📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Anjan Kumar Kundu
Religion
Karmapa reaches Bhutan but cannot visit Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim
✍️ India Today NE
🗓 31 Oct 2026, 02:28 AM
👁 12
The 17th Karmapa arrived in Bhutan, while his planned visit to the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim remains pending due to unresolved access issues.
The 17th Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, landed in Bhutan on Thursday, marking his first official visit to the Himalayan kingdom in several years. The spiritual leader was welcomed by Bhutanese officials and senior monks, who highlighted the historic ties between Bhutan and the Karma Kagyu tradition.
Despite the warm reception in Bhutan, the Karmapa’s itinerary did not include a stop at the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, a key centre for his followers in India. Ongoing disputes over the monastery’s administration have prevented the monk from gaining entry, and no alternative arrangements were announced.
The Karmapa’s Bhutan trip is expected to focus on inter‑faith dialogue and cultural exchanges, while the situation at Rumtek remains under negotiation between the monastery’s custodians and Indian authorities. Observers note that the unresolved access issue could affect the broader relationship between the Karma Kagyu school and its Indian adherents.
No further details on a future visit to Rumtek were provided, and the Karmapa’s representatives said they will continue to seek a peaceful resolution that respects the monastery’s heritage and the wishes of its devotees.
Despite the warm reception in Bhutan, the Karmapa’s itinerary did not include a stop at the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, a key centre for his followers in India. Ongoing disputes over the monastery’s administration have prevented the monk from gaining entry, and no alternative arrangements were announced.
The Karmapa’s Bhutan trip is expected to focus on inter‑faith dialogue and cultural exchanges, while the situation at Rumtek remains under negotiation between the monastery’s custodians and Indian authorities. Observers note that the unresolved access issue could affect the broader relationship between the Karma Kagyu school and its Indian adherents.
No further details on a future visit to Rumtek were provided, and the Karmapa’s representatives said they will continue to seek a peaceful resolution that respects the monastery’s heritage and the wishes of its devotees.