Bartsham

ORIGIN OF BARTSHAM

Origination of name Bartsham has got manifold stories that had done recorded history and orally transmitted one.

Bartsham geographically shares its boundaries with Bidung and Ramjar gewogs beautifully located in between two gewogs, rising up sloppy gentle hill, overlooking Bidung gewog. When viewing Bartsham from Bidung through little pocket, flat land of Kumung upward rising gentle sloppy hills, the physical shape of its location exactly view as a lord Buddha, Shakyamuni screening the whole sitting posture on Buddha, with holding loves, compassion and well-being over its localities and place – the initially called as Bartsham (the land of everything – Phun-Sum-Tshog –Pai – Yuljong).

It has got another orally transmitted story with regards to the renaming of Bartsham. In ancient time, people of neighboring countries India and Tibet used to trade from place. During that time, Bartsham exactly lies in between these two commercial hubs – sharing the same long journey to south and north respectively. In sharchop “Bar” means “in between” and “Tsham” means “boundry” in short Bartsham. So the name was conceived thereafter.

Another one was interesting, it dates back when Guru Padmasambhava first convent in Bhutan in eight century, Guru widely travelled all over Bhutan blessed with his manifest power and hidden many sacred treasures and relics. When Guru Rinpoche and Khando Yeshey Tshogyal reached to Mongling Tsho in Bartsham, Guru Rinpoche found that the local deity of mongling was severely harming its locality and animals. With advice of Guru Rinpoche’s utmost compassion subdued this ferocious deity and converted him into a protective deity of Buddha Dharma and sentient beings. In return the Mongling Tsho’s deity and its area emerged with Bar – Tsho – Sum

Phu – Thong – Ja, Dephu, Dogorom
Bar – Ri-Zor-Gong, Yoenang Naktshang, Thangpachey
Da – Tsharzam, Yudi drang, Wongchuli are local villages.

Those Tsho Sum were offered to the deity by Khando Yeshey Tshogyel and made reverent and protection to Buddha Dharma and its people. Therefore, the name this region was known or called as “Bar-Tsho-Sum” was slightly mispronounced by people and, today it is popularly known as Bartsham. (Reference: Mongling Selchey book)

BRIEF PROFILE

Bartsham gewog is located in the north of Samkhar, west of Bidung and east of Yangneer gewogs and has border with Ramjar, Jamkhar and Yalang gewogs of Trashi Yangtse Dzongkhag. The gewog office was constructed in the year 2004 holding a total area of 35.1 square kilometers. Bartsham gewog is 25 km away from Trashigang Dzongkhag with gewog center road measuring to 19.5 km.

The altitude ranges from 800 to 2800 maximum above sea level with an altitude of 2100 at gewog centre.The climate is mainly temperate in the northern part of the Gewog and sub- tropical in the southern part of the Gewog. Gewog has a total of 498 households with the total of 3825 population. The gewog consist of 5 chiwogs with 16 major villages further divided into 30 minor villages.

The community of Bartsham gewog depends on agriculture farming and the maximum source of income is from vegetable farming. Gewog consist of 7 vegetable farmers group and 3 community forest group. Out of 7, only 3 vegetable farmers group is officially/actively registered. All seven farmers’ vegetable groups are linked with the Bartsham central school and Bartsham Primary School for the supply of vegetable as well as dairy products.

Gewog Profile Bartsham Gewog 2023

Population and land use

Area(Sq. Km) 35.1.Sq.km

Km from Dzongkhag head Quarter to Gewog center 25km

Population Figure Total 1788

Male 951

Female 837

population Density ( per Sq Km) 50.94

Administrative units

Gewog Center 1

Chiwogs 5

No of villages 30