Pelling, before breakfast
The monastery whose lamas anointed Sikkim's kings is quietest in the first hours after dawn. Tour groups start arriving from mid-morning, so the whole trick is simply to go first.
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2,085 m (6,840 ft)
That is what Pemayangtse means. Lhatsun Chempo planned it in 1647, and it was enlarged in 1705 for ta-tshang: monks of pure lineage, celibate and whole in body. It is a house of about 108 monks.
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The anointing
Pemayangtse's head lama anointed the Chogyals with holy water, and every Nyingma monastery in Sikkim, as far east as Enchey above Gangtok, still answers to this house.
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Top floor
On the top floor stands Zangdok Palri, the heavenly palace of Guru Rinpoche, carved in wood by Dungzin Rinpoche over five years. Ask the day before for a monk to show you the detail. No photographs inside the halls: leave the camera at the door.
Photo: Amol Nakve
Look up
Walk round to the rear left corner: the roof there is chained down to a concrete floor against the monsoon winds. Most visitors walk straight past it.
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Who may go in
Pemayangtse and Tashiding admit everyone, inside the halls as well as the courtyards. Dubdi above Yuksom has one resident monk, so word goes the day before. At Sanga Choeling, by custom, only men enter the hall; the courtyard is open to all.
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February
Pemayangtse's cham falls on the 28th and 29th days of the last Tibetan month, usually February, when monks dance as Mahakala and Guru Drag-dmar. Losar, the Tibetan new year, follows.
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The morning plan
Watch the dawn from the ridge, walk over while the halls are still quiet, and leave the Chenrezig statue and skywalk for their first hour or late afternoon. On a cloudy day, skip the glass altogether.
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