My acquaintance with Archery in Aritar.

My acquaintance towards treditional archery would have never been pretty comprehensive, if only my dad would not have taken this sport as his biggest passion. Being the only Nepali archer from the place, his keenness has infact dragged my attention to know more about this sport? Since my kindergarten days, I have watched his dexterous hand smoothing the edges of bamboo by a 'Khukuri', thereby creating a slender bow that could hit any target.

Aritar, being one of the nearest places in Sikkim to share its border with Bhutan, boasts to have conducted this traditional archery tournament for centuries. The tournament indeed had started since the reign of The Chogyals.  People lay numerous assumptions regarding the origin of this historic game. However, the most accepted one is that archery in Sikkim had found its way from Bhutan, a small country bordering Sikkim.

 

 For centuries Bhutan had quarantined itself from the outside world. High hills and Rough Mountain had also contributed to save Bhutan from the foreign intruders. In Bhutan every man was considered to be a soldier, defending their country with bows and arrows, thus, archery became their national sport. When the archers play their game, the women dance and sing. Their songs are usually about complaints, sometimes they also complain about their King, so that he may learn what their people are thinking.

As time pass by, archery as a sports in Sikkim has catered its own identity, it is a game which are played between two teams consisting of nine [9] players from each team. Two planks of wooden boards are place at a distance of approximately half a kilometer as a target. These planks of wooden piece are termed as “Maka” or “Baa” in Bhutia language which means, target. When the arrow hits the target [Kari], the team fetches two points, when it lands with the range of one foot from the target [Dhago], the team fetches 1 point. The players dress themselves in “Bakkhu” or “Kho” and “Hendachi” [the upper garment]. Before starting the tournament the monks [Lamas] offer a short prayer so that the deity would safeguard the players from any uncertainties during the match. The players drink Chang [juice of fermented millet] from a huge container [Sutuk].

Today, with the waves of modernization, archery as one of the traditional games of Sikkim is losing its significance. Archery, which was once so much adored by the people of Sikkim, is finally at the verge of extension. Any game of any category helps us to develop human reflex and senses. Archery, for instance helps in developing ones consistency, firmness and accuracy. Moreover, it is also a game of our pride played by sharing our love and belongingness.