The decorative plaster of the walls also fell off due to cracks in the masonry walls and spoiled some of the beauty of the structure.[citation needed] Grouting of the cracks was suggested as a solution to strengthen the damaged portions of the walls.[16]

Festival

Detor Cham is the colourful and vibrant

Tibetan New Year day (February/March) and Losoong, the Sikkimese New Year (December/January).[17]

Gallery

  • A Chorten in Enchey Monastery in Gangtok
    A Chorten in Enchey Monastery in Gangtok
  • A close view of Enchey Monastery in Gangtok
    A close view of Enchey Monastery in Gangtok
  • Courtyard of Enchey Monastery
    Courtyard of Enchey Monastery
  • Prayer wheels in Enchey Gompa
    Prayer wheels in Enchey Gompa
  • Signage in front of the Enchey Monastery in Gangtok
    Signage in front of the Enchey Monastery in Gangtok

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-74179-319-2
    . Retrieved 20 October 2001.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-81-8324-265-3
    . Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Enchey Monastery". National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Enchey Monastery". Buddhist Temples. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d "Place of Solitude". Sikkim Infoonline. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  6. ^
    ISBN 1-900949-79-2
    . Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  7. ISBN 81-89738-05-4
    . Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  8. ISBN 0-906026-49-0
    . Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  9. ISBN 0-7894-8395-5
    . Retrieved 1 June 2010. ... of the town is the early 20th-century Enchey Monastery whose large prayer hall is full of vibrant murals and images representing the entire pantheon of Mahayana Buddhist deities ...
  10. ISBN 978-81-313-0047-3
    . Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  11. ^ "Enchey monastery of Nyingmapa, Gangtok". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  12. ISBN 978-81-284-0067-4
    . Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  13. ISBN 81-7824-008-4
    . Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Sikkim Monasteries Tours". Trekking in Sikkim. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  15. ^ "Reconnaissance Report on Sikkim Earthquake Of 14 February 2006". National Information Center of Earthquake Engineering (NICEE) at IIT Kanpur for Tata Steel Limited, India. pp. 1–5. Retrieved 13 August 2010. [dead link]
  16. ^ "A Reconnaissance Based Vulnerability Report; The Sikkim Earthquake of 14th February 2006" (PDF). School of Community Science and Technology:Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  17. ISBN 1-74059-694-3
    . Retrieved 1 June 2010. Enchey Gompa.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enchey_Monastery&oldid=1215834027"