With Maha Shivaratri, a Hindu festival to honour the deity, Shiva, approaching, Tumdra Ami Ney in Chhukha is gearing up to welcome thousands of devotees. Phuentshogling Dungkhag allocates nearly Nu 100,000 annually for the construction of temporary routes and the safety of pilgrims. However, concerns are growing over these arrangements’ long-term sustainability and the safety of pilgrims.
Every year, Phuentshogling Dungkhag constructs temporary bridges and routes to Tumdra Ami Ney.
But come monsoon, these structures are washed away by the swelling river, making access difficult and unsafe.
With no road connectivity from Bhutan, the site is only accessible via routes in India, with a walking trail from Shachaphu in Darla remaining as the only alternative.
The journey to the Ney is not easy. Devotees must navigate narrow riverbanks and steep cliffs, with minimal safety measures in place.
“We have to build about twelve temporary bridges and they get washed away every monsoon. If we look at the number of devotees coming to the place, it is increasing every year. But we do not have basic facilities like proper toilets, drinking water and road connectivity posing increasing safety risks,” said Karma Jurmi, Phuentshogling Dungpa.
“The path on the cliffs leading to the Ney is not good. A few steps that we can see were constructed by our devotees. But the path still lacks safety railings and all. These pose high risks to the pilgrims. The number of pilgrims at the site has been increasing every year. We are trying our best to develop these basic amenities and remain hopeful of the government’s support as well,” said Rinchen Dorji, Darla Gup.
The sacred site also lacks other amenities such as electricity and a mobile network.
The Lam of the ney expressed his concerns over the safety of pilgrims as well as the temple.
“Our Bhutanese devotees face a lot of challenges when travelling via India, and also the path towards the ney is not good and safe. The ney is not accessible during the monsoon so it remains closed for about four months in the summer. Even though the river swells up in summer making it difficult to reach the site, there have been several incidences where people have tried to break into the temple,” said Lam Jigme Dorji, Tumdra Ami Ney.
Efforts are being made to improve access. The gewog has started constructing a road from Shachaphu in Darla but progress remains uncertain due to budget constraints.
For now, the devotees have no option but to continue their journey through these challenging paths while hoping for a safer future.
Kinley Dem, Chhukha
Edited by Phub Gyem
