Hundreds of people including tourists attended the two-day annual Jomolhari Mountain Festival in Soe Gewog of Thimphu. The 7th Jomolhari Mountain Festival concluded today.
The people from Soe, Lingzhi and Naro Gewogs and also from Yaktsa and Nubri villages of Paro took part in the annual festival. The festival has become an event where the highlanders get to showcase their unique culture and traditions.
It has also helped the local people to boost their economy.
“Local people have been benefited from the festival since we do not have road connectivity. The festival creates an opportunity for highlanders to sell their dairy products. Moreover, we are able to generate income by providing potter- pony services to guests,” Kencho Dorji, the Soe Gup, said.
“With such an annual festival organised in our community, we can preserve our culture and tradition. It entertains people here since there was no such festival in the past. We opportunity to interact with people from other districts as well,” Chenchom from Soe, said.
Apart from cultural programmes, horse race, highlander yak and horse shows were also organised. From last year, the Soe Gewog in collaboration with the Lingzhi Dungkhag has been organising the festival.
The festival was first started in 2013 by the Jigme Dorji National Park with an aim to raise awareness on the importance of conserving the Snow Leopard, the endangered cat species. Jigme Dorji National Park under Soe Gewog has an area around 400 square kilometres.
“As per the information from highlanders, they say that the population of Snow Leopards have increased over the years. So when we get such news, we believe that we have good habitat Snow Leopards,” Dagay, the Soe Park Range Officer, Jigme Dorji National Park, said.
An ambitious countrywide estimate of the snow leopard population carried out in 2017 found 96 snow leopards in Bhutan. And Lingzhi is home to more than 24 of them, according to the 2016 Snow Leopard Survey.
Pema Tshewang
