Cultural Understanding of Samkhalung among the Rai Community of Sikkim

The Samkhalung is a sacred symbol for the members to the Rai Community The Rai Samkhalung is important in the ancient religious belief and it is equally significant in the present world. The Samkhalung is a summarising symbol because it is primarily an object of culture to which a sacred meaning has been attached by the community members. It is a cultural construct because living in proximity with nature right from the beginning led the Rai community to attach a special symbolic significance to the three stones. Because of its strong spiritual and cultural relevance the three stones continue to be worshipped in the community even now. It is in fact a symbolic land mark of the community and therefore this symbol appears in all the important aspects of the community life starting from marriage to death.