Thongsa and Tirpai, Kalimpong
Most visitors see one gompa in Kalimpong and leave. Two more tell the town's older story: one from the years Bhutan ruled this ridge, one founded for Tibet's traders in 1912.
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Thongsa Gompa
Bhutan ruled this bank of the Teesta until 1865, and Thongsa Gompa is what it left behind. By local accounts it was founded in 1692 and rebuilt in 1964, and it is counted the oldest monastery in town.
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No ticket office
There is no ticket office at Thongsa. Leave a small note at the altar if you wish, turn the prayer wheels clockwise, and ask before photographing the monks.
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Tirpai hill, 1912
In 1912 Kalimpong's Tibetan merchants and Bhutanese leaders asked the lama Domo Geshe Rinpoche to found a Gelug monastery here. Tharpa Choling still stands on the Tirpai hill, and about 55 monks live and study in it.
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Rishi Road, 1912
The same year, the 13th Dalai Lama spent three months at Bhutan House, the Dorji family's home, and gave it a Tibetan name: the Palace of Unchanging Delight. It is still a private home, so the story is told from the lane.
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February or March
At the Tibetan new year, new prayer flags go up, families carry khatas to the gompas, and the Gelug house on Tirpai is at its fullest. The date moves each year with the calendar.
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Pacing
The usual five-stop taxi loop skips Thongsa and Tirpai. Walk into Thongsa first, then drive up to Tharpa Choling, and keep Durpin's monastery for a morning at prayer time. At both, walk clockwise.
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