Sangken Festival

Sangken, the festival of water brings no less joy to the Khamptis in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Literally, "Sang ken" comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Sankranti’. Water dominates the community festival in mid April marking the start of the traditional Khampti new year where the colourful tribal people showcase their culture and tradition. Water is needed to cleanse the village apart from the remaining ritual where they sprinkle water on each other. They do it as a mark of love and respect among them. Some of them call the water pouring tradition a sprinkling of blessings. Most of them get the Lord Buddha idol bathed as part of the socio-religious festival. They find it an occasion to throw away the old water which would help them giving up the impending danger or bad luck. Apart from the Khamptis, the festival squarely brings boundless joy and merriment to some other ethnic tribes in the frontier north eastern state. These include Singpho, Khamyang, Tangsa and Phakyal who celebrate the festival on the same day in mid April.

A couple of days before the festival, they make a bamboo made make-shift shrine which they call Kyongfra and keep the idol of the Lord Buddha. Then the holy water is sprinkled through a fountain they call Lungkong. This is duly connected to ‘Hoelin’, a boatshaped wooden structure. Then the clean and scented water is sprinkled over the idols kept inside the Kyongfra to get the Buddha idol bathed.

The ceremonial water is also sprinkled on the Bodhi tree along with other holy objects and on the hands of the monks in search of blessings. The entire festival takes place for three days where gifts and sweets are exchanged among the people.

The striking scene of the festival is noticed among the unmarried Khampti youths. Unmarried youths are seen roaming the streets with water full buckets and drench the people once they are spotted. Even the passers by are not spared much to the delights of the domestic and foreign tourists. The elders and married, mostly, do not involve in it.

The festival ends with the restoration of the Lord Buddha idol in the temples which marks the end of the old year and entry of the new one.