Abstract
In the villages of Ladakh, one finds old and sacred trees called lhachang. The local population shows deep respect for them and gives them protection believing that they are the residing places of the local gods. In this paper, I try to elaborate on the historical and cultural significance of the trees in the context of people’s faith. Light is shed on how these trees came to receive so much respect from local people, remain sacred up to the present time, and contribute to the protection of the environment.
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Notes
- 1.
, Wylie: lha lcang or lha lchang: pronounced lhachang in Ladakh. - 2.
(Tibetan and Ladakhi) or 
(Ladakhi), Wylie: ran thak, rang thak or rang thag: grain mill (Tibetan: grindstone, millstone). - 3.
Tsugtor is also the name of a lhatho (
, Wylie: lha tho) of the area, or of a deity residing in it. Lhathos are made from heaps of stone or are made as four-cornered rooms erected on a mountain or at a family house (Jest and Sanday 1983). - 4.
Editors’ note: Mertz (2021: p. 12, Fig. 9 & p. 23) performed wood identification of two sacred trees at this location: a living and a dead poplar tree, both of which probably belong to the Populus euphratica species, according to the author.
- 5.
Editors’ note: There are also two lhachang in Skara, of which Nyachui lhachang is the biggest and most popular near Leh.
- 6.
Editors’ note: For further description of lhachang and their residing deities also see Morup and Phuntsog (2022).
- 7.
Editors’note: The original version of the paper includes a section discussing the three broad types of gods and goddesses of Ladakh. The section, which is beyond the scope of this volume, can be obtained from the editors as supplementary information.
- 8.
, Wylie: klu pronounced lu in Ladakhi. - 9.
, Wylie: klu bang, pronounced lubang. - 10.
Editors’ note: three species of snakes belonging to the Colubridae, the Rat snake family, have been recorded in Ladakh (see: Vijaykumar et al. 2001).
- 11.
Wylie: Tshul khrims nyi ma.
- 12.
Rin chen bzang po.
- 13.
Betula utilis.
- 14.
, Wylie: shing: wood. - 15.
Editors’ note: Important changes affecting environmental cleanliness have taken place since this essay was first presented in 2009 including significant increases in tourism as well as in civilian and military infrastructure. These developments are having severe impacts on the environment especially in the vicinity of tourists’ popular destinations, military camps and in urban areas (see: Geneletti and Dawa 2009; Dolma et al. 2020; Tsering et al. 2022; Chap. 9).
- 16.
Editors’ note: However, all three Juniper species indigenous to Ladakh have been recorded as threatened due to poor regeneration but also because of over-collection for religious purpose. (See: Humbert-Droz and Dawa 2004, pp. 20, 74 and appendices 9.1–9.3, Dorjey 2019; Dorjey and Maurya 2021). A similar situation obtains in Southern Tibet, where sacred Juniper forest relics have been inventoried (Miehe et al. 2003).
- 17.
Editors’ note: See also Mertz’s (2021) comments on the sacredness of the juniper tree, including its use in the construction of temples and as incense for ritual purification.
- 18.
sa dag gdon grol.
- 19.
, Wylie: sa bdak or sa dag, pronounced sadak in Ladakhi. - 20.
, Wylie: mgron, pronounced don in Ladakhi: feast, party.
, Wylie: lha lcang or lha lchang: pronounced lhachang in Ladakh.
(Tibetan and Ladakhi) or 
(Ladakhi), Wylie: ran thak, rang thak or rang thag: grain mill (Tibetan: grindstone, millstone).
, Wylie: lha tho) of the area, or of a deity residing in it. Lhathos are made from heaps of stone or are made as four-cornered rooms erected on a mountain or at a family house (Jest and Sanday 
, Wylie: klu pronounced lu in Ladakhi.
, Wylie: klu bang, pronounced lubang.
, Wylie: shing: wood.
, Wylie: sa bdak or sa dag, pronounced sadak in Ladakhi.
, Wylie: mgron, pronounced don in Ladakhi: feast, party.References
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Shakspo, N.T. (2023). A Brief Description of Sacred Trees (lhachang). In: Humbert-Droz, B., Dame, J., Morup, T. (eds) Environmental Change and Development in Ladakh, Indian Trans-Himalaya. Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42494-6_8
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