Tendong Lho Rum Faat
(Homage to Tendong Mountain)

Tendong Lho Rum faat is an ancient and natural festival of Lepchas which is still celebrated by them with the same fever' and enthusiasm. It is a festival of worshipping mountains, rivers, lakes and caves .which they consider as sacred and important to them. It is their cultural and social festival. Mount Tendong, which is situated at the heart of Sikkim is considered by Lepchas as their Mile Liang or their heaven, that is why the festival of Tendong Lho Rum faat is celebrated in an epic scale remembering and paying homage to this sacred Mountain. It is an annual festival celebrated in the month of July-August.

In the beginning, the Lepcha priestess Moone Of the priest known as bungthing invokes their wise ancestors and request them to be one with their creator Liang-ith-new-roomh and through these ancestral spirit pray their creator to save the Lepchas from famine and deadly natural calamities.

The historical background of this festival is like this. During the time of creation, the Himalayan range was just forming and the Teesta and the Rangeet rivers had not yet started flowing down. A great volcano of high intensity destroyed and damaged Naho and Nather Pokh, the sources of Teesta and Rangeet rivers and immediately waters from these two sources started running down as Teesta and Rangeet rivers. As it was their first ever flow, the Nagrajas Pariawoo and Tutholay became their path finder and guided these two rivers to reach their confluence at Pejoke, which now is called Peshoke,a place on the way between Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

As the rivers started flowing down, unfortunately the currents of water washed away the embarkments and weathered away the places situated at the two edges of the rivers causing panic, fear and death of the inhabitants. They left their places and ascended the mountain and other hilly regions for safety and refuge. The inhabitants residing on and around Mount Tendong also ascended the peak of the mountain for safety. Such was the chaotic condition of the entire inhabitants of the region when co-incidentally and fortunately a small bird, known in Lepcha language as Kohampho secretly stole and ate up mongchibape, a locally prepared liquor, that caused another earthquake of similar intensity that shook , and trembled the whole earth. As a result numerous high mountains cropped up at the Northern part of Mile Liang and the two destructive rivers started flowing Southwards thereby enabling the frightened inhabitants save their life and property. Lepcha tribe was thus saved from complete destruction, therefore, they still pay aerpect and worship to these high hills and mountains that saved their ancestors.

Tendong churumjan i.e. paying homage to Mount Tendong is an important religious occasion participated by all Lepchas irrespective of their social, political and economical differences

Similarly, Kohompho, the small bird also confessed and accepted his mistake of steading the intoxicant and pleaded for mercy to the mother of creation through chiloladatay and secured the safety of Lepchas, otherwise, their destruction was imminent. To perpetuate this festival Lepchas have been celebrating it ever since and they will continue celebrating it in future too because they attach much importance to it.