Megalithic Culture in Sikkim: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Longtsaok among the Rong

Garima Thakuria* and Shankar Narayan Bagh

Sikkim University, India; *gthakurias2023@gmail.com

Megaliths, etymologically, refer to the big or huge stones or stone monuments, which are found to stand either singly or in rows or in clusters forming definite structures. Sikkim is the eighth and the smallest state of Northeast India located in the eastern Himalayas. The Rong or Lepcha is an indigenous community living in Sikkim. The people also call themselves Rongkup or Rumkup, meaning ‘the children of snowy peak/the children of God’. The Rongs believe Mt. Kanchenjunga or Konchen Kongchlo to be their place of origin and hence venerate this ‘original big stone’. Thus, stones have been essential to the Rong society since time immemorial, and the community members continue to erect stones till date on numerous occasions. Such erected upright stone(s) are locally known as longtsaok and this culture shows resemblance with that of megalithic culture practised by different communities including the Akas of Arunachal Pradesh, the Karbis of Assam, Naga communities of Manipur and Nagaland, as well as the Mizos of Mizoram. These longtsaoks, mainly menhirs or alignments, are revered symbols associated with important annual rituals and events celebrated in the Rong society. Some others stand as markers to commemorate these special occasions as well as territorial boundaries. During Lho Rum Faat or Pang Lhabsol, longtsaoks continue to be erected even today. This paper, through an ethnoarchaeological lens, makes a humble attempt to understand the erection process of longtsaok, and also deliberates on the continuity and changes of the megalithic tradition among the Rong of Sikkim.