phodong is a town 38 kilometers north of gangtok and in located in north sikkim district. it is famous for its three monasteries.

• phodang monastery built in 18th century by chogyal gyurmed namgyal at the site of an earlier monastery that existed in the same place. the original monastery was rebuilt, however the old mural paintings and frescoes were preserved. phodong monastery is one amongst the six most important buddhist monasteries in sikkim. perhaps, this is regarded as the first monastery related to the kagyupa sect to be established in sikkim.
• phensang monastery built in 1721 by lama jigme pawo believed to be third incarnation of lhatsun chenpo. in 1947 it was completely destroyed by a devastating fire but rebuilt again the following year.
• labrang monastery is famous for its architectural style with rich frescoes detailing the interiors of the monastery.