Here’s The Tale Of How A Wildlife Sanctuary In Arunachal Pradesh Got Its Name From An Indian Army Division

Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary in western Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district is a prime birders’ paradise in Asia and exclusive home to the Bugun Liocichla bird. 

The abundance of over 600 species of rare and exotic bird species like babblers, warblers, sunbirds, flycatchers, woodpeckers, herons, storks, hornbills, barbets and other rare and exotic birds, make it one of the top birding destinations in the world. 

Along with all these feathered species, one would have expected this sanctuary to host many varieties of the majestic eagle as well. But no, there are no eagles living in this sanctuary, considered to be the world’s second-most densely-packed bird sanctuary. 

How, then, did it get its name? Herein lies a fascinating tale. 

This part of West Kameng district, which borders Chinese-occupied Tibet, is inhabited by the Bugun, Sherdukpen and Monpa tribes who follow Tibetan Buddhism and are ardent devotees of the Dalai Lama. 

After the forcible occupation of Tibet by the Chinese from the early 1950s that forced the 14th Dalai Lama to flee the country in 1959, the Buguns, Sherdukpens and Monpas turned staunchly anti-China and pro-India.

During the 1962 conflict with China, the 4th Infantry Division of the Indian Army was deployed in this sector. This division, which was part of the British Indian Army and was raised in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War, has a red eagle as its insignia. 

The division was moved to Tezpur from Ambala in 1959 when tensions over contested parts of the border with China started increasing. It established its tactical headquarters at Zemithang and at Dirang. 

The primary road from Tezpur to Dirang and then onto Zemithang, at that time, was a different one, passing through Missamari, Kamengbar and Chindit Top to reach Tenga Valley before going on to Bomdilla, Dirang and Tawang.

The highway (National Highway-13) to Bomdilla from Tezpur now follows a different axis.

Heightened border tensions necessitated intensive movement of troops of 4th Infantry Division, also called the ‘Red Eagles Division’, from Tezpur to Dirang and beyond on the old route. 

That led to a lot of interactions between Indian Army soldiers and members of the three tribes living along the road taken by the troops. The locals extended a lot of help to the soldiers and were often engaged as porters. 

The Buguns, Sherdukpens and Monpas often supplied food to the soldiers and provided them shelter in their homes during inclement weather. That led to establishment of very cordial relations between the local tribals and the men in uniform. 

The locals, all Buddhists, also felt beholden to the Indian Army for facilitating the Dalai Lama’s entry into India after his escape from Tibet. And since the Indian soldiers were gearing up to face the Chinese, the local tribals established strong emotional bonds with the ‘Red Eagle Division’.  

But the army convoys were facing considerable difficulty in negotiating one portion of the road after Chindit Top. Army engineers started looking out for an easier route to bypass a difficult stretch of the road, and they were helped by the head of Sinchung village (a large settlement of Buguns). 

The Sinchung village headman — Sambrk Glow — led the army engineers to a pass that was easily negotiable. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was pressed into service to construct a road through the pass.

The Sinchung headman was invited by army engineers to name the pass. In honour of the ‘Red Eagle Division’, Glow suggested that the pass be named ‘Eaglenest Pass’. 

Hostilities soon broke out at the border with a Chinese attack on Indian posts at Namka Chu on 20 October 1962. Indian soldiers of 2 Rajput Regiment, 1/9 Gorkha Rifles, 9 Punjab and 4 Grenadiers — all part of the 7 Infantry Brigade — though ill-clad to fight in the snowy heights and ill-equipped as well, fought valiantly. 

But they were massacred mercilessly and in a barbaric manner by soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Though they knew they did not stand any chance to win or survive, the Indian soldiers inflicted heavy casualties. 

Their valour (read about the Battle of Namka Chu here and here) won their units many battle honours, including seven Mahavir Chakras, 11 Vir Chakras, 13 Sena Medals and 20 mention-in-dispatches. 

The defeat at Namka Chu led to the fall of Tawang, and then Bomdilla in quick succession. But all units of the ‘Red Eagle Division’ fought valiantly against insurmountable odds. That earned them the respect of the local tribals who witnessed the valour and daredevilry of the Indian soldiers. 

Road Abandoned, Wildlife Sanctuary Established

From the 1970s, an alternate and easier route to Tenga Valley and beyond via Bhalukpong, Sessa, Jamiri and Dahung was constructed. The earlier route Chindit Top and Eaglenest Pass fell into disuse. 

The forests soon reclaimed the road and all abandoned military posts en route. In 1989, the government decided to declare a 218 sq km area along the old route as a wildlife sanctuary. 

The Buguns petitioned the government to name the proposed sanctuary as ‘Eagle’s Nest Wildlife Sanctuary’ in honour of the valiant soldiers of the ‘Red Eagle Division’. The government promptly accepted the request. 

The Eagle’s Nest Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) conjoins the Sessa Orchid Sanctuary and the Pakke Tiger Reserve and is part of the Kameng Elephant Reserve.

The Buguns of Sinchung village declared over 17 sq km of their community land as Sinchung Village Community Reserve that acts as a buffer to the core area of the Eagle’s Nest Wildlife Reserve. 

A unique variety of the Liocichla was first spotted at the Eagle’s Nest Wildlife Sanctuary by an astrophysicist and birdwatcher Ramana Athreya in 1996.

After more sightings, extensive research and thorough documentation, the bird was declared a new species in 2006. It was named the Bugun Liocichla after the local Bugun tribe. The Bugun Liocichla is found only in Eagle’s Nest WLS. 

The Eagle’s Nest Wildlife Sanctuary attracts birders and nature lovers from across the world today. The local tribals, who have turned ardent conservationists and act as guides and protectors of the flora and fauna, never forget to tell visitors about the history of the sanctuary and how it got its name. 

They tell visitors of the tales of valour of Indian soldiers belonging to various units of the ‘Red Eagle Division’ that they have heard from their fathers and grandfathers.

The stories of the heroes of 1962 — the countless soldiers who laid down their lives despite being let down by prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his defence minister V K Krishna Menon — thus live on amidst the chirping of birds in the misty forests of a wildlife sanctuary named after an infantry division they were part of.  

(Watch a documentary by a local Bugun here).