Help preserve Gangchen Ri Tenkhang, a place where Tibetan faith, culture and community continue to thrive in exile.

A place of worship and community

Gangchen Ri Tenkhang is a Tibetan Buddhist temple on Observatory Hill in Darjeeling and an important place of worship for the Tibetan community living in exile there.

In the early 1990s, the community came together to build the small Tenkhang through voluntary labour and funds raised through donations. Dedicated to the protector deities Palden Lhamo and Nechung Choegyal, it continues to be an active place of worship today.

The Tenkhang is used for prayers, religious observances and community gatherings, including the monthly Sang-sol, a traditional incense offering prayer, as well as prayers held on sacred occasions.

Donate today

We need to raise £15,554 by the end of November so that essential restoration work can begin during Darjeeling's drier winter months.

With heavy rainfall for much of the year, there is a limited window in which this work can be carried out. Raising the funds in time will allow the community to begin the repairs during the most suitable conditions and help prevent further damage to the Tenkhang.

Donating from outside the UK

We welcome support from around the world. You can donate securely in GBP using an international credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, where available. Your payment provider will convert your donation into your local currency and may charge a fee.

Giving from the United States?
US donors can also support Tibet Relief Fund through CAF America, which enables eligible tax-deductible giving.

Giving through your workplace?
Tibet Relief Fund is registered with Benevity. If your employer uses Benevity, you can donate through your workplace giving programme and may also be able to have your donation matched.

If you need any help making an international donation, please get in touch. Lee@tibetreliffund.co.uk

A Tibetan community built in exile

Darjeeling has been home to a Tibetan community since the late 1950s, when Tibetans fleeing their homeland sought refuge in India.

The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre was established in 1959 to help newly arrived refugees rebuild their lives, providing work and support during the difficult early years in exile. Over the decades, the community has continued to preserve its language, faith, traditions and ways of coming together.

For Tibetans living in exile, places such as Gangchen Ri Tenkhang are an important part of keeping those traditions alive. Here, people continue to gather for prayer, religious observances and community occasions, carrying forward traditions brought with them from Tibet.

At a time when Tibetan language, religion and cultural expression face increasing restrictions inside Tibet, keeping these traditions alive and passing them on in exile is more important than ever.

Now the Tenkhang needs urgent repair

Over the years, the community has carried out a number of smaller repairs to Gangchen Ri Tenkhang. But Darjeeling's harsh weather and the ageing materials of the building mean that more substantial restoration is now needed.

The tin roof has deteriorated, allowing rainwater into the Tenkhang. Poor drainage and water coming from the adjoining side are causing further seepage, putting the floor and structure at risk. Continuing with smaller repairs will not provide the long-term solution the building now needs.

There is another challenge.

No vehicles are permitted at the site. Every piece of construction material needed for the restoration must be carried up by hand.

Construction work at the site is also restricted to minimise disturbance to the surrounding environment. This makes it especially important that the restoration provides a lasting solution.

Your support can protect a living heritage

Your donation will help replace the deteriorating roof, prevent further water damage and improve the drainage needed to protect the structure. It will contribute to the substantial restoration work needed to keep the Tenkhang safe and in use for the future.

By supporting this appeal, you will help ensure that Gangchen Ri Tenkhang can continue to be a place of worship and community for Tibetans living in exile in Darjeeling for generations to come.

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Thank you for helping protect a living heritage

How your donation will be used

If we raise more than is needed to complete the restoration of Gangchen Ri Tenkhang, any additional funds will support Tibet Relief Fund's wider charitable programmes for Tibetan communities in India and Nepal.

If we do not raise enough to complete the restoration, we will seek additional funding, including from charitable trusts and foundations. If we are unable to secure the remaining funds, or if circumstances beyond our control mean the restoration cannot go ahead, donations received will support Tibet Relief Fund's wider charitable programmes for Tibetan communities in India and Nepal.