culture · Phodong, North Sikkim
Labrang Gompa and a look at Tumlong
From Phodong Monastery a road continues uphill to Labrang Gompa, a second monastery on the same ridge, slightly higher than Phodong. It receives few visitors, and the walk or short drive up gives good views back over the valley. Ask a local or your driver for directions; the turn-off is easy to miss.
Below Phodong, on the Dik Chu, lies Tumlong, a village of about 400 people today. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Sikkim from 1793, when Chogyal Tshudpud Namgyal moved the court inland, through much of the 19th century. The Treaty of Tumlong with the British was signed here in 1861.
Little remains of the palace, and there is no museum or signage of note, so this is a place to understand rather than to see. Combine the two with Phodong Monastery in a morning, then continue north to Mangan or return to Gangtok. Indian citizens need no permit.
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Questions people ask
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What is Labrang Gompa near Phodong
Labrang Gompa is a monastery on the ridge above Phodong, slightly higher than Phodong Monastery. It is smaller and quieter, with good valley views. Do not confuse it with the large Labrang Monastery in China's Gansu province, which is a different and unrelated institution.
Was Tumlong the capital of Sikkim
Yes. Tumlong, below Phodong, was the capital of the Kingdom of Sikkim from 1793, when the court moved inland from Rabdentse after raids from Nepal, until later in the 19th century. The Treaty of Tumlong with the British was signed there in 1861.
Is there anything to see at Tumlong today
Very little of the old capital survives, and there is no museum. It is a small village on the Dik Chu, about 400 people at the 2011 census. Its interest is historical. Visit with that in mind, as part of a Phodong and Kabi Lungchok circuit.
