Played after the harvest season,
Archery is traditional sport of Sikkim People. Know more about Archery
in Sikkim.
Archery
in Sikkim - A popular sport of the Sikkimese, archery is
traditionally, played after the harvests. This was the unique way for
the villagers to assemble at a place and enjoy during the period of
inactivity. This ancient sport of the region has seen a recent revival
to rejuvenate the cultural identity of the region.
The players of the game or the archers wear a traditional dress termed
kho. A small wooden target measuring 3 by1 feet lying at a distance of
130 meters is to be shot. Given the small size of the target and the
huge distance, only 10% of arrows hit the mark.
A tint of spice is further added to the sport by wreaking verbal abuse
on the opponents taking aim. This is done to confuse them through
humiliation. Though restricted to male participants, this sport yet
finds an immaculate participation of Bhutia women. Having mastered the
skill of sleighing, the latter target such vulgar insinuations at the
opponent archers that even the most rational and pragmatic people also
start blushing. Some of the brave women even go to the extent of
crouching in front of the target to deviate the attention of the archer.
Though started as a measure for having some light-hearted fun, the
sport is popularly gaining serious grounds in the state. On a more
serious note, some villagers even make a quick trip to the near by
temples for invoking a divine intervention to overcome defeat. In some
villages, a ritual of burying the effigies of the opponents is also
practiced as that is believed as an inflictor of bad luck to the
opponent.
