Tendong Hlo Rum Fāt And Its Significance

Mt. Tendong (8675 feet) is a dominating geographical feature in south Sikkim and the Darjeeling District. The original, correct and appropriate name of this mountain given by the Lepchas, the indigenous race of Sikkim and the Darjeeling District is ‘Tungrong’ meaning the uplifted horn or ladder. When the British arrived in Mayel Lyang in early 1830s, they unable to pronounce it correctly, anglicized it to ‘Tendong’ and today this mountain of the Lepchas is popularly known by the name of ‘Tendong’.

The Lepchas, the indigenous natives of Mayel Lyang, have a legend of a great deluge of their own that submerged the present day Sikkim and the Kalimpong, Darjeeling District. A few people have, unfortunately and unjustly, compared the deluge of the Lepchas with that of Noah’s Ark but it is to be noted that the Lepchas’ legend of this catastrophic primeval deluge that took place in Mayel Lyang, was in existence well before the arrival of the Christian Missionaries.

The rivers Rāngnyoo and Rāngeet were lovers and they used to meet secretly, but when their love was known and exposed, they decided to leave the place and go down to the plains of India. As they did not know their way, they decided to take guides to lead them. River Rāngeet, the male, was guided by a bird, ‘Tut Fo’, and river Rāngnyoo, the female, was guided by a snake, ‘Paril Bu’. Their guides agreed to take the two lovers to an appointed place at ‘Panzaok’ meaning

dense forest in Lepcha, but now it is incorrectly called ‘Pashok’ or ‘Peshok’ near Teesta Bazaar.

As river Rāngeet was led by a bird, it travelled through circuitous routes in search of food; therefore, he arrived at the appointed place, Panzaok, late. If you observe this river carefully, it zig-zags, twists and turns and flows slowly up to Peshok. The female river, Rāngnyoo, led by a snake, travelled straight to the appointed place on time and waited for her lover, Rāngeet. Rāngnyoo flows straight like a snake running fast with its head held high. When river Rāngeet finally arrived at the appointed place, he was very, very surprised and shocked to see his lover, Rāngnyoo, already  there waiting for him. In anger he uttered out ‘Thi-sa-thā !’ meaning when did you arrive !’ Unable to pronounce this monosyllabic Lepcha word, ‘Thi-sa-thā’ properly, the non-Lepchas, today, call it ‘Teesta’; therefore, Rāngnyoo is also known by  the name of Teesta  today. River Rangeet was very, very angry, disappointed, upset and ashamed because, being a male, he should have arrived first at the appointed place. He decides to return to his original place, the Himalaya. As a result, a great deluge occurred in the land of the Lepchas, Māyel Lyāng, the present day Sikkim and the Darjeeling District.

In order to save themselves from drowning, the Lepchas climbed up Mt. Tendong and its sister peak to the north, ‘Mānaom’, now incorrectly called ‘Māinom’, by the non-Lepchas. The Lepchas who were on top of Mt. Tendong saw, in the distance, Mt. Mānaomdisappearing under water. ‘Mānaom’ in Lepcha means ‘hidden or disappearing sister’. Those Lepchas on top of Mt. Tendong fervently prayed and prayed to ‘Itbu Debu Rum’, the Creator, with Chi, fermented beer, to save them from drowning. ‘Kohaom Fo’, a hill partridge, appeared at the scene and sprinkled the ‘Chi’, the fermented beer. Miraculously, the water started to subside slowly  and thus the Lepchas, animals, birds, insects etc  who  took  shelter on top of Mt. Tendong were saved from drowning. Mayel Lyang became dry; trees and plants started to grow and this region was, once again, repopulated by  the Lepchas. While sprinkling ‘Chi’, some portion of the Chi, accidentally fell on Kohaom Fo’s breast and as a result, the Lepchas believe that the breast of Kohaom Fo smells of Chi.

Mt. Tendong is sacred and holy to the Lepchas. The Lepchas worship it by offering Chi, flowers, vegetables and fruits and pray fervently during the month of August. In their prayers to the Tendong Hlo Rum i.e. God of Mt. Tendong, the Lepchas, invoking their Itbu-Debu Rum ask for His blessings; request Him not to bring forth another deluge of this nature in  Mayel Lyang again; the Lepchas request the Almighty God to protect and save mankind, all the people of the Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills in particular, irrespective of caste and creed, the animal, insect and vegetation world in the furture. The Lepchas also pray for a harmonious and peaceful existence amongst the different castes and creeds, and safer environmental conditions in this region for our better world tomorrow.

The ideal of ‘live and let live’ in its true sense, is not new to the Lepchas. It is true that the Lepchas have always welcomed strangers and immigrants to their  Mayel Lyang with opened arms and given shelters and lived like brothers and sisters without asking anything in return since the 13th Century when the first Tibetan, a migrant, ‘Khe Bhumsa’, entered Sikkim seeking the blessings from ‘Thikoong Tek and Nyekoong Ngyāl’, the 32nd consecutive High Priest and Priestess of the Lepchas at ‘Kāwe’, North Sikkim, for the boon of a son. Thikoong Tek and Nyekoong Ngyāl gave him not one but three sons ! The Lepchas have always shown and demonstrated, by examples, to others the true meaning of  total integration with races big and small, and live in harmony and peace.

The Lepchas are nature lovers and nature worshippers. They congregate and offer their prayers to God in the open, under the blue sky. The Lepchas are, probably, the only race in this part of the world who have a vision and thought to pray for the well being of the animal, insect and vegetation world also. In Rum Fāt,  the usefulness and value of the animal, insect and vegetation world for the human beings have repeatedly been mentioned  and the need to protect and save them from being indiscriminately destroyed from Mayel Lyang. This offering of the Lepchas to Mt. Tendong has an universal appeal and truth in it.

The Sikkim Lepcha Youth Association and the Renjyong Mutanchi Rong Tarjum of Sikkim celebrates the ‘Tendong Hlo Rum Fāt’ ceremony with great pomp and circumstance on 8 August each year in Sikkim. Realising the importance and significance of the Tendong Hlo Rum Fāt, the present S.K.M.Government has declared the 8th August as a State Public Holiday in Sikkim. The Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association  celebrates it on 22 August each year in Kalimpong. If you are interested, please do join the Lepchas on 8 and 22 August, and observe how the educationally, economically and politically backward but culturally very rich Lepchas pray during the Tendong Hlo Rum Fāt for the well being of the human, animal, insect and vegetation world.