'West Kameng' is a district of
Arunachal Pradesh in
India. It accounts for 8.86% of the total area of the state. Under Chinese sovereignty claim, West Kameng falls under the jurisdiction of
Cuona County of
Shannan Prefecture of the
Tibet Autonomous Region. The name is derived from the
Kameng River, a tributary of the
Brahmaputra, that flows through the district.
People
West Kameng comprises five major tribes:
Monpa (which makes up 78% of the district's population and includes Dirang, Bhut, Lish, and Kalaktang Monpa),
Miji (Sajolang),
Sherdukpen,
Aka (Hrusso), and
Khowa (Bugun). Minority tribes include
Takpa,
Lishipa,
Chugpa, and
Butpa.
Most of the inhabitants are
Buddhist, though the Aka, Khowa, and Miji have indigenous religions and those tribe members follow a mix of Buddhism,
Hinduism, and
Donyi-Polo (a form of
Animism).
Geography
West Kameng lies approximately between 91° 30' to 92° 40' East longitudes and 26° 54' to 28° 01' North latitudes. The district shares an international border with
Tibet in the north,
Bhutan in the west,
Tawang District in the northwest, and
East Kameng district in the east. The southern border is shared with
Sonitpur district and
Darrang district of
Assam.
Topography
The topography is mostly mountainous. Much of West Kameng area is covered with the
Himalayas. The highest peak in the district and state is
Kangte.
Climate
Like
East Kameng, the West Kameng district experiences an arid
tundra or a cool temperate climate in the north. Snow fall occurs from mid-November to February.
Administration
The district is divided into three subdivisions,
Thrizino,
Rupa and
Bomdila, and twelve administrative circles, including Dirang, Bomdila, Kalaktang, Balemu, Bhalukpong, Jameri, Sinchung, Nafra, Thrizino, Rupa, Thembang, Shergaon. The four development blocks are Dirang, Kalaktang, Nafra-Buragaon, and Thrizino.
Economy
Like most of
Arunachal Pradesh,
Jhum, or shifting cultivation, is practised among the tribes who live in lower elevations where there is a temperate or subtropical climate. Horiculture is practised as well.
Small industries such as textile and handicraft factories can be found.
History
The area around the Kameng river has traditionally came under the control of the
Mon kingdom, Bhutan, Tibet and the
Ahom kingdom.
Lamaism got a strong foothold among the tribal groups as early as in the
7th century, where the
Kachen Lama constructed the
Lhagyala Gompa in
Morshing.
Whenever loose control was exerted over the area, small, feudal chiefdoms ruled by the Monpa and the Sherdukpen kings dominated control over the area. This can be evidenced in the fact that ruined fortresses like those in
Bhalukpong constructed in the 10th to 12th century and the
Dirang fort, which was constructed in the 17th century to defend against invasions from neighbouring chiefdoms.
Upon the arrival of the
British, the entire area became what was known as the ''
North-East Frontier Agency''. It was renamed as the ''Balipara Frontier tract'' in
1919, with its headquarters based at
Charduar in Assam. In
1946, the district area was carved out of the
Balipara, with the name ''Sela Sub-Agency'' and its headquarters continued to be Charduar of Assam.
Following the independence of India, the Sela Sub-Agency was renamed as the ''
Kameng Frontier Division''. Its headquarters were later transferred to
Bomdila in
1954. However, with the invasion of Tibet in 1950, Tibetan refugees started populating the area. Furthermore, with the invasion of the
Chinese troops into this area, many historical mounments were either destroyed or defaced.
The Kameng Frontier Division was renamed as the ''Kameng District''. The ''Political Officer'' was also redesignated as the ''
Deputy Commissioner of Kameng''. However, due to political reasons, the Kameng district was bifurcated between East Kameng and West Kameng on the
June 1,
1980. The
Tawang district, which initially belonged to part of the district, was separated on the
October 6,
1984.
Tourist attractions
The district's official website
[1] says the "best time to visit the district is April to May and mid-September to November."
Rupa
Rupa, a town that is mainly inhabited by the Sherdukpen (with some Monpa and Tibetan refugees), it is located at an elevation of 1400m. Because it is located in the middle of four mountains, it boasts beautiful scenery in Summer with the
Ziding Kho and
Dinik Kho rivers that run on the both side of the village and join at the very edge of the valley.
The main attraction centers are the
Rupa Gompa of the
Gelugpa sect, which is constructed shortly after the construction of the
Tawang Gompa. Beautiful
orchids and fruits planted by the natives are found everywhere.
Bomdila
The district's headquarters, Bomdila, boasts of a beautiful collection of
Gompas, orchids, fruits and flowers. The main attractions are the Gompas, craft centres, the district museum, and the sports complex.
Bomdila acts as a center to unify all the tribes from the entire district to live in harmony. Over time, the local Buddhist culture have intertwined with magico-spiritual beliefs, mainly thriugh the frequent contact. Today, people celebrate
festivals from different religions such as
Losar (the Tibetan New Year),
Wang,
Neichidow, and
Choskar.
Groups of Tibetan refugees can be found in Bomdila.
External links
★
Official website of the West Kameng district
★
West Kameng District Profile
★
Webshots Images
★
Chinese map showing the location of Cuona
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