Monasteries and shrines · Buddha Park (Tathagata Tsal)
Buddha Park at opening time
Be at the gate when Tathagata Tsal opens, walk the long avenue while it is still quiet, circle the 130 ft Buddha clockwise, visit the museum and sit by the lake. The mountain backdrop is clearest in the first hours.
Photo: Revant Singh Rathore · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The park has generally opened around 9 am. Arrive a few minutes early, buy your ticket and walk the formal avenue towards the statue without crowds. On a clear morning the Buddha sits against a backdrop of forested ridges with snow peaks rising behind, the classic view of Ravangla.
Circle the statue clockwise on the platform, as pilgrims do. Monks and local families often light butter lamps or offer prayers; join quietly or watch from a distance. Then enter the museum in the base, where a spiral gallery takes you through the Buddha's life from birth to parinirvana.
Finish at Cho Djo lake, a small pond ringed by forest, or on a bench in the gardens. By 11 am tour groups from Gangtok and Pelling arrive and the paths fill. Allow two hours in total and continue to Ralang Monastery, 6 km away, before lunch.
Good for
Questions travellers ask
Before you book
What are Buddha Park's opening hours?
The park has generally been open from about 9 am to 6 pm daily, though hours can change by season. Check with your hotel the evening before. Mornings are best for both light and crowds.
How long does it take to see Buddha Park?
Allow 1.5–2 hours: about 20 minutes for the avenue, 20 minutes around the statue, 30 minutes in the museum and some time in the gardens. Photographers and pilgrims may want longer.
Is Buddha Park suitable for wheelchair users?
Mostly. The main avenue is broad and paved with gentle slopes, and the platform around the statue is level. Some areas involve steps. The museum interior may be harder to access. Ask at the gate for the easiest route.
Also in Buddha Park (Tathagata Tsal)
More hours worth planning
Culture
The Buddha's life in the spiral museum
Inside the statue's base, a museum's spiral gallery tells the Buddha's life in sequence, from birth at Lumbini to enlightenment and final …
Monasteries and shrines
Butter lamps and dusk at Tathagata Tsal
Return late in the afternoon, when the tour groups have left, to light a butter lamp, walk a last kora around the …
Adventure
Walk from Buddha Park towards Ralang
After your visit, walk downhill from Buddha Park along the quiet road towards Ralang Monastery, about 6 km, through village fields and …
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartGet my price
Tell us your dates and your budget
Who is travelling, when, and roughly what you want to spend. The Gangtok desk replies within one working day with a day-by-day plan and an itemised price.
- No payment to start
- Permits handled through registered partners
- Every hotel, car and fee listed