Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology is one of the most rewarding Gangtok attractions for history and art lovers. Its museum and library preserve rare Tibetan manuscripts, icons and thangkas in a traditional building in Deorali.

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT) in Deorali, south Gangtok, is a research centre for Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist studies with a public museum. The 14th Dalai Lama laid its foundation stone on 10 February 1957, and the institute was established on 1 October 1958 and inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. It is named after Sir Tashi Namgyal, the 11th Chogyal of Sikkim.

The building is designed in traditional Sikkimese-Tibetan style, with painted woodwork and sloping roofs, set among trees near the Do Drul Chorten. The museum displays Buddhist icons, ritual objects, thangka paintings and rare manuscripts, while the library holds a very large collection of Tibetan texts and xylographs; Incredible India describes it as holding the largest collection of Tibetan manuscripts outside Tibet.

The institute publishes the academic journal Bulletin of Tibetology and runs research projects such as documenting the social history of Sikkim's monasteries and digitising historical photographs.

According to the institute's own website, the museum and libraries are open 10 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Saturday, and closed on Sundays and official government holidays; the entrance fee is Rs. 25. Some travel sites also mention closure on second Saturdays, so check before a Saturday visit. Allow about an hour; the Do Drul Chorten and the Ropeway's Deorali station are nearby, making this an easy stop on a city tour.