Tibetan Cham Dance

Tibetan Cham Dance is a ritual dance in Monasteries during special occasions like festival and Teachings. This religious dance is performed only by monks. The ritual is performed as for moral instruction to viewers, destruction of bad spirits and for the greater good of humanity.

The Tibetan Cham dance is originated in Tibet and practice to date. It is a major highlight of all the Buddhist festivals and special events in the Monasteries.

The Tibetan cham dance is highly choreographed. A select group of the resident monk will perform as directed by the mystic dance master ( Cham Pon). They will be dress in brightly patterned attire and Masked. All the other monks of the monastery will be dressed up fully in their ceremonial attire and would recite mantras associated with the Cham led by the Rinpoche ( The highest order of Monastery). This recitation of the Mantras creates a suitable ambiance. The performance is a dramatization of the philosophy of good over evil, and it’s also a ritual offering to the deities and guardian of the faith.

The masks in Tibetan cham dance represent various characters form Tibetan fables, history and divinities in the various manifestations. The mask is made carefully by the skilled craftsmen with proper alignment to the measurements provided in the scripture. The material used for the mask is cloths, paper and blue.

The duration of the Cham dances are often from 2 days to over 15 days. As the cham reaches its climactic scene, the sacrificial offering of Human figure made from the dough will ritually cut into pieces and scattered in the four directions. This represents the killing of the enemy of Buddhism and the purification of the human soul from three evils of jealousy, hatred, and ignorance.

Legend has it that the Tibetan cham dance tradition was first started by Guru Padmasambhava in late 8th CE. Yet there are two stories of how is started.

According to one source, it is said when the translation of all the Buddhism scripture into the Tibetan language was completed. Guru Rinpoche along with other masters and great translator started dancing in the circle in front of the Samye Monastery.

Yet according to another source. Tibetan King Trisong Detsen called Guru Padmasambhava to Tibet to get rid of the evil spirits that did not allow the building of the Samye monastery. The revered Guru Rinpoche performed the rituals dance to subdue the evil spirit. The same ritual dance became the elaborate Tibetan Cham Dance over the period of time.

Cham is an elaborate masked and Costumed dance. It is considered as an act of cleansing of evil forces. Gods and Deities of Buddhism have evoked prior to the performances. It is inspired by the Tantric tradition that was performed for the greater good of all sentient beings.

The performance of the cham dance is of great religious significance. The dance main focus on the ritual of meditation, hand gesture, chants and invocation of deities and destruction of three evils. Dress up with vibrant clothes and mask, monks take up the roles of deities and demons and performed a mock battle in which good prevails over evil.

Cham performance is a narrative tales about the legendary deities and it is a moral lesson for the viewers. We consider it is important to see a lot of different forms of Deities in our lifetime. When we go through the Bardo stage after death. These deities will show us the way to the next life.

We thought it would be nice to have a list of the date and places where you can see Tibetan Cham Dance in Tibet.

1. Tsurphu Monastery. In the monastery, there are two days of Cham dance on the 10th and 11th day of the 4th month (Saga Dawa) of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.
2. Drikung Thil monastery. In this monastery, there is a cham dance for 5 days from the 25th Day of the 4th month (Saga Dawa) of the Tibetan Lunar calendar.
3. Samye Monastery. There is a cham dance on the 4th day of the 6th month of The Tibetan calendar.
4. Sakya Monastery Cham Dance, There is a cham dance on the 29th day of the 11th month of the Tibetan Calendar.

If you are planning to travel to Tibet for Tibetan Cham dance. Please check with us to find if the date is finalized as it might be subject to change. Read more about Tibet Travel Informations and Tibet Tours. Please visit our blog: Nomadictibet.com

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