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depict the
four celestial guardians kings located in the four directions
of Mount Meru. The institute contains a rare collection of the
Tibetan literature, rare manuscripts, paintings, coins,
Thangkas, statues and religious objects and other works of art
and history. There are about 30 thousand xylographs which
contains the translations of the original teachings of the
Lord Buddha and the treaties by distinguished Buddhist
scholars from different parts of the world. It also has its
own faculty of the eminent scholars. The library and museum of
the Institute are open to the public on all days. The Dotrabu
Chorten of Guru Padmasambhava, a small temple dedicated to the
Guru Rimpoche and a memorial park in the honour of the late
king of Sikkim are also located near the institute.
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History of Sikkim Research Institute of
Tibetology
The institute is located on the site that was donated by the
late king of Sikkim, Sir Tashi Namgyal in memory of his
departed son Paljor Namgyal. The foundation stone of the
Institute was laid on 10th February, 1957 by the 14th Dalai
Lama and was inaugurated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 1st
October, 1958. The Institute is beautifully located in sylvan
surroundings and extensive grounds.
Museum in the Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology
The museum is located on the ground floor of the institute.
This museum contains a rare collection of statues, ritual
objects, traditional art objects, Thangkas (painted, woven and
embroidered scrolls) and ancient manuscripts in Sanskrit,
Tibetan, Chinese and Lepcha. The museum exhibits a majestic
silver image of Manjushri, the Bodisattva of knowledge that
was brought from Tibet. Some of the manuscripts are the Prajna
Paramita and Astasahastra written in Tibetan golden script, an
11th century palm leaf manuscript of the Saratama
Prajnaparamita by Ratnakara Shanti and a 12th century Chinese
manuscript of the Prajana Paramita Sutra that was brought from
South Korea. There is also a casket in the museum which
contains the relics of two great Asokan missionaries, Madhyama
and Kasyapagotra. There are also five sandalwood images of
Padmasambhava, the three founding lamas of Sikkim and the
first King Phuntsok Namgyal which constitute an example of
Sikkimese art.
Libraries in the Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology
The Tibetan library is situated on the first floor of the
institute's main building. This library holds one of the
largest collection of Tibetan works in the world outside
Tibet. There are about 60,000 titles which consist of Tibetan
translations of canonical and non-canonical works from their
original Sanskrit or Pali, as well as Tantric texts belonging
to the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The library also
contains the collected works of Padma Lingpa, Mipham Rinpoche
and the great fifth Dalai Lama, and the hagiography of guru
Padmasambhava.
The general library is situated to the right side of the main
building. This library holds a good collection of books in
different languages which covers Tibet, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan
and Ladakh and as well as the journals and periodicals from
leading institutions and organizations. This library does not
lend or issue books for home use and as such the readers and
visitors can only read them.
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