Arunachal Pradesh is situated in the remote corner of North East India and is a land to numerous tribes having distinct culture and set of belief systems. The Monpas residing in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng are amongst the lesser known tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. They are generally peace loving people who are followers of Buddhism. However, prior to the arrival of Buddhism, the people followed a kind of animist belief called ‘Bon’. This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the numerous religious beliefs and practices of the Monpa people who though were gradually converted to Buddhism, still retained some of their original rites and rituals related to the ‘Bon’ faith.
Monpa, Religion, Buddhism, Bon, Beliefs
