Kakaney: the village portal

To our dismay the so called modern development and its inevitability do away with our age old monumental castle. I call it monumental castle for I know the reasons behind its nomenclature.

Found mostly in eastern parts of Bhutan and few in Arunachal Pradesh state of India, the stone and mud built gate at the end of villages houses important Buddhist scriptures and sculptures.With entry and exit, the white washed castle remains as one of the most essential monuments in villages.

Phagchok Kakaney

One can see different Buddhist scriptures and sculptures carved finely at inner walls of Kakaney. Those scriptures and sculptures are said to guide the village. It act as a barrier to those evils of god,demon and people.Standing at the village entry it allows only the good spirits of the guests.Protecting the village and its people from any incoming evils,it has for centuries been our guardian.

For the outgoing people, it bless them with good fortune and guides them the safe journey until they reach the destinations.Even if the evil spirits dwell among village folks, it does not allow the guests to carry it while leaving the particular village.

Besides the mentioned significance it has the multi social purposes. It act as reception gate for any guests. We have a tradition where people gather at kakaney with ara (locally brewed whine) and tengma (beaten maize) and receives the guest warmly and with much hospitality.This tradition of reception is termed as Lamchhang.

It also serve as a see off site for outgoing people.With white scarf waving in the air, village folks would sing Aii Aloo(the farewell song).

Prayers of good will chanted,tears of departure welled up,promises kept for safe return.Village folks see off until the voice of outgoings become vague.

With road at doorstep, the kakaney is being replaced with concrete gate.It's an issue of concern.For a significant castle like kakaney which stands for the monumental tradition we should not let it disappear in the face of development.