8 Ways To Find The Best Web Design Agencies For Your…In Nepal’s sacred Tsum Valley, Buddhist community members are conflicted about the ongoing construction of a road that will pass through the region.
TSUM VALLEY, Nepal — “In the future, when war, strife and difficult times come,” said Thrisong Deutsen, an eighth-century Tibetan king, “will there be a safe place where people can go to practice Buddhism?” For believers, Padmasambhava, a real historical figure, is one of the most important of all Tibetan Buddhist saints. Founder of the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism, he’sas having spread Buddhism through much of the Himalayas and the world’s highest peaks. A man of great spiritual powers, he was also said to have been frequently embroiled in magical duels with demons to restore harmony on Earth.
Over the centuries, many terma have been uncovered, and with then, the location of several beyul. There are reputed to be 108 of these sacred valleys dotted throughout the Himalayas. Some, such as the beyul on the southern slopes of Sagarmatha, the Nepali name for Everest, or the mountain kingdom of Bhutan, have already been found and opened. Many of these sacred lands were already inhabited by people before they were revealed as beyul.
“Nobody from the government ever came to ask us if we wanted a road,” says Penarapsing, the owner of a guesthouse in the village of Chhokung Paro. “Businessmen and politicians made the decision for us.” Although it’s against the law to not obtain the community’s free, prior and informed consent, there’s been no organized protest against the road.
There are also plans to build a roads across the Nubri Valley, which, like Tsum, is thought to be a beyul. In both cases, proponents of the projects say the road will make the lives of local people easier. Without roads, they have to walk several kilometers and use mules to visit the nearest markets, says Nima Lama, chair of the Tsum Nubri rural municipality. “The road will also promote tourism,” Lama tells Mongabay.
“I believe there are no protests going around in both the valleys because roads in such remote areas could help improve people’s quality of life and their livelihoods,” says Amindra Khadka, head of the Gorkha road project under the Department of Roads. “It will also open routes that connect to China and enhance both local and international tourism.”