Rediscovering Faith and Destruction at Womaling
By
Manisha Kumari
Womaling Gompa is a significant religious site for the Monpa community of West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh. Located at an altitude of +3500 m asl, it is ~65 km from Dirang, along the Mandala-Naga GG Road close to the Indo-Bhutan border. The area around the gompa, also called Womaling, is surrounded by community forests owned by different clans in the Dirang circle. It is a mosaic of high-altitude wetland, springs, grazing grounds, and temperate forests.
Reaching the Womaling Gompa requires a 2 km trek from the diversion point of Naga GG- Womaling- Mandala Road. This is the junction from where the Womaling landscape begins to unfold. The start of the trek gives a view of the Abies forest inside which pilgrims would be entering. The first mane from where the trek begins is located in a clearing surrounded by small streams. It also has a seating area for pilgrims as well as tourists. The low frequency of tourists in the area can be inferred from the low amount of garbage disposed around the mane. But there are also few civil societies from Mandala and Dirang which do social work related to garbage cleaning in the area.
After entering into the Abies forests, one follows the sound of streams and chilly breeze drumming against rhododendron leaves. The forest has a variety of high-altitude trees from Abies sp., Tsuga sp., Rhododendron sp., Birch sp., Acer sp. and Pinus sp. The 900 m trek leads to an opening surrounded by grazing huts and meadows- the Womaling GG (Grazing Ground).
Womaling GG is an important grazing ground for Yak and Dzomo (mix breed of yak and cow) herders of the West Kameng district, specifically the Dirang region. The grazing ground is located close to the Indo- Bhutan and Tawang state borders. Brokpas (herders) from different villages have their grazing huts in Womaling GG. The easy availability of stream and fodder for livestock is ideal for herding season in summers. Brokpas from villages around the Dirang region brings their livestock from lower altitudes below 2800 m asl in summer months for grazing in Womaling GG.
The Womaling GG is also contiguous with grazing grounds of Mandala, Naga GG, and Sanya GG. Sharing borders with Bhutan and Sakteng wildlife sanctuary, this continuum landscape is an important grazing route for brokpas of Dirang, Mandala, Lubrang, and Nyukmadung villages.
The trek to Womaling Gompa takes a diversion after giving a glimpse of Womaling grazing ground and enters back into the dense curtains of high-altitude trees. Another up and downhill trek of 1100 m on melting snow-covered rocks and wooden bridges; and we arrive at the Womaling Gompa. The gate welcomes us to the pilgrimage of a lifetime. The trek has ended, but the view of Womaling lake has arrived at our eyes. Forgetting about the Gompa, our foot moves towards the green sky of serenity.
The Womaling lake is surrounded by the Womaling Gompa on the south and the forests of Abies sp. on the north. The temple in itself is as peaceful as the flight of a Himalayan golden eagle. The compound has butter lamp lighting chambers, prayer halls, a kitchen, and resting areas. In off pilgrimage season, the gompa has zero inflow. Perhaps, one of the reasons why we could hear our freezing breath more clearly than ever. A small stride down the Gompa takes us to the lake which in monsoon will be covered with bright Iris sp. In winters the water becomes dull green like a hazy dried oak forest. Colorful Tibetan flags and Primula flowers cheer the lake and its inhabitants: Ruddy shelduck, Asiatic black bear, Wild dhole, Serow, and Goral. Apart from them, the Womaling complex is also home to the sublime firefox- Red Panda. Studies on red panda habitat in the neighboring forests of Womaling complex (in Mandala and Naga GG community forests) have confirmed the presence of the species and also raised threats of hunting and habitat destruction. The brokpas from Lubrang and Nyukmadung have also confirmed conflict with wild dhole and their cattle in this region. The loss of cattle has also resulted in the retaliatory killing of wild dhole by snares and carcass poisoning. Human-wildlife conflict, changing aspirations of the youth, and harsh requirements of the brokpa livelihood are also leading to a decrease in the number of brokpas and livestock in West Kameng.
Ao Lobsang’s father (a brokpa from Senge village bordering Nyukmadung) says,
“ये लड़का (एक आदमी की ओर इशारा करते हुए) का भी पिताजी का गाय बहुत ज्यादा था, अभी एक भी नहीं है । याक देखने वाला हम 16 साल बैठा। जवान लोग सब काम में जाता है आजकल । कोई गाय में नहीं जाता। अभी दो किसम का गाय है (एक याक और दूसरा गाय)। ये लड़का (अपने रिश्तेदार की ओर इशारा करते हुए) भी नहीं जाता। पहले मेरा भाई का टाइम में घी छुरपी रोज लेने आता था लोग। बस्ती से आता था, चुग, लीश से आता था। अभी तो घी चुरपी है ही नहीं। “
Translated summary: Livestock numbers in the village of Senge are decreasing. There is a decline in the number of youth joining brokpas. In earlier times, people from other villages would come in Senge for buying butter and cheese, but now they are not available enough for sale.
“ये लड़का (एक आदमी की ओर इशारा करते हुए) का भी पिताजी का गाय बहुत ज्यादा था, अभी एक भी नहीं है । याक देखने वाला हम 16 साल बैठा। जवान लोग सब काम में जाता है आजकल । कोई गाय में नहीं जाता। अभी दो किसम का गाय है (एक याक और दूसरा गाय)। ये लड़का (अपने रिश्तेदार की ओर इशारा करते हुए) भी नहीं जाता। पहले मेरा भाई का टाइम में घी छुरपी रोज लेने आता था लोग। बस्ती से आता था, चुग, लीश से आता था। अभी तो घी चुरपी है ही नहीं। “
Translated summary: Livestock numbers in the village of Senge are decreasing. There is a decline in the number of youth joining brokpas. In earlier times, people from other villages would come in Senge for buying butter and cheese, but now they are not available enough for sale.
The brokpas of West Kameng are the primary resource users of these grazing grounds; they are also crucial in managing and protecting this landscape. Womaling is among the many undiscovered gems of Arunachal Pradesh. It is an exquisite example of faith, mystic, and nature. After breathing in fresh memories from Womaling gompa, the trek back to the start of the path feels more alive. Perhaps, too alive for the images ahead to create wonderous thoughts.
The main Mandala- Womaling- Naga GG junction connects areas south of Dirang to Sela pass. The roads are unwelcoming, so treacherous that traveling in monsoon and winter months is not possible except for pickup, larger trucks, and army vehicles. This also reduces vehicle traffic from tourists as well as locals. Amidst these situations, wood transportation becomes easy. Informal sources said how commercial logging from the forests of Mandala to Naga GG meets demands in urban housing, infrastructure, and fuelwood in Tawang and Dirang. The impact is visible in the forests close to the main road all along the Womaling- Naga GG stretch.
Timber is an essential commodity in traditional housing in Dirang and Tawang. With the increase in population, demand for timber will increase leading to increased and unregulated timber extraction. Also, fuelwood is an essential energy source in the villages of western Arunachal Pradesh. It is used for cooking, space heating and holds a significant cultural status in these mountain communities. Logging from high altitude areas possesses greater threats as regenerating rate of major high-altitude trees is slower than temperate and evergreen trees. It is also difficult to regulate illegal logging from these areas as they are far from permanent settlements and villages (more than 30 km).
High altitude areas of western Arunachal Pradesh are key in supporting important wildlife and securing water resources in the region. It is appreciable how the communities are making efforts to reduce the impact of commercial timber logging and have imposed bans on many areas around Mandala. By strengthening already existing local institutions, the communities can be better prepared to manage their community-owned forests in Mandala- Womaling- Naga GG landscape, likewise the few undiscovered gems of western Arunachal Pradesh can be protected.
Acknowledgment: I thank Ao Lobsang’s father for taking his time out to talk to me. I had one of the best times revisiting histories with him. I also thank Tenzin Droma from Nyukmadung, Ao Jigmey from Dirang and my colleague Tasso Rimung. They gave me many insights which I used in this piece. And lastly, Dawa ji and Sonam ji from Mandalaphudung for introducing me to Womaling.
25/09/2021
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Manisha Kumari
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She is a researcher/ project implementor by training and a conservationist by passion working in western Arunachal Landscape from 2017 with WWF- India. Since then, She have worked on community-based conservation efforts by strengthening local forest-based livelihoods, community-based tourism, water security through springshed development and conservation education. She have worked extensively on community-owned forests in western Arunachal Pradesh of Eastern Himalayas; understanding the community’s dependency on their forest resources and their interaction with wildlife.
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