About Salugara Monastery

Salugara Monastery is among the most frequented revered places, located in the outskirts of Siliguri. Located 6 km from the city, the Buddhist shrine is visited by tourists for meditation. The ideal tranquil location for meditation was established by Tibetan monks and followers of religious leader the Dalai Lama.
Sanchi Stupa No.2, the earliest known stupa with important displays of decorative reliefs, circa 125 BCE

Buddhist Stupas in India – The earliest Buddhist buildings

Religious buildings in the form of the Buddhist stupa, a dome shaped monument, started to be used in India as commemorative associated with storing sacred relics of the Buddha. The earliest archaeological evidence for the presence of Buddhist dates to the late 4th century BCE. In India, , Sarnath, Amaravati and are among the oldest known stupas. After the parinirvana of the Buddha, his remains were cremated and the ashes divided and buried .
Rock-cut Buddha Statue at Bojjanakonda near Anakapalle of Visakhapatnam

Historic Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India

The Mauryan Empire reached its peak at the time of emperor Ashoka, who converted to Buddhism after the Battle of Kalinga. In 2018, excavations in Lalitgiri in Odisha by archaeological survey of India revealed four along with ancient seals and inscriptions which show cultural continuity from post-Mauryan period to 13 century CE. The Kushan Empire under emperor Kaniṣka ruled the strongly Buddhist region of Gandhara as well as other parts of northern India, Afghanistan and .