The Bhotiya, also called Rongpa (in Uttarakhand ), are located in the trans-Himalayan region of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Rongpa communities are some of the oldest and native of the upper belt of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

, close to the border of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom * Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Gar ...

. It was once believed that the Rongpa community had been wiped out. Anthropological evidence suggests that the word "Rongpa" translates to "valley people". An alternative translation proposes that 'Rong' refers to a rigid valley, while 'pa' refers to the commuters. While the Rongpa have their own distinct history, tradition, and customs, they are similar to the

Garhwali people The Garhwali people are an Indian ethnolinguistic group native to the Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, who speak Garhwali, an Indo-Aryan language. Etymology In modern usage, "Garhwali" is used to refer to anyone whose linguist ...

History

According to the late Hayat Singh Pal, a recognized influence in Rongpa culture, the people of these valleys are Suryavansi, Chandravansi,

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

s and Thakars, as described in ancient texts. Marchha, Tolchha, and Jadhs are the three sub-groups of the bhotiya (Rongpa )community in Uttarakhand. The Marchha inhabit the

Niti Niti can refer to: * Nickel titanium alloy or Nitinol * Shape memory alloy In metallurgy, a shape-memory alloy (SMA) is an alloy that can be deformed when cold but returns to its pre-deformed ("remembered") shape when heated. It may also be call ...

and

Mana According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a ...

valleys the Tolcha the Niti valley and before 1962 war, Jadhs resided in the Nelong and Jadung valleys in the

Uttarkashi Uttarkashi, meaning Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spiritual and ...

district of Garhwal. The Jadh sub-group, in particular, are among the warrior clans(Kshatriya), as they were the ruler of the Gartang Garh,Where the Sun Rises When Shadows Fall: The North-east
Published by India International Centre Issue Stable one of the 52 (forts) of the

Garhwal Kingdom Garhwal Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 688 CE by Kanak Pal, the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until 18 ...

. Jadhs now reside in the Bagori , Ganeshpur and Veerpur villages of Uttarkashi. These villages have a diverse population consisting of upper caste Jadhs, Fias (alleged lower caste),

Kolis The Koli is an Indian caste found in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir states in India. Koli is an agriculturist caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they ...

(weavers of

Himachal Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham ...

pas (natives of Tibet), Nepalis, and Garhwali’s. Dialect of Jadhs is almost similar to the dialect spoken in villages of Kinnaur district(like kanam, Nesang, Pooh,etc.) of Himachal Pradesh probably due to geographical proximity and cultural ties that still continues. The written and official language of this community is

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

. All the sub-groups of Rongpas speaks a completely different dialect.

Culture

The Rongpa community practices strict

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. Hindu Gods and Goddesses are worshipped by the community, in hopes of gaining protection for their families and villages. However, the people of this community mainly worship Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

and

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

s, apart from their ''Isht devs'' and ''devis''. Rongpas historically preferred to marry within their own community, though recently inter-community marriage has become common.

Dress

The traditional dress worn by the people of Bhotia is made with layers of wool, designed to provide warmth during the cold winters. Women traditionally wear a woolen skirt, shirt, waistcoat, or overcoat. They usually adorn their necks, ears, and noses with beads and rings of gold or silver. The men typically wear trousers over which they layer a loose gown tied to the waist with a cloth, called a patta. They may also don a woollen cap.

References

{{Reflist Tibetan people

History

Culture

Dress

See also

References