I was born to a simple farming family in the light green-roofed house in the righthand side of the picture above. The village seen in the distance is Radhi, a small hamlet of 25 or so households. Between the two villages flow the mighty Chamkhar Chhu.  The village has no paddy fields and maize is the principal crop for the people.

Jaipong is just one of the many clusters of households in Wamling. Some of my ancestors came from Wangdue Phodrang and Tang in Bumthang when the seat of power in Bhutan was based in Bumthang Lamai Gonpa and Kuenga Rapten in Trongsa.

It appears that the village in olden days paid their taxes to Bumthang Lamai Goenpa, Zhonggar Dzong, and later to Zhemgang Dzong. My mother recounts the tale of cotton taxes paid to Lamai Goenpa. The Upper Kheng did not grow cotton but somehow they were made to pay taxes in woven cotton cloths. Cotton was grown in Lower Kheng but the distances between the two localities are long and journey difficult.  The men, and often even the women had to travel to Gudama, present day Samdrup Jongkhar and buy salt. The salt would be carried to Lower Kheng and exchanged for cotton.  The cotton would be carried back to the villages of Upper Kheng and woven into cloths. Once the cotton is woven into cloths, they had to be carried to Bumthang and paid as taxes to the authorities.  And this was only one of the taxes in those days.