[ Utpal Boruah ]
ITANAGAR, 23 Feb: The Arunachal Pradesh government is developing the escape trail of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, from where he entered India, into a spiritual and religious tourism circuit.
Lumla in Tawang district will soon be on the national tourism map. The young Dalai Lama had passed through, and even stayed, in this area during his escape from Lhasa to India in 1959.
The project is being executed by the public works department.
“We are developing the escape trail of His Holiness into a religious and spiritual tourism circuit which is going on. As many as five monoliths will be constructed in each place where the Dalai Lama spent the night during his journey to India from Tibet,” Lumla MLA Tsering Lhamu told PTI.
In 1959, when the Chinese crackdown on Tibet seemed inevitable and the Tibet uprising had reached the palace of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Lhasa, he, along with family members and a few aides, escaped to India. The escape trail was through the business route Tibet (Tsona) to Khen-Dze-mani in Zemithang circle in Tawang district.
On 31 March, 1959, the Dalai Lama and a group of eight people, along with another group of eighty people, were received officially at Khen-Dze-Mani by the political officer of Tawang, the 5 Assam Rifles, and the people of Zemithang.
A small gate, known as ‘Lhasa Dwar’, the point where the Dalai Lama entered India, is marked by the ‘holy tree’, which is said to have grown from a staff dug by the Dalai Lama. It is now worshipped as a relic marking the historic event.
Another notable point of interest in this area is a hanging bridge on the Indian side, followed by the Lhasa Dwar.
Gorsam Chorten, a little far from Lhasa Dwar, is one of the largest stupas of Buddhism, located 90 kms from Tawang. It was founded by a Monpa monk Lama Pradhar in the 12th century and is the largest Buddhist stupa in the region. Monpa is a major tribe of Arunachal.
People say that, after he entered Zemithang, the Dalai Lama stayed in the Gorsam chorten for a day.
Zemithang is now being developed as a vibrant village in Tawang district under the Centre’s vibrant village programme.
Lhamu informed that two gonpas, in Thonglek and Lumla areas, have been completed as part of the project and one museum is also coming up in Lumla, which will display various artefacts related to the Dalai Lama.
District Tourism Officer Tsering Dickey said that early last year, a team from the department, accompanied by the then tourism secretary Sadhna Deori, visited the trail site from where the Dalai Lama entered India, to explore the feasibility of developing it into a tourist circuit.
To add impetus to the tourism sector, a 113 feet Maitreya Buddha (Future Buddha) statue is coming up in Buri along the Indo-Bhutan border, under the NE scheme of Swadesh Darshan of the union tourism ministry for the development of the Bhalukpong-Bomdila-Tawang tourism circuit.
The Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the ministry for the development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner. Under the scheme, the government is focusing on development of quality infrastructure with the objective of providing better experience and facilities to visitors on one hand, and on other hand fostering economic growth.
The ministry during 2014-’15 sanctioned the circuit under the scheme with an allocation of Rs 49.77 crore. Under the project, the ministry has developed facilities like accommodation, cafeteria, wayside amenities, last-mile connectivity, pathways, toilets, a multipurpose hall in Jang, Sorang monastery, Lumpo, Zemithang, Bumla Pass, Gritsang TSO Lake, PTSO Lake, Thingbu and Grenkha Hot Spring, Lumla, and Sela Lake.
In 2015-’16, the tourism ministry sanctioned another circuit under the scheme for the state for development of the Nafra-Seppa-Pappu-Pasa-Pakke valleys-Sangdupota-New Sagalee-Ziro-Yomcha, with an allocation of Rs 97.14 crore.
“The Maitreya Buddha statue has already been completed and work on the surroundings is going on,” the MLA informed, and added that she is planning to organise an annual event to woo more tourists.
The Lumla MLA said that the Gorsam Chorten gonpa in Zemithang attracts tourists from Nepal and Bhutan during Kora festival in March every year.
Zemithang is also an important site for naturalists and ornithologists. After all, it is the favourite site for the black-necked crane that migrates from Siberia. Nearby, Ngyang-Chu is famous for the red panda.
“We are planning to develop these places as adventure tourist spots and are contemplating to organise a red panda or black-necked crane festival soon to attract adventure lovers. The birds from Siberia usually visit the site in November-December every year and stay till March. We impose restrictions on human movements, so that the winged visitors are not disturbed,” Lhamu added.
Incidentally, the black-necked crane is also revered by Tibetan Buddhists for centuries as a symbol of peace. (PTI)
