Rumtek, a Kagyu monastery near Gangtok in Sikkim, was founded in the sixteenth century by the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje. It is the largest monastery in Sikkim and the seat of the Kagyu tradition in Sikkim. It was significantly rebuilt with patronage of the Sikkimese royal family by the Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje, who in 1959 left Tsurpu in central Tibet and fled to Sikkim with his brother, the Sixth Dzogchen Ponlob, Jikdrel Tsewang Dorje and other followers. Rumtek is the tradition's primary seat in exile.The Sixteenth Karmapa's relics are installed at Rumtek.