Myths and legends

Sherpas (“people from the east”) moved from the town of Kham in Tibet to the southwest, fleeing the Mongol invasion, and did not plan to cross the Himalayan ridge. However, the locals gave them a cold welcome and the immigrants continued their search for more hospitable places. The way to Nepal through the Nangpa La pass was discovered by the hunter Kira Gombu Dorje, who pursued in the mountains either a deer, or a blue ram. Sherpas believe that this ram-deer was the embodiment of the deity Khumbu Yul La - the god of the Khumbu valley.

Nobody lived in the Khumbu valley then. Legends describe the Khumbu Valley of those times as a wilderness, forested and rich in wildlife, hidden by the Gods from the rest of the world for true believers. So, one of the Nepalese kings wanted to settle in the valley and was deceived by the gods, which led him to believe that the valley was uninhabited. When the king reached the Khumbu valley, he saw only huge lakes there that threatened the valley with flooding. As a result, he built himself a palace on a high rock in Mojo (the day's journey to the present Namche Bazar), and later left these places completely.

Studies show that Sherpas were not the first settlers in Khumbu. Earlier, rai came to the valley. However, the rai tried to grow rice there, which grows very poorly at such a high altitude. Therefore, rai descended along the Dudh Kosi river valley significantly lower. For sherpas, accustomed to life on the high Tibetan plateau, settling in the Khumbu valley was much easier.

Apparently, having crossed the Nangpa La pass, the Sherpas first populated the valley of the Bhote Koshi River, and then moved on to Khumbu and Gokyo.

The first Sherpiv settlements were in the town of Tarnga in the Bhot Kosi Valley. Then the ruler of the people was Dzongnangpa - a cruel tyrant who suppressed any manifestation of dissent. The ruins of his palace near Targa have been preserved. Sherpas say that when they moved to the Bhota Koshi valley, they encountered constant yeti raids on their fields. Peasants and shepherds began to set up ingenious traps for the yeti and gradually the yeti practically disappeared in these places.

Like other Tibetans, among Sherpas, Buddhism quite coexists with faith in various kinds of deities, demons and spirits. This is an interesting mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and the ancient Tibetan Bon-po religion.

One of the most revered gurus in the valley is Lama Sanga Dorje, the sixth reincarnation of the Tibetan Lama Changa Dorje. In legends they say that this lama knew how to fly, but about his appearance in the Khumbu valley there are different versions. According to one version, Sanga Dorje flew to the Khumbu Valley from Tibet in search of solitude. Another legend claims that he was born in the village of Mohang, near Kumdzhung, in the family of Lama Bundachenzen. In principle, it is possible that having been born in Khumbu, he visited Tibet throughout his life and later flew back to a more comfortable home valley.

Sanga Dorje’s father, Lama Bundachenzen, was also a powerful monk. The protector of the Khumbu Valley - the god Khumbu Yul La - often came to talk to him. But the llama’s jealous wife, noticing the very long visits of the mysterious stranger to her husband, once went to them during their conversation. Khumbu Yul La had not liked the unexpected invasion and he disappeared in a flash of light and has since not appeared in the lama’s house.

The power of Lama Bundachenzen was passed on to his sons, each of whom became the founder of the monastery. Of course, the sons competed among themselves, which of them is more powerful, and Sanga won the competition by hanging his cloak on a ray of light, breaking through a gap in the wall.

Today, the monasteries founded by the brothers cannot boast of a large number of monks. For example, in the Pangboche Monastery, only one monk lives permanently. But the number of Sherpas is constantly growing, as well as the fame of this people around the world. Recently, the word “sherpa” has become widely used in a number of supranational organizations, where this word refers to people who help to develop and promote various useful initiatives.