Chumi Gyatse In Arunachal : This Group of 108 'Holy' Waterfalls Is Located Right On The Indo-China Border

For tourists looking to visit Arunachal Pradesh, you can now flaunt on social media that you witnessed 108 waterfalls in one visit!

A collection of 108 waterfalls, Chumi Gytase - called Domtsang and Dongzhang waterfalls in Tibetan and Chinese languages, respectively - is located in Arunachal Pradesh right on the India-China border.

Repost via @thewanderingpatronus

One of the most awe-inspiring sights in Arunachal Pradesh is the little-known Chumi Gyatse Falls, colloquially referred to as the ¡®Holy Waterfalls¡¯ ¡ª a collection of 108 waterfalls on the India-China border.#tawang #arunachalpradeshtourism pic.twitter.com/LnQnm6Apgp

¡ª Arunachal Tourism (@ArunachalTsm) May 3, 2023

Popularly known as the "Holy waterfall", this drops from an elevation of (about) approximately 11,500 feet and is said to derive its name from water or ¡°Chu,¡± Mi meaning ¡°holes,¡± and ¡°Gyatse¡± meaning the 108 beads of a rosary or the Buddhist mala.

Folklore around the waterfall

Folklores associated with the formation of this waterfall are many, but the one that is most commonly retold is related to Padmasambhava, who the followers of Tibetan Buddhists revere as the "Second Buddha".

It is believed that he flung his rosary containing 108 beads which hit the rocks resulting in the 108 waterfalls. Another story is that he created the falls after prayers from local residents to cure them of a plague that had spread throughout the area. On drinking the water, the locals are said to have been cured of the disease.

Healing power of the waterfall

Monpas consider the water from this waterfall as 'Amrit' (nectar), and they use it to cure themselves and their family members of any sickness.

The Holy Waterfall/ ANI

It is also believed that, after dirking the water, married couples have been blessed with children.

Attempts to develop the remote area

In 2020, the Arunachal government and the Army began to develop the area around the falls, which Tibetan Buddhists or Monpas highly revere on both sides of the border. Monpas are one of the major tribes in Arunachal, with its population scattered in Tawang and West Kameng districts. This includes construction of roads leading up to the remote Tsechu village near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where the Chumi Gyatse Falls is located.

Gompa at Chumi Gyatse/ Twitter

In 2019-20, Arunachal Pradesh PM Pema Khandu built a gompa (Buddhist prayer hall) and set up a statue of Guru Padmasambhava.

Indo-China border

A report by ANI in December 2022 stated that the international border cutting across the Chumi Gyatse shows a contrasting picture.

While intermingling of people can be seen on the Indian side of the border, where the waterfall cascades down lush green mountains, the Chinese side has a forlorn look - with just a Chinese border outpost, a picture of Xi Jinping and CCTV cameras for surveillance.

During an India-China Border Affairs meeting three years ago, the Indian government had proposed to the Chinese side to allow Tibetan pilgrims to visit the Holy Waterfalls, but no approval was granted.

However, a report by Southeast Asia Journal reported Tsering Wangdu Shakya, a historian and scholar on Tibetan literature, as saying, "the Chinese have not created problems so far at Chumi Gyatse."

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