Nepal’s sacred tradition of burning sang incense could wither away

In Bhraka village of western Nepal’s Manang district, 72-year-old Buddhist nun Tashi Lama sits in silence, chanting as she turns her prayer wheel. Ever since she took her vows at 25, her mornings begin with prayers and the lighting of sang, a sacred incense made from dried branches and leaves of black juniper (Juniperus indica) and wild wormwood (titepati) among others.

“Lighting sang purifies our environment. It’s something we do every day wishing that peace prevails in the world,” Lama told Mongabay. “Its cedar-like scent evokes calm and hope.”

Like Lama, thousands of Buddhists in Nepal’s Trans-Himalayan regions such as Manang and Mustang, and those with roots to the area residing around the world light the sang as part of a sacred tradition at the break of dawn wherever they are.

However, the sacred tradition which has been going on for centuries is under growing threat from overharvesting, tightening conservation regulations and a warming global climate.

At the centuries-year-old Kagyu Monastery in Bhraka – situated at an elevation of 3,475 metres (11,400 feet) above sea level – 48-year-old caretaker Karma Chhiring Gurung, also begins his day by lighting the incense. “Our ancestors taught us that God will be happy and satisfied if we light sang, and we have been doing it...

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