Chumi Gyatse Falls

The Chumi Gyatse Falls are in an area called Yangtse where the Tsona Chu river flows from Tibet into India's Tawang district. They are along the cliff face of a high plateau ("Yangtse plateau") formed by an east–west mountain range, whose watershed serves as the India–China border as per the McMahon Line. The location of the McMahon Line watershed in the vicinity of Chumi Gyatse falls is open to dispute. The US Office of the Geographer draws the line in the middle of the cliff face, which would divide the falls between India and China. At present the Line of Actual Control between the two countries puts all of Chumi Gyatse falls within Indian territory. (Maps 1 and 2) To the south of the waterfalls, Tsona Chu is joined by another river called Nyukcharong which rises from within the Yangtse plateau. A village called Tsechu () lies near the confluence of the two rivers, marking the southern terminus of the Yangtse region. A few hundred meters to the north of the falls, on the opposite side of the Tsona Chu valley, lies Domtsang () or Dongzhang () (), a Buddhist meditation site associated with Guru Padmasambhava. Domtsang was evidently an important locale during the historical period so as to lend its name to the river and valley below it, as "Domtsangrong". China continues to use the names "Dongzhang river" and "Dongzhang waterfalls". Domtsang lies in undisputed Chinese territory, to the north of the McMahon Line. == Buddhist legends ==

Domtsang region The earliest mention of the place is in Padma bka’ thang, a fourteenth century mythography of Padmasambhava by Orgyen Lingpa; Padmasambhava stayed in Domtsang for five days, and it was one of the seven regions in Mon to have been blessed by him. Since then, Domtsang has been associated with meditation in a spectrum of Buddhist literature. One of Heruka's disciples, '', spent time at Domtsang while practising tummo. In late 16th c., Don Grub, the ruler of Mon, invested himself as the patron of the "great shrine" at Domtsang. , a biography of Merag Lama (d. 1682) which was likely drafted in the 17th century, records one (c. 15th c.) to have had found the 'Che mchog temple''' in Domtsang. , an 18th c. work by the 6th Dalai Lama, features Domtsang as the tactile site in a mandala of the senses.) falls were formed, according to the legends, when Padmasambhava flung his rosary against a rock and 108 streams gushed out from where the beads struck the rock. Monpas believe that the waters have recuperative abilities. == History ==

near the Chumi Gyatse Falls: marked by the US Office of the Geographer in 2012 (in blue) vs OpenStreetMap in 2022 (in dark green). The difference between them is believed to be the alteration made by India in 1986. Prior to the birth of modern nation-states of India and China, Yangtse — like, most of Tawang — remained under the suzerainty of Tibet. In February 1951, India wrested control of Tawang in a peaceful transfer of power. When the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded Tibet during the same year, it is believed to have destroyed the temple at Domtsang. Chinese media reports further allege India to have demolished a wooden bridge in 2001, that was used by Tibetans to access the Falls, and even setting up a sentry post to block their entry. == Infrastructure and tourism development==

Beginning 2018, the state of Arunachal Pradesh has been developing the Falls as a tourism site. Indian government has also strengthened the defence infrastructure in the area. New roads were constructed to ease travelling from the town of Tawang. == See also ==