Gorsam Kora Festival Celebrated Joyfully in Tawang

The Buddhist Channel, 11 March 2024

Tawang, Arunacha Pradesh (India) -- The annual Gorsam Kora Festival, celebrated from March 7th to March 10th, attracted thousands of Bhutanese nationals, including Buddhist monks. Zemithang, the last administrative division of India in Arunachal Pradesh, shares its western border with Bhutan.

This three-day festival occurs on the last day of the first month of the lunar calendar, precisely one month after the Losar Festival (New Year) of the Monpas. Situated in the Zemithang valley along the Nyanmjang Chu River, the festival showcases cultural performances and Buddhist rituals at the Gorsam Chorten, an ancient monument predating even the Tawang Monastery. This chorten holds significant importance as a pilgrimage site.

The Gorsam Kora Festival draws Monpa people from nearby villages in Arunachal Pradesh, as well as visitors from Bhutan and Tibet. Pilgrims and tourists congregate near the Chorten to perform circumambulations around the stupas and offer prayers.

Decked in vibrant traditional attire, the Monpa people enthusiastically welcome guests and tourists to this grand event.

Gorsam Chorten: The centerpiece of the festival is the Gorsam Chorten, located approximately 90 kilometers from Tawang township. Constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries by a local Buddhist monk named Lama Sangye Pradhar, the chorten was intended to ward off evil spirits from the village.

During his travels to Bhutan and subsequently Kathmandu, Nepal, to raise funds for the stupa, Lama Sangye Pradhar was inspired by the Boudhanath Stupa and crafted a miniature version out of a radish. Upon returning to Zemithang, he oversaw the construction of Gorsam Chorten, replicating the stupa based on his radish sculpture.

Legend has it that the Zemithang stupa differs from the Kathmandu original due to the withered radish miniature. Standing at approximately 28 meters tall, it is arguably the largest Buddhist stupa in the Mon region. Historically, it served as a significant pilgrimage site and venue for ritualistic performances.

Zemithang holds historical significance as the first point in India where the 14th Dalai Lama arrived following his flight from China to India in 1959, amidst the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He initially settled at Tawang Monastery, 70 kilometers southeast of Zemithang, on March 30th, before proceeding to Uttarakhand a month later to meet with then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Dalai Lama has fondly recalled the area as "a place where I had enjoyed freedom for the first time."