The picturesque valley of West Sikkim is where the peaceful Lepcha and Bhutia communities reside in harmony with their environment. Their land is blessed by the glorious Teesta river and its tributaries, with serene and majestic monasteries and rows of colourful prayer flags adding to the magical appeal of the landscape.
According to their sacred text, the Nay Sol, the land at the foot of Mount Khangchendzonga is a sacred area. The Rathong chu valley is believed to have been blessed by Guru Padma Sambhava and is said to have sacred treasures concealed beneath its soil. The people of Sikkim are refrained from cutting trees, polluting lakes, destroying hills or cliffs, using dynamite and burning meat. Such actions would result in punishment in the form of calamities, disease and bloodshed. The sacred locations and ancient treasures hidden in the Yuksam plateau are secrets guarded and protected by the knowledgeable lamas.
The water from the Rathong chu river (a tributary of the Teesta that waters the Yuksam valley) is used to fill the sacred vase at Tashiding monastery during the annual Bum chu ritual. The vase is made of sacred soils and sacred water and five precious jewels collected by Guru Padma Sambhava. Every year, on the 14th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, devotees throng the monastery to partake in the ritual and receive the holy water, which they believe will relieve them of all misery. After the annual distribution, the vase is refilled with the waters of the Rathong chu.
In the 1990s, plans to construct a hydroelectric power project on this river created a stir among the indigenous people. A run-of-the-river project, it was first envisaged in 1977. In July 1994, the Association of Buddhist monks of Sikkim submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister during his visits to West Sikkim. By then, the work on the approach roads had begun. The Concerned Citizens of Sikkim (CCS), the Buddhists and the Sangha (a monk body) of Sikkim raised concern that the treasures revered by them were under threat by the Rathong chu project. Following this, a writ was filed in the High Court against the power department. The CCS demanded that the project be shelved forever, stating that the environmental and social costs were far greater than the promised economic gains, with no surety that they will ever materialise.
The struggle included a series of peaceful protests and awareness campaigns, questioning the real benefits of the project and the social, environmental and cultural costs that the people of Sikkim would have to pay. The struggle against the Rathong chu project demonstrated the conviction of a few hundred people who placed the sanctity of their land and river above economic development, if it meant destroying these resources. For this, they were seen as 'superstitious' and 'irrational'. The three groups who filed a petition against the project stated that "the project would grossly infringe upon the religious sentiments and beliefs of the state of Sikkim professing Buddhist faith, would destroy and defile the places of worship, pilgrimage and threaten the existence of very ancient monuments having historical and religious significance to the people of the state of Sikkim…". The project was finally scrapped by the new Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling in 1999, "to honour the sentiments, religion and culture of the people of Sikkim".