Ralong Monastery is located at a distance of 6 km from Ravangla. Ralong Monastery was built to commemorate the successful pilgrimage of the fourth Chogyal to Tibet. According to legends, when the fourth Chogyal returned to Namchi from his pilgrimage in Tibet, he performed the 'Rabney' (traditional blessing) ritual, during which, he tossed some grains from the Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet. The Ralong Monastery is said to be erected at the site where the grains fell.
The Ralang Monasteries is a group of two monasteries, situated 13 km away from the town of Ravangla. These monasteries follow the Kagyupa sect of Buddhism. The older monastery was established in 1768 AD and the new monastery, known as the Palchen Choeling Monastic Institute, was built by the XII Gyaltsab Rinpoche, in 1995. According to a legend, the 9th Karmapa, who was the head of the Kagyupa sect, blessed this monastery with grains of rice thrown from Tibet.
The main feature of this monastery is the masked dance of Kagyed Chaam, which is performed every year by 'Pang Lhabsol', as a ritual of worshipping Mt. Khangchendzonga. This dance is held on the 15th day of the seventh month, as well as on the 29th day of tenth month of the Buddhist calendar, just before the Losoong, which is the Sikkimese New Year.
The original monastery is situated 13 km away from Ravangla and the trail to reach this place, goes through a difficult terrain. In the year 1995, a new monastery was built in the town, in order to make it accessible to people. The Ralong Monastery was built by 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche and is renowned for its Tibetan architecture. It is also known by the name of ‘Palchen Choeling Monastic Institute'. In today’s time, the Ralong Monastery is considered to be one of the biggest monasteries in Sikkim and houses a good collection of paintings.
The festival called Pang Lhabsol is celebrated here by monks, annually. The monks perform the Kagyed dance, to express their happiness, on the eve of festival. The monks also perform another form of dance called the Mahakala dance, to celebrate the religious reasons, during the month of November.
