Bhutia Basti Monastery is located below the Mall in
Darjeeling,
West Bengal. The monastery situated against the visually stunning backdrop of the mighty
Kanchenjunga was founded in the 19th century by Bhutias, a people of Tibetan origin.
The monastery, originally a branch of the Nyingmapa sect's Phodong Monastery in Sikkim, was later transferred to Darjeeling in 1879.
Bhutia Basti Monastery situated amid a warren of lanes, with its exquisitely painted façade, is worth visiting. The library of Buddhist texts preserves the original copy of the ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead'.