Dzongu residents and their unique Pang Lhabsol at Tholung Monastery

Karma R. T. W
Pang Lhabsol, a festival commemorating the conservation of Mt. Khangchendzonga as the guardian deity of the state, is unique to Sikkim. The actual origin of the festival is said to be the blood-brotherhood pact between the Lepcha bongthing, Thekung Tek and Khye-Bumsa, the ancestor of the Namgyal royal family.
The people of Dzongu celebrate Pang Lhabsol at the Tholung Monastery in North Sikkim. Their rituals are a bit unique in nature. Unlike the rest of Sikkim, the people of Dzongu make their offerings to the relics of the late Chogyal Tsugphud Namgyal.
Tholung Monastery is sacred because it was founded by the reincarnation of Lhatsun Chenpo in the late 18th century during the Gorkha invasion, which destroyed the Rabdentse capital. The relics and belongings of Lhatsun Chenpo are kept in secure cupboards at the monastery [shifted from Pemyangtse Monastery following the Gorkha invasion], while the relics of Chogyal Tsugphud Namgyal are kept in a ku-dung (reliquary) on the ground floor of the Monastery.
Local legend suggests that the Chogyal Tsugphud Namgyal desired that his remains be sent to the Tholung Monastery. Located at an altitude of 8500 feet in Upper Dzongu, to reach the Monastery one has to trek for about 15km from Lingzya village. After the death of Chogyal Tsugphud Namgyal, a lama escorted his relics from West Sikkim to Tholung. On his journey a Lepcha man made an offering of meat to the relics and with this started the tradition of non-vegetarian offerings as an annual ritual.
This offering was discontinued in the year 1975, but by the 1980’s the local villagers complained of wild animals attacking their livestock at night. Every precaution was taken, but they could not stop the attacks. The people around the Monastery too started falling ill. In order to take care of the existing problem a lama was called upon. The lama sent his junior with his prayer beads and asked him to spend the night at the Monastery’s main door. The next day the junior lama reported that at night loud noises were heard from within the Monastery and the Chogyal’s ku-dung. After a while the wild animals leapt out from within the Monastery and the Chogyal too followed the pack with his bow and arrow. The story goes that on hearing this, the lama gave his junior a Dorje and asked him to sleep at the Monastery for the second night. This time only loud noises kept coming from within the Monastery but no animals sprung out. This was interpreted to signal the Chogyal’s demand for the reinstatement of the animal sacrifice and offerings.
Since then, each year different wards of Dzongu take turns to make the offerings, which consist of a pig, fermented millet along with dried and crushed maize. The prayers for the Pang Lhabsol start the night before and continue till the next day. The morning of the festival begins with the offerings being laid out in front of the late Chogyal’s ku-dung. The kaso lama (local priest) conducts the prayers, after which the offerings are taken and distributed among the devotees present.
There was an instance, where a particular ward had offered a huge cucumber instead of a pig. That year the locals of that ward experienced several cases of stomach illness. Hence to avoid the wrath of the late Chogyal, the Lepcha community of Dzongu makes offerings every year.
This year the turn for the offering was of the people of Sakyong and Sangtok ward. The landslide caused by last year’s earthquake has made the trek to the Monastery a difficult one. Despite the downpour the concerned residents braved it to the destination and arrived by nightfall.
This is how the people of Dzongu celebrate Pang Lhabsol.