Context:
PM Modi gifts antique silver train model to President Biden and pashmina shawl to First Lady.
Pashmina:
- Certified wool from the Kashmir region of India.
- Originally used by Kashmiris to keep warm during winter.
- Production –
- Wool sourced from Changthangi goats in Ladakh.
- Harvested by the Changpa tribes, a semi-nomadic community in Ladakh.
- Significance – Known for its fine quality and high cost due to labour-intensive production.
- Regulation – BIS standards for identification and purity certification introduced in 2019.
Changpa Tribe:
- Semi-nomadic people primarily in the Changtang plateau of Ladakh
- Cultural Affinity – Share linguistic and cultural ties with Tibetans.
- Religion – All Changpa families follow Tibetan Buddhism.
- Reboo – Conical yak-skin tents used by Changpas for housing family deity and a picture of the Dalai Lama.
- Lifestyle – Mostly nomadic
- Nomadic Changpas are referred to as Phalpa
- Settled Changpas are referred to as Fangpa
- Livelihood – Rearing yaks and Changra goats (Capra Hircus) for milk, hair, and meat.
- Status – Granted official status as a scheduled tribe in 1989.
Source: Hindustan Times
Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Changpa’ community of India, consider the following statement:
1. They live mainly in the State of Uttarakhand.
2. They rear the Pashmina goats that yield a fine wool.
3. They are kept in the category of Scheduled Tribes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2014 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
The Changpa are a semi-nomadic Tibetan people found mainly in the Changtang in Ladakh and in Jammu and Kashmir.
