Landslide damages 12th century Gorsam Stupa

Itanagar, Aug.3 (ANI): A torrential downpour triggered landslides demolishing the boundary wall and drainage system of historical 12th century Gorsam Chorten (stupa) near Zemithnag in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Monday.

When contacted, local MLA Jambay Tashi told ANI that immediate steps would be taken to restore the global heritage.

The CC step from the stupa to the Rinpoche's living quarter (shah) has also been severely damaged and huge volume of debris deposited inside the stupa, blocking paths and prayer wheels.

"The PWD road from New to Old Zemithang has been badly damaged and needs immediate clearance", Zemithang circle officer in-charge Tsedar Wangmu confirmed.

The Gorsam river has been rising threatening inhabitants living along its bank, Wangmu said and exhorted the inhabitants to shift to safer locations.

Incessant rains have crippled normal life in several parts of Lumla sub-division, triggering landslides and causing damage to roads, snapping water and power supply, throwing normal life out of gear.

Arunachal Pradesh houses one of the Buddhist stupas while others are: Sanchi, Sarnath, Amravati & Bharhut dates back to the late 4th century BCE in India; the 127-metre Phra Pathommachedi in Thailand is the tallest; the Swat Valley is house to the well-preserved stupa at Shingardar near Ghalegy and another stupa is located near Barikot and Dharmarajika-Taxila in Pakistan; some of the tallest, most ancient and best preserved stupas in the world, such as Ruwanwelisaya, are located in Sri Lanka, particularly its ancient city of Anuradhapura; the most elaborate stupa is the 8th century Borobudur monument in Java, Indonesia. Borobudur's unique and significant architecture has been acknowledged by UNESCO as the largest and greatest Buddhist monument in the world.