Haa District
Encyclopedia
This page is about the area Haa. For information about the airships, please see high-altitude airship
.
Haa District (Dzongkha: ཧཱ་; Wylie
: Haa; alternative spellings include "Ha") is one of the 20 dzongkhag
or districts comprising Bhutan
. Per the 2005 census, the population of Haa dzongkhag was 11,648, making it the second least populated dzongkhag
in Bhutan after Gasa
. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language.
Haa's major feature is the Haa Valley, a steep north-south valley with a narrow floor. The name Haa , as well as the more ancient name Has (Dzongkha: ཧས་; Wylie
: Has; pronounced "hay"), connotes esoteric hiddenness. An alternative name for the district is "Hidden-Land Rice Valley."
is grown in the lower reaches of the valley. Potato
es, chili
s, apple
s and other cash crops are grown by farmers on the valley floor, along terraced hillsides, and in some of the more accessible side valleys. Per the census, almost every household owns livestock of some type, most commonly yaks and cattle, but also chickens, pigs, and horses. 78% of Haa is covered with forest, and forestry plays an important part in local economy.
In 2002 the valley was opened to foreign tourism
, although its tourist resources remain largely undeveloped compared with Paro
, Thimphu
, and Bumthang
districts.
Haa Dzongkhag lies along the western border of Bhutan. To the northwest it is bounded by the Tibet Autonomous Region
of China
. To the southwest it is bounded by Samtse Dzongkhag
, to the southeast by Chukha Dzongkhag
, and to the northeast by Paro Dzongkhag
.
Haa is divided into six gewog
s:
, one of the environmentally protected areas of Bhutan. Torsa contains no human inhabitants, occupying substantial portions of Bji
and Sangbay Gewog
s. Torsa is connected to Jigme Dorji National Park
via biological corridor, cutting across the northeastern half of Haa District.
maintains a military base in the valley to maintain security against incursions from China.
in the 7th century AD. The two temples can be found near each other at the sacred site known as Miri Punsum, or "The Three Brother Hills." A third temple, Haa Gonpa, was built at further up the valley at the site where a lame pigeon, actually a bodhisattva
in disguised form, was found by a local farmer who was drawn to the spot by a mysterious fire seen on several successive nights and by the unexplained sounds of oboe
s and trumpet
s (musical instruments closely associated with Bhutanese and Tibetan monasteries
).
During the 10th day of the 11th month of the Bhutanese calendar (see Tibetan calendar
) liturgical ceremonies worshipping Amitabha Buddha are held at Haa Gonpa temple.
tree where the local deity
once appeared as a winged creature, scaring the local people (the valley is divided into a number of areas, each under the influence of a particular local deity predating the arrival of Buddhism
— see Bön religion). The residents of the two houses gave offerings to the local deity. The local deity, now appeased, visited the upper house while neglecting the lower. The jealous owner of the lower house began an inter-house feud in which a man of the upper house was killed. Every year 11th lunar month a series of special mystical practices are performed in the upper house for a week.
also documented the activities of another local deity known as Chungdue. Chungdue was responsible for meteor storms, cyclone
s, wildfire
s, rocks splitting apart, earthquake
s, and a number of other mystical disasters. Fortunately the Guru Padmasambhava
arrived in the late 8th century and subdued the deity. However the deity's force is not to be taken lightly. In the 15th century Chungdue decreed that the people of Ha Shogona village where not to come in contact with any followers of a certain monk in nearby Paro
dzongkhag. When a young Ha man married a girl from Paro they believed no harm would come to them. However as they crossed a river between the two districts the knots tying her infant to her back suddenly came loose and the baby fell into the river and died.
In the Samar side-valley may be found a bridge known as Has Samarpudung. Below the bridge is the lake of a wishing cow
whose stone udder
s can be seen in the lake.
High-altitude airship
The United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency contracted Lockheed Martin to construct a high-altitude airship to enhance its Ballistic Missile Defense System ....
.
Haa District (Dzongkha: ཧཱ་; Wylie
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
: Haa; alternative spellings include "Ha") is one of the 20 dzongkhag
Dzongkhag
A dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
or districts comprising Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. Per the 2005 census, the population of Haa dzongkhag was 11,648, making it the second least populated dzongkhag
Dzongkhag
A dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
in Bhutan after Gasa
Gasa District
Gasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language...
. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language.
Haa's major feature is the Haa Valley, a steep north-south valley with a narrow floor. The name Haa , as well as the more ancient name Has (Dzongkha: ཧས་; Wylie
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
: Has; pronounced "hay"), connotes esoteric hiddenness. An alternative name for the district is "Hidden-Land Rice Valley."
Economy
The main crops grown in the valley are wheat and barley, although some riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is grown in the lower reaches of the valley. Potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, chili
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s, apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s and other cash crops are grown by farmers on the valley floor, along terraced hillsides, and in some of the more accessible side valleys. Per the census, almost every household owns livestock of some type, most commonly yaks and cattle, but also chickens, pigs, and horses. 78% of Haa is covered with forest, and forestry plays an important part in local economy.
In 2002 the valley was opened to foreign tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, although its tourist resources remain largely undeveloped compared with Paro
Paro, Bhutan
-History:Rinpung Dzong a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley has a long history. A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of the tenth century, but it wasn't until 1646 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, and for...
, Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
, and Bumthang
Bumthang District
Bumthang District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. It is the most historic dzongkhag if the number of ancient temples and sacred sites is counted...
districts.
Geography
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. To the southwest it is bounded by Samtse Dzongkhag
Samtse
Samtse, also known as Chamarchi, is a town in Samtse District, Bhutan. The population was 4,981 at the 2005 census, and in 2008 is estimated at 5,201....
, to the southeast by Chukha Dzongkhag
Chukha
Chukha District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. The major town is Phuentsholing which is the gateway city along the sole road which connects India to western Bhutan . Chukha is the commercial and the financial capital of Bhutan...
, and to the northeast by Paro Dzongkhag
Paro, Bhutan
-History:Rinpung Dzong a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley has a long history. A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of the tenth century, but it wasn't until 1646 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, and for...
.
Haa is divided into six gewog
Gewog
A gewog, or geog refers to a group of villages in Bhutan. Gewogs form a geographic administrative unit below dzongkhag districts , and above thromde municipalities. Bhutan comprises 205 gewogs, which average 230 km² in area...
s:
- Bji GewogBji GewogBji Gewog is a gewog of Haa District, Bhutan. In 2002 before substantial border changes the gewog had an area of 832 square kilometres and contained 8 villages and 234 households....
- Gakiling Gewog
- Katsho GewogKatsho GewogKatsho Gewog is a gewog of Haa District, Bhutan. Before substantial border changes, the gewog in 2007 had an area of 42.3 square kilometres and contains 10 villages and 247 households....
- Sama GewogSama GewogSamar Gewog is a gewog of Haa District, Bhutan. In 2002, the gewog had an area of 361.7 square kilometres and contains 244 households....
- Sangbay GewogSangbay GewogSangbay Gewog is a gewog of Haa District, Bhutan. In 2002, the gewog had an area of 432.8 square kilometres and contains 9 villages and 163 households....
- Uesu GewogUesu Gewog-Shelkardra:Shelkardra, or "white crystal crag", is considered to be a sacred place of Padmasambhava. It is located, near Lungtso village in Üsu Gewog, behind the sacred hill of Avalokiteshvara, the central hill of the Miri Phünsum. Jigme Tenzin, the sixth speech incarantion of Shabdrung Ngawang...
Environment
Haa contains Torsa Strict Nature ReserveTorsa Strict Nature Reserve
The Torsa Strict Nature Reserve in Bhutan covers in Haa District, occupying most of its area. It borders Sikkim and Tibet to the west and is connected to Jigme Dorji National Park via a "biological corridor." Torsa contains the westernmost temperate forests of Bhutan, from broadleaf forests to...
, one of the environmentally protected areas of Bhutan. Torsa contains no human inhabitants, occupying substantial portions of Bji
Bji Gewog
Bji Gewog is a gewog of Haa District, Bhutan. In 2002 before substantial border changes the gewog had an area of 832 square kilometres and contained 8 villages and 234 households....
and Sangbay Gewog
Sangbay Gewog
Sangbay Gewog is a gewog of Haa District, Bhutan. In 2002, the gewog had an area of 432.8 square kilometres and contains 9 villages and 163 households....
s. Torsa is connected to Jigme Dorji National Park
Jigme Dorji National Park
The Jigme Dorji National Park, named after the late Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, is the second-largest National Park of Bhutan. It occupies almost the entire Gasa District, as well as the northern areas of Thimphu District, Paro District, Punakha, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts...
via biological corridor, cutting across the northeastern half of Haa District.
Military
The Indian ArmyIndian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
maintains a military base in the valley to maintain security against incursions from China.
Black, White, and Haa Gonpa temples
Local historians maintain that two important temples in Haa district, the Black Temple and the White Temple were built at the same time as Kyerchu Temple in ParoParo, Bhutan
-History:Rinpung Dzong a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley has a long history. A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of the tenth century, but it wasn't until 1646 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, and for...
in the 7th century AD. The two temples can be found near each other at the sacred site known as Miri Punsum, or "The Three Brother Hills." A third temple, Haa Gonpa, was built at further up the valley at the site where a lame pigeon, actually a bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
in disguised form, was found by a local farmer who was drawn to the spot by a mysterious fire seen on several successive nights and by the unexplained sounds of oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s (musical instruments closely associated with Bhutanese and Tibetan monasteries
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
).
During the 10th day of the 11th month of the Bhutanese calendar (see Tibetan calendar
Tibetan calendar
The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years, so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year.The Tibetan New Year...
) liturgical ceremonies worshipping Amitabha Buddha are held at Haa Gonpa temple.
Sacred oak and the upper house
Near the Black Temple there are two houses near a sacred oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree where the local deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
once appeared as a winged creature, scaring the local people (the valley is divided into a number of areas, each under the influence of a particular local deity predating the arrival of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
— see Bön religion). The residents of the two houses gave offerings to the local deity. The local deity, now appeased, visited the upper house while neglecting the lower. The jealous owner of the lower house began an inter-house feud in which a man of the upper house was killed. Every year 11th lunar month a series of special mystical practices are performed in the upper house for a week.
The local deity Chungdue
The famous Lama Pema LingpaPema Lingpa
Pema Lingpa or Padma Lingpa was a famous saint and siddha of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a preeminent terton , and is considered to be foremost of the Five Terton Kings...
also documented the activities of another local deity known as Chungdue. Chungdue was responsible for meteor storms, cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
s, wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s, rocks splitting apart, earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s, and a number of other mystical disasters. Fortunately the Guru Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
arrived in the late 8th century and subdued the deity. However the deity's force is not to be taken lightly. In the 15th century Chungdue decreed that the people of Ha Shogona village where not to come in contact with any followers of a certain monk in nearby Paro
Paro, Bhutan
-History:Rinpung Dzong a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley has a long history. A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of the tenth century, but it wasn't until 1646 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, and for...
dzongkhag. When a young Ha man married a girl from Paro they believed no harm would come to them. However as they crossed a river between the two districts the knots tying her infant to her back suddenly came loose and the baby fell into the river and died.
Other features
Also near the Black and White temples is a special chorten marking the site where an imprint of Guru Padmasambhava's body and hat may be found in a large rock.In the Samar side-valley may be found a bridge known as Has Samarpudung. Below the bridge is the lake of a wishing cow
Kamadhenu
Kamadhenu , also known as Surabhi , is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hindu mythology as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle as well as the eleven Rudras...
whose stone udder
Udder
An udder is an organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, especially ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer. The udder is a single mass hanging beneath the animal, consisting of pairs of mammary glands...
s can be seen in the lake.
Sources
- Tshewang, Lam Pema (2001) History of the Has (Ha) Valley in Journal of Bhutan Studies Volume 5, Winter 2001 p. 50-56. Thimphu: Center for Bhutan Studies.
- Seeds of Faith: A Comprehensive Guide to the Sacred Places of Bhutan. Vol 1. 2008 KMT Publishers, Thimphu, Bhutan.
External links
- Dzongkhag profile with map of gewogs
- Five year plan 2002-2007
- A History of Has (Ha) Valley by Lam Pema Tshewang, The Journal of Bhutan Studies, Vol. 5
- Arjun Razdan, 'Forbidden Pastures of Haa Valley'