In Trashigang, residents of Threlphu village of Kangpar Gewog have once again started rearing horses for economic activity. Horses have become a valuable source of cash income for the villagers due to the growing number of pilgrims visiting Chenla Ney. The pilgrims use porter service to transport their goods when visiting the site.
In Threlphu village, horses were left once idle for decades after the community was connected by a farm road.
However, as the number of pilgrims visiting Chenla Ney has grown over the past few years, villagers have resumed using horses for the transportation of goods.
It costs pilgrims Nu 2,000 to hire a horse.
More than 200 people visited Chenla Ney in 2022, with the number more than doubling in the following year.
Last year, over 370 pilgrims visited the sacred site.
Close to 25 households of Threlphu village have nearly 20 horses. Villagers say they often lose their horses to wild animal attacks.
“I have been serving the visitors for almost 7 to 8 years now and earned around two hundred thousand ngultrum. Now, there is also a plan to construct a guest house, which means there will be more visitors, and I will need healthier horses. So, I plan to buy more horses,” said Sonam Tobgay, a porter.
Neten Dorji, another porter said, “Our income comes from transporting goods from the village to Chenla by using our horses. So, horses have become an important aspect of our lives now. If the number of visitors keeps increasing, I will need more horses.”
The ongoing mule track development till the sacred site has further motivated locals to rear more horses in the future.
They now see horses as a promising source of income. Most people visit Chenla Ney between October and December with some visiting the site in March and April as well.
Chenla Ney is a revered pilgrimage site considered to be blessed by Guru Rinpoche. Drupthob Donga Rinchen, popularly known as Drupthob Khejay, revealed the site as sacred over 400 years ago.
The site is indeed a blessing for both pilgrims and residents who have found a reliable source of income in rendering porter services to the visitors.
Sonam Darjay, Trashigang
Edited by Phub Gyem
