Dranyen Cham (Dance with Guitar)
Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, reincarnation of Mahaguru Padmasambhava and Avaloketesvara (Buddha as the god of compassion) came to
Costume: Elaborate and heavy woolen clothes, traditional felt boots, long black skirts, brown coat, sword and a circular headdress. One dancer holds a guitar called Dranyen.
Zhana (The Black Hat Dance)
This ground purification rite is also performed on the occasions of construction os dzongs, temples, stupas etc. Its aim is to concililate the malevolent beings of the ground in order to take possessions of the site from them.
Costume: Large black hat, felt boots, long colorful brocade gown, no mask.
The black hat dancers assume the appearance of Yogis who have the power of killing and recreating life. In order to lead to the field of Buddha, beings who cannot be led by peaceful means, they subdue these enemies of the doctrine through their external compassionate anger but internally they have an accomplished peaceful mind. They have the appearance of tantrists who do well to beings through terrifying but accomplished acts such as killing and expelling bad spirits. The five poisonous enemies, which are the sins, disappear in the sphere of emptiness.
This dance can also be referred as “Gar Cham”, derived from the different traditions of the tantras (text of Northern Buddhism). They say that with the help of the Gods who have meditated deeply upon the mantras (sacred formula), the “gar” which are the gestures of the dancers hands are transformed into mudras (sacred mystic gestures) and their feet which pound the earth in order forming a mandala (mystic geometric figure).
The Black Hat Dancers who performs the ritual for the earth firstly build a mandala and then cut the demons into pieces. Thus, they take possessions of the earth in order to further protect it and they dance the step of the thunderbolt to impress their power on it. (The thunderbolt step is a particular step in the religious dances)
To draw the mandala they use a practice from the “Tantra without
Zhana Nga Chm (Black Hat Dance with Drums)
Dances of the Tshechu
In order that
Taktsang “Tigers Nest”
Taktsang is one of the holiest places in
Guru visited
A year later, Guru was invited to
During this visit in 747 A.D to
While in Singye Dzong inKurtoe, Guru is believed to have flown to Paro Taktsang in the form of Guru Dorji Drolo, the 8th and the final aspect that he assumed, mounting on a dakini-tigress. Before his arrival, the whole country was believed to have been inhabited by hostile evil spirits. On his arrival, he subdued eight categories of evil spirits and bounded them by solemn oath to be the protectors of teaching for all times to come.
He also concealed various forms of Dharma treasures including 3 teachings of Yoga to be discovered later by his disciples called Tertons (Treasure Discoverers). According to his biography ‘Yidkyi Munsel’, he meditated there for 4 months and blessed this place as the best among the sacred places (Ney).
He revealed the real form of Phurpai Kyilkhor (Vajrakiliya) and instructed upon Langchen Pelgyi Singye, one of his principle disciples (Gyalbang Nyernga) and his spiritual condort Khando Yeshi Tshogyel. The cave where Guru Rinpoche and many other renowned saints meditated is called “Drubkhang” (meditation room) or the “pelphug” (holy cave)
It is said that even though Zhabdrung had a wish to build a temple at the site where the Taktsang now stands, he could not as the construction of Paro Rinpung Dzong was underway. So he instructed Tenzin Rabgye, who was a minor at that time to build a temple. In 1692, on the command of Desi Tenzin Rabgye, the Paro Penlop Dragpa Gyaltshen built the main 2-stored temple around the Drubkhang in Taktsang and thus fulfilled Zhabdrung’s wish. It was from this time at Taktsang that system of performing annual prayer dedicated to Guru Rinpoche was introduced, which is even to this day conducted by the Tshenyid Division of the Central monastic Body.
It is believed that more merit is gained if we meditate one minute in Taktsang than to meditate months together in other sacred places. Its sacred essence is that of Drubkhang/Pelphug, the holy cave in which Guru Rinpoche and many other renowned saints meditated, and also the body of Langchen Pelgyi Singye had been placed deep in the rocks under the site of Kudung Chorten. The Drubkhang is opened once a year during an annual ceremony, which is performed by the monk body for 21 days in the fifth Bhutanese month.
Origin and importance of Tshechu
The Tshechu is a festival in honour of Padmasambhava, “one who was born from the lotus flower”, popularly known as “Guru Rinpoche”, the Precious Teacher. This Indian saint contributed enormously to the diffusion of Tantric Buddhism in the Himalayan regions of
During tshechu, the monks as well as laymen perform the dances. The dancers take on the aspects of wrathful and compassionate deities, heroes, demons and animals. The dances known as cham, bring blessing upon the onlookers, instruct them in dharma (Buddhist teachings), protect them from misfortune and exorcise evil influences. The tshechu is a religious festival and by attending it, it is believed one gains merits. Deities are invoked during the dances. Through their power and benediction misfortunes may be destroyed, luck increased and wishes realized. It is also a yearly social gathering where the people come together to rejoice. People come for tshechu dressed in their finery.
On the last day of the tshechu, a large thongdrol (religious figures embroidered on brocade) is unfurled before sunrise from the wall of the dzong. Thongdrol literally means ‘liberation on sight’, and it is believed that simply viewing one of these large relics washes one’s sins away. When the thongdrol is rolled up again to put back into the safety of dzong, the old people pray to ensure that they will live other year to see the thongdrol againg the following year.
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