Lecture | Asia Research Cluster

The Tripartite Being: Deity, Tsangphu mountain, and human as local environmental agents in the Dagor community of Eastern Bhutan

Chencho Dorji

Date: Thursday 2 October 2025
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Location: FSW building
Wassenaarseweg 52
2333 AK Leiden
Room: 1A33

Please join us for the upcoming Asia Research Cluster session featuring Mr. Chencho Dorji, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Project Coordinator at the Himalayan Centre for Environmental Humanities (HCEH), Royal Thimphu College. Mr. Dorji plays a key role in managing the fieldwork component of the Gerda Henkel funded Perpetuating Highland Heritages of Bhutan research project, which involves ethnographic research in highland communities. He facilitates community engagement and coordinates with local and national authorities, ensuring that the project’s methodologies remain community-driven and culturally sensitive.

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Abstract by Chencho Dorji

I will discuss the role of Mangdhog, an annual ritual in the Dagor community of eastern Bhutan in promoting ecological and community well-being. I consider this ritual an expression of care for the environment. At the center of this practice is the deity Ngawang Lhamo and Ngawang Thinley, who serve as a vital part of local environmentalism. The discussion focuses on how the relationship between the deity (Ngawang Lhamo and Ngawang Thinley), the mountain (Tsangphu), and the Dagor people goes beyond just religious symbolism. Instead, it is a lived experience of environmental support, daily life, and local cosmological influence.

This triangle of relationships is supported by three indigenous values: Jignang (fear), Namtog (belief), and Guezhap(respect). These values are further reinforced by Buddhist principles, particularly Le Judrey (karma) and Tendrel(interdependence). Together, they shape how people understand their role in relation to the environment. These ideas are put into practice locally, most clearly through the Mangdhog ritual. By examining this connection, I will address indigenous ecological knowledge as a practical, value-based approach to environmental governance. Also briefly discuss how this perspective challenges secular and human-centered views of conservation practices.