Journey to Heaven

Drokpas, Mountain shepherds

India | Thursday, August 14, 2014 | 27 photos

In the remote parts of North Sikkim, nomadic shepherds known as the Drokpa people, gather in a place called Phalung (15500ft) every year to celebrate Drukpa Tshechi. This festival takes place on the 4th day (Tsheshi) of the 6th month(Drukpa) of the Tibetan Calendar around July or August every year and commemorates the day on which Lord Buddha gave his first sermon on The Four Noble Truths to his first five disciples at Sarnath. They travel long distances over alpine meadows and passes with their yak and other animal herds, tents and families.

Drokpa people live in high mountain lands tending their yak and sheep herds for a livelihood. Before Sikkim was a part of India and Tibet was a free country Drokpa grazers used to enter North Sikkim in search of pasturelands. These Tibetan nomadic shepherds were not taxed by the Sikkimese kings so in return, during extreme winter months when snowfall was heavy, these shepherds used to take yak and sheep from Sikkimese herders and look after them in Tibet and return them in spring. After 1950 when Tibet was incorporated into China these nomadic shepherds were trapped in the high mountain parts of Sikkim and could not cross into Tibet nor could they enter the main land of Sikkim. To earn a living they started looking after yak and sheep which belonged to Sikkimese people in return for food and shelter.

Now, after almost 65 years, there are around 15 Drokpa families living in the high mountain meadows of North Sikkim. During Drukpa Tshechi these nomads come together to celebrate in their own way. On this auspicious day they worship Mt Kangchengyao (6889M) for the goodwill and prosperity of the mountain people and their animals, participate in yak races and dance to their own music and songs.