Culture · Hee Bermiok
Martam and the story of Sirijunga
Visit Martam near Bermiok Bazar, linked with the 18th-century Limbu scholar Te-ongsi Sirijunga and home to a Limbu community temple, with a local guide who can explain the Limbu script, the Mundhum and what this place means to the community.
Photo: Anjan Kumar Kundu · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Martam is a small village near Bermiok Bazar with a large place in Limbu memory. Wikipedia's articles say Te-ongsi Sirijunga, who revived the Limbu script in the 18th century, was killed here around 1741, and that the first Limbu community temple was built at Martam and inaugurated in 1996.
Go with a local guide or your homestay host, ideally someone from the Limbu community, who can explain the script, the Mundhum oral scriptures recited by Limbu priests, and how Sirijunga is remembered. Ask before entering the temple and before taking photographs, dress modestly and leave a donation if it feels right.
If you are here in December, ask whether the community gathering for Sirijunga's anniversary is open to visitors; Wikipedia describes prayers, priests' dances and Limbu and Nepali dances in the temple courtyard. Dates and access are for the community to decide.
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Who was Sirijunga?
Te-ongsi Sirijunga was an 18th-century Limbu scholar who taught and revived the Limbu script and collected Limbu literature in eastern Nepal and Sikkim. Wikipedia's biography, drawing largely on Limbu tradition, says he was born in 1704 in today's Taplejung district of Nepal and was killed at Hee-Martam in West Sikkim around 1741.
Can visitors enter the Limbu temple at Martam?
Visitors are generally welcome to see the temple from outside, and often inside, if they ask first and behave respectfully. Go with a local host or guide, dress modestly, remove shoes if asked and do not photograph people or rituals without permission. Access during ceremonies is at the community's discretion.
When is Sirijunga's anniversary celebrated at Martam?
Wikipedia's Hee Bermiok article says the Limbu community celebrates his birth anniversary each December at the temple courtyard, with prayers, priests' dances and Limbu and Nepali dances. Exact dates follow the community's own calendar, so ask your host or us close to your trip. Check current status before you travel.
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