RUMTEK MONASTERY is the seat of Karmapa Rinpoche and is the newest and perhaps the most impressive in size and grandeur in Sikkim. Like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the leader of the Gelugpa sect, the Karmapa Rinpoche (literally Precious One), is a reincarnate lama much revered by the Sikkimese people. Portraits of the 16th Karmapa, who passed away in 1981, are seen in every Kargyudpa monastery showing a kindly round face and ornate black hat, which he holds on his head with one hand. The hat is said to have the power of flight and if not held down or kept tight in a special box will fly away. The old Rumtek monastery was destroyed by an earthquake, but has now been restored and sits just below the new complex, built to house the 16th Karmapa when he fled from Tibet in the 1960s. Also worth visiting is the nearby Jawaharhal Nehru Botanical Gardens, 75 acres of temperate forest and plants. If you feel like the exercise you can walk along the road to the monastery and no doubt meet some of the local children who will be keen to strike up a conversation.