Culture & Heritage

Fair & Festivals

Tamladu and Sangken are the main festivals celebrated in the Lohit District. Tamladu is celebrated by the Mishmis on 15th February whereas Sangken, the main festival of the Khamtis and Singphos is celebrated on 14th of April. The local people honour the festivals of each other. The people of other districts also equally observe their respective festivals with full splendour.

The Sangken is the festival of the Khamtis, who reside in the plains of Lohit district. It is an occassion to give bath to the images of lord Buddha ceremoniously. The festival is celebrated every year in the month of April to welcome the beginning of the New Year. The celebrations lasts for three consecutive days. During the festival, delicious homemade sweets are prepared and distributed among relatives and friends. The main attraction of the festival is the prayerful pouring of clean water on the statues of lord Buddha placed at several places by each and everyone on routine basis. Playfully and in a joyous mood, clean water is also poured on each other as a mark of togetherness. On the last day of the festival, the statues of lord Buddha are taken back to their original worship place from where it was initially brought with beat of drums and lots offanfare. Finally, a prayer is conducted in the Buddha temple with a wish to begin the New Year, happily andprosperously.

The Digaru Mishmis celebrate Tamladu where the God of earth and the God of water are worshipped for protection against natural calamities. The supreme God Jebmalu is also worshipped for the sound prosperity and welfare of human being, standing crops and domestic animals. In the festival the people welcome the new year by performing a dance with unbounded jubilation. The Sun God is regarded as the creator, by their priests of the village.

People & Dances

There are different tribes in the district. Their traditional dances, games and sports can be enjoyed in festive occasion. The indigenous population is tribal and belongs to different communities. They are mainly the Mishmi, Khamtis and Singphos. Tibetan Refuges and the other sections of the population are living in the district. The indigenous people of the district co-operate any other communities in every aspect of livelihood. Till to-day the other communities appreciate all the indigenous people for their cordial and gentle behaviour. The Khamtis and the Singphos are Buddhist where as the Mishmis are the follower of typical faith, belief and practices. Monogamous is the general rules of marriage; polygamy is not a rear example for them. As a whole the occupation of the people is agriculture. They observe some worship, festivals from time to time. Singing, dancing and playing are a part and parcel of their life.
It is indeed a fact that each and every dance has got its own originality and meaning. Group dances are common along the different tribes in the district. The Mishmis mainly perform two types of dance called Buiya and Nuiya. The Khamtis Mask-dance is an attractive dance where two dancers wear shirts spotted design and on their heads masks of cock’s heads are put on with its crown at the top and the Beal projecting over the foreheads. These two dancers dance like fighting cocks.