AN AUTUMN TREK TO THOLUNG MONASTERY

Trekking in the Dzongu Valley  of North Sikkim

2015

Lepchas, the original inhabitants of the valleys in North Sikkim, are known by different names; Rong (tribe name), Rongkup (children of Rong) and Mutanchi Rong (beloved people of God), and their land was called Mayal Lang (hidden Land or the land blessed by God). These nature worshippers continue to possess a vast knowledge of the forests and their natural surroundings, the flora and fauna of their land and traditional medicine, accumulated over many generations. These people also built several monasteries.

Their population, once estimated to be about 50,000, has considerably dwindled and only a few are alive today. They live in Dzongu, a valley west of Mangan in North Sikkim, which has been declared a restricted area, but permits to visit it are easily obtained. 

Four of us arrived at Mangan (via Gangtok) in early October 2015. The view from the home stay opened to Siniolchu and surrounding peaks. In the crisp autumn air, the snowy ridges looked resplendent. This made one appreciate why Douglas Freshfield in his book Round Kangchenjunga called it the most beautiful peak in the world. Though he did not enter Dzongu, he was at its foot on the Zemu glacier which lies to the immediate north of the Dzongu valley. From Mangan, we proceeded on rough roads to the Teesta river at Sangkalang (19 km) and reached Passingdang, the first large village in the valley. Similar rough roads lead in various directions to beautifully situated villages in the valley. Lingthem (10 km) and Tingvong (eight km from Sibim) are a couple of larger noteworthy villages.

We drove on to Lingzya (10 km) which is marked by a huge waterfall.  The village was lined with white prayer flags and mani walls. Our drive ended at Be (six km) and we settled at a comfortable home stay. Our hosts produced wonderful meals from different vegetables available in the forest nearby and revealed indigenous knowledge about how many of these vegetables could combat lifestyle-related diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes.

We started our trek to Tholung monastery from here. Our guide Mingtu, with a thin beard on his chin, looked like a traditional Lepcha. He is very familiar with the terrain as he has explored different areas along with Anindya Mukherjee of Kolkata. Mukherjee has written about his trek looking for ‘Bon Manchi’ a local name for the elusive Yeti, which Lepchas believe exists here.[1] The valley to the east of Lingzya leads to the foot of Guicha la (pass) in the south. In the north is Zemu gap leading to Zemu glacier. The former is visited by hundreds while the latter is rarely visited, let alone crossed. At the head of the valley, on the border with Nepal, stands Talung peak.

After a leisurely trek followed by a camp at Dijim next day, we reached Tholung monastery. The place was deserted as the lamas had moved to lower altitudes. A major earthquake in 2011, with Tholung as its epicentre, had partly destroyed the monastery. A new monastery is being built next to the existing one. There were several old wall paintings and a stupa studded with jewels, also said to contain bones of earlier kings. Despite the damage, it carried an air of serenity.

It is said that the monastery was established in 1789 and is considered to be the most sacred in Sikkim. Following a Gorkha invasion of Sikkim by adjoining Nepal during the reign of Chhogyal Tensing Namgyal, all precious collections, write-ups, religious objects from large monasteries like Dubde and Sanga Choling were brought here to upper Dzongu. After a few years, a monastery was built at Tholung and all the items were stored here under the charge of the family known as Tholung Nangpa. They were in charge till 1940, when the Ecclesiastical Department of the Government of Sikkim took over, though the Nangpa family continues to be the chief patron of this gompa. These treasures are aired and displayed to the faithful once in three years. A new monastery was built in 1980, which the earthquake destroyed and now another new structure is under construction.

Upper Valley to Kishong Lake (By Dr. Kartik Bhagat)

With a group of selected porters we left for the upper valley on a short trek. This was an uphill route for the faithful leading to various holy sites. At first, we crossed the Rimbi river through rocky and slushy terrain with fallen trees across the path at various places along the route. The route gradually climbed up to a cave known as Thugong (locked box of treasure). We continued along the valley to Ritzim Ferong and finally to Themrong, at the junction of Zumthul chu meeting with Rimbi chu which we were following.

On the second day, we progressed uphill through small nalas. At Thinsung, we saw the Kishong waterfall with a small meditation platform for Guru Rimpoche. From Lapyok, the trail climbed steeply through shrubs with mulberries and blue berries. We walked through thick fog, light rain and cold wind so camping at Tholukpe was a relief. 

The next morning, we had some views of the upper valley with Lama Angden seen rising above Kishong lake. As we were exhausted from the previous day, instead of proceeding to Kishong lake, a mere three hours away, we decided to return. Though the porters were in good spirits, we could see plenty of snow ahead of us.  We stuck to our decision and completed our descent in two days to join the rest of the party.        

On the way back we halted briefly at Passingdang to meet a young Lepcha scholar. He had studied in different parts of India but chose to settle in his ancestors’ valley. After trekking to most parts of the valley and studying its traditions and mythology, he published a book with historic photos. As long as young, motivated people live in Dzongu, the area is safe for posterity. As we sipped tea, he enthralled us with his amazing collection of folklore. What better way to end a trek to a beautiful valley?

Gone are the days when in the evenings, children used to flock around the elders, to listen to the stories, sitting around the fire place in their small, warm and cozy kitchens. The elders also got an occasion to share their day to day sweet and sour moments with the young ones. In this age of technology where the younger generation remains attracted to various modern gadgets and social networking sites, this beautiful evening ‘past time’ is fast  disappearing. 

K T Lepcha

(Foreword to The Myths of Mutanchi, by Sonam Wangchuk Lepcha)[2]

[1] Recent articles by Anindya Mukherjee on his treks in the Dzongu valley are as under:

‘The Land of Mythical Paradise’, HJ Vol. 67, p. 30

‘Zemu Gap from South’, HJ Vol. 68, p. 37

‘Quest for the Bon Manchi : The Wildman of Sikkim’. HJ Vol. 70, p. 1

See ‘The Curious Case of De Nga’ on exploring High altitude lakes in Dzongu in the present volume.

[2] The Myths of Mutanchi. By Sonam Wangchuk Lepcha. Pp. 142, fully illustrated, 2015. (Privately published, contact author on email: sonamWC.lep@gmail.com, Rs 300).