Aba Tsering Dorjey, 88, from Markha village in Leh, Ladakh, recounts that his ancestors originally came from Chilling village. It is widely believed that the people of Chilling are descendants of Newari craftsmen from Nepal, who were invited by King Sengge Namgyal in the 17th century to create the Sakyamuni Buddha statue at Shey Palace. The name Chilling (Phyi-gling) translates to "place of the foreigner." The community holds Mahadeva as their principal deity and conducts a special prayer called Mahadev Solkha in his honor.