Yangtse, India

Chumi Gyatse Falls (), called Domtsang and Dongzhang waterfalls in Tibetan and Chinese languages respectively, are a collection of waterfalls in the Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, India, close to the border with the Tibet region of China. According to the local Buddhist tradition, the 108 holly water falls which originate from in-between the mountains symbolise the blessings of Guru Padmasambhava. The Chumi Gyatse Falls are close to the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border between China and India, just 250 metres away according to one account.

Geography

The Chumi Gyatse Falls are in an area called Yangtse where the Tsona Chu river flows from Tibet into India's Tawang district. They are along the cliff face of a high plateau ("Yangtse plateau") formed by an east–west mountain range, whose watershed serves as the India–China border as per the McMahon Line.

A few hundred meters to the north, lies Domtsang () or Dongzhang () (), a Buddhist meditation site associated with Guru Padmasambhava. Domtsang was evidently an important locale during the historical period so as to lend its name to the river and valley below it, as "Domtsangrong". China continues to use the names "Dongzhang river" and "Dongzhang waterfalls".

To the south of the waterfalls, Tsona Chu is joined by another river called Nyukcharong which rises from within the Yangtse plateau. A village called Tsechu () lies near the confluence of the two rivers, marking the terminus of the Yangtse region.*

Buddhist legends

Domtsang region

The earliest mention of the place is in ''Padma bka’ thang'', a fourteenth century mythography of Padmasambhava by Orgyen Lingpa; Padmasambhava stayed in Domtsang for five days, and it was one of the seven regions in Mon to have been blessed by him. Since then, Domtsang has been associated with meditation in a spectrum of Buddhist literature.

The texts (1476) and (1564) record that Düsum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa Lama (1110–1193) meditated at Domtsang. 's early-16th-century biography of Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507) notes that he received a vision of Cakrasaṃvara upon being chased by a phantom boar during meditation in Domtsang. One of Heruka's disciples, ', spent time at Domtsang while practising ''tummo''. In late 16th c., Don Grub, the ruler of Mon, invested himself as the patron of the "great shrine" at Domtsang.

An undated biography of Tukse Dawa Gyaltsen . 17th c.records Domtsang as one of the three most sacred sites of ''Shar Lawog Yulsum'' (eastern Tawang) which was worth a day of pilgrimage. , a biography of Merag Lama (d. 1682) which was likely drafted in the 17th century, records one (c. 15th c.) to have had found the ''Che mchog'' temple in Domtsang. , an 18th c. work by the 6th Dalai Lama, features Domtsang as the tactile site in a mandala of the senses.

Chumi Gyatse falls

Local oral traditions ascribe the falls to have been the product of a showdown between Padmasambhava and a Lama of the Bonpa sect. The Chumi Gyatse ("''Chumig''" = "water holes"; "''gyatse''" = rosary) falls were formed, according to the legends, when Padmasambhava flung his rosary against a rock and 108 streams gushed out from where the beads struck the rock. Monpas believe that the waters have recuperative abilities.

History

Prior to the birth of modern nation-states of India and China, Yangtse — like, most of Tawang — remained under the suzerainty of Tibet. In February 1951, India wrested control of Tawang in a peaceful transfer of power. When the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded Tibet during the same year, it is believed to have destroyed the temple at Domtsang.

The region remained demilitarized until 1986 when Indian Army occupied the territory around the falls as a buffer zone in retaliation to the Chinese occupation of the Wangdung (Sumdorong Chu) pasture.Shaurya Karanbir Gurung, Row with China: Present tense efence The Economic Times, 24 July 2017. : "As a retaliation to Sumdorong Chu, the Indian Army occupied Yangste in the latter half of 1986." In 1995, a Joint Working Group of the two countries listed both Sumdorong Chu and Yangtse among the unresolved border disputes. In 1999, the Chinese troops attempted to assert "sovereignty" over a pasture called "Dogoer" () atop the waterfalls, having organised a grazing team jointly with local shepherds. Indian troops are said to have blocked their entry and a tense face-off ensued, lasting 82 days. Chinese media reports further allege India to have demolished a wooden bridge in 2001, that was used by Tibetans to access the Falls, and even setting up a sentry post to block their entry.

Infrastructure and tourism development

Beginning 2018, the state of Arunachal Pradesh has been developing the Falls as a tourism site. In July 2020, a ''gompa'' with a statue of Guru Padmasambhava was inaugurated. India proposed to China to allow Tibetan pilgrims to visit the Falls, but China has not chosen to do so.

Indian government has also strengthened the defence infrastructure in the area.Defence Ministry acquires strategic land near Sumdorong Chu flashpoint
Economic Times, 26 Oct 2020. New roads were constructed to ease travelling from the town of Tawang. Under the India–China Border Roads (ICBRs) project, India started to build the strategic LGG-Damteng-Yangtse Road (LDY) to the Indian post near Chumi Gyatse Falls.Budget 2025: Rs 7,146 crore allocated for boosting border infrastructure
India Today, 1 Feb 2025.

See also

* Bum La Pass
* 2022 Yangste clash
* Tsona County (Cona County)
* List of waterfalls
* List of waterfalls in India

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , last=Aris , first=Michael , title=Hidden Treasures & Secret Lives , publisher=Routledge , date=2012 , isbn=978-1-136-14914-6 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYOTAgAAQBAJ

Waterfalls of Arunachal Pradesh
Environment of Arunachal Pradesh
Tawang district
Waterfalls of India