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| Two Rivers Join |
We crossed the river on a wooden covered bridge and climbed up to the impossing Dzong - the final part was up steep stairs to the massive front doors. Wandering around we climbed stairs to the shady interior of the Buddist temple and found a balcony overlooking one of the prayer halls . Down below there were two rows of monks, sitting crossed-legged facing each other, chanting verses to the ocassional drumming and fanfares. They were overseen by an 'enforcer' who patrolled the rows listening to the monk's efforts - where they didn't reach his standard, they were flicked with his prayer beads.Just outside Paro (about a 15 minute walk), high above the town stands Ta Dzong, one of Bhutan’s most imposing fortresses. The Dzong commands inspiring views across the plain and is a treasure house of sacred scrolls, religious icons and manuscripts of all sizes with fabulous thankas and vivid colourful murals hanging on the walls.
This was the venue for the highlight of our journey - the Paro Tsechu. A Tsechu is a Buddhist religious festivals where masked dances depicting events from the life of Padmasambhava, the eighth century Nyingmapa Buddhist teacher (second to Buddha), and stories of other saints are staged. In Bhutan, Padmasambhava is known as 'Guru Rimpoche'. The dances are performed by trained monks and laymen wearing costumes some that depict the creatures that you may expect to meet after death.
Laura, our tour leader, had been able to readjust the planned itinerary to allow us longer at the festival than the half-day originally proposed. Why hadn't Explore thought of this in advance ?
Laura, our tour leader, had been able to readjust the planned itinerary to allow us longer at the festival than the half-day originally proposed. Why hadn't Explore thought of this in advance ?
THE TSECHU
A ‘Tsechu’ is a religious festival held annually by most Dzongs and monasteries. The festival is homage to the great deeds of the Buddhist Saint Padmasambhava, popularly known as ‘Guru Rinpoche’ who was responsible for introducing Buddhism to Bhutan. The dances (most of which are performed enthusiastically by monks) are said to bring blessings to the onlookers, as well as instructing them about the Buddhist Dharma.
The ceremony is held over five days - the first is held inside the Dzong and in the past the rest of the day's performances were also held there. However, nowdays with so many people attending (locals and visitors) they are held on a paved area nearby with stone seats on a bank one side, a massive building on another and on the third what looked like covered seating & balconies for VIPs and the 'band'. The fourth side was open for everybody to stand and watch.
They are not 'common' entertainment events and are not held as tourist attractions. They are still genuine manifestations of religious traditions hundreds if not thousands of years old. Today, we, as outsiders, are given the privilege of witnessing these sacred rites.
The grounds where they are held are consecrated by Lamas and the dancers, whether monks or laymen, are in a state of meditation. They transform themselves into the deities whom they embody on the dance ground. They generate a spiritual power which cleanses, purifi es, enlightens and blesses the spectators.
We were able to make three visits to the Tsechu : soon after we arrived, following our walk towards Tiger's Nest and very early on the morning of our departure.
Although it had a religious basis, the locals seemed to treat it more of a picnic with entertainment. They sat on the tiered stone seating and on the grass on the slope above eating, talking and laughing at the antics of the clowns. Although the clowns had a role in some of the dances, they also seemed to fulfill two other roles : entertaining the crowds between dances and crowd control - stopping people encroaching on the dance area.
All the proceedings were being recorded by local TV - a newish innovation in Bhutan - and were, I think, being broadcast live to those who couldn't be there in person. TV first came to Bhutan in 1999 and it was the last country to secumb to its thrall. Four years later there was a report in the UK Guardian newspaper that stated that the population was " . . . . beginning to accuse television of smothering their unique culture, of promoting a world that is incompatible with their own, and of threatening to destroy an idyll where time has stood still for half a millennium".
In addition to a number of folk dances and choirs which filled in the gaps between the main events, I was lucky enough to see the following principal dances :
Noblemen and the Ladies (Phole Mole)
This is a very long dance and in the later part I saw it seemed to have the feel of a pantomime. The actors play two princes, two princesses, an old couple and the clowns. The two princes are going to war and are leaving the two princesses in the care of the old couple.
As soon as they depart, the clowns try to 'frolic' with the princesses and corrupt the old woman who is also behaving quite badly. The clowns and the old woman roll around in a manner that left very little to the imagination. There was also quite a lot of dialogue, especially from the clowns which, judging by the reaction from the crowds was quite funny / risque.
When they return they return the princes are scandalized by the behaviour of the princesses and cut off their noses as a punishment - the old woman too : red handkerchiefs were held to the faces to represent the copious amounts of blood that had been spilt.
Then a doctor is called to put the nose back but the old woman stinks so much that the doctor has to use a stick because he does not want to approach her. Finally the prices marry the princesses and everybody is reconciled and the all live happily ever after !
The Judgement of the Dead (Raksha Mangcham)
This is again more of a play than a dance and lasts approximately two hours. Shinje - the Lord of Death - appears, symbolized by a huge puppet which holds a mirror. The white god and the Black Demon enter the courtyard with him. Shinje sits and all his helpers follow taking up their places in two rows in front of him.
Then the judgment begins. The sinner, who is dressed in black (why are the baddies always in Black ?) and wearing a red hat, arrives. He is very frightened and tries to escape by running into the crowd but is recaptured by the helpers. From his basket, a freshly severed cow’s head is taken, implying that the sinner was responsible for killing it. The judge then weighs his actions. Afterwards the White God sings of the merits of the man, followed by the Black Demon who expounds the sins of the man. Finally, a black strip of cloth symbolizing the rod to hell, is spread and then the sinner is sent to Hell.
Another man arrives - he is clad in white (must be the goodie) and holds a prayer flag and a ceremonial scarf, implying his virtues. The same scene as before is re-enacted and at the conclusion a white strip of cloth symbolizing the road to heaven is roll out. Fairies elaborately dressed in brocade and bone-ornament come to fetch him. At the last moment, the Black Demon, furious at having lost a being, tries to grab the virtuous man but the White God protects him.
All the main players and their helpers then processed around escorting the massive 'puppet' back into the building that forms the backdrop to the festivities.
TIGER'S NEST
The ceremony is held over five days - the first is held inside the Dzong and in the past the rest of the day's performances were also held there. However, nowdays with so many people attending (locals and visitors) they are held on a paved area nearby with stone seats on a bank one side, a massive building on another and on the third what looked like covered seating & balconies for VIPs and the 'band'. The fourth side was open for everybody to stand and watch.
They are not 'common' entertainment events and are not held as tourist attractions. They are still genuine manifestations of religious traditions hundreds if not thousands of years old. Today, we, as outsiders, are given the privilege of witnessing these sacred rites.
The grounds where they are held are consecrated by Lamas and the dancers, whether monks or laymen, are in a state of meditation. They transform themselves into the deities whom they embody on the dance ground. They generate a spiritual power which cleanses, purifi es, enlightens and blesses the spectators.
We were able to make three visits to the Tsechu : soon after we arrived, following our walk towards Tiger's Nest and very early on the morning of our departure.
Although it had a religious basis, the locals seemed to treat it more of a picnic with entertainment. They sat on the tiered stone seating and on the grass on the slope above eating, talking and laughing at the antics of the clowns. Although the clowns had a role in some of the dances, they also seemed to fulfill two other roles : entertaining the crowds between dances and crowd control - stopping people encroaching on the dance area.
All the proceedings were being recorded by local TV - a newish innovation in Bhutan - and were, I think, being broadcast live to those who couldn't be there in person. TV first came to Bhutan in 1999 and it was the last country to secumb to its thrall. Four years later there was a report in the UK Guardian newspaper that stated that the population was " . . . . beginning to accuse television of smothering their unique culture, of promoting a world that is incompatible with their own, and of threatening to destroy an idyll where time has stood still for half a millennium".
In addition to a number of folk dances and choirs which filled in the gaps between the main events, I was lucky enough to see the following principal dances :
Noblemen and the Ladies (Phole Mole)
As soon as they depart, the clowns try to 'frolic' with the princesses and corrupt the old woman who is also behaving quite badly. The clowns and the old woman roll around in a manner that left very little to the imagination. There was also quite a lot of dialogue, especially from the clowns which, judging by the reaction from the crowds was quite funny / risque.
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| Clowns and Doctor |
Then a doctor is called to put the nose back but the old woman stinks so much that the doctor has to use a stick because he does not want to approach her. Finally the prices marry the princesses and everybody is reconciled and the all live happily ever after !
The Judgement of the Dead (Raksha Mangcham)
This is again more of a play than a dance and lasts approximately two hours. Shinje - the Lord of Death - appears, symbolized by a huge puppet which holds a mirror. The white god and the Black Demon enter the courtyard with him. Shinje sits and all his helpers follow taking up their places in two rows in front of him.
Another man arrives - he is clad in white (must be the goodie) and holds a prayer flag and a ceremonial scarf, implying his virtues. The same scene as before is re-enacted and at the conclusion a white strip of cloth symbolizing the road to heaven is roll out. Fairies elaborately dressed in brocade and bone-ornament come to fetch him. At the last moment, the Black Demon, furious at having lost a being, tries to grab the virtuous man but the White God protects him.
All the main players and their helpers then processed around escorting the massive 'puppet' back into the building that forms the backdrop to the festivities.
TIGER'S NEST
One morning there was an opportunity to climb up for views of the amazing Taktsang or ‘Tiger’s Nest’ Monastery. The remains of the monastery cling precariously to a cliff face, and local legend recounts that Guru Rinpoche, who founded the Drukpa Sect and brought Buddhism to Bhutan, flew here on the back of a tiger to start the first monastery.
The temple complex, located high on a precipitous the cliff side and was first built in 1692, around the where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three months in the 8th century after flying from Tibet on the back of a tigress - it was consecrated to tame the Tiger demon . He is credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan Today it is the best known of the thirteen taktsang or "tiger lair" caves in which he meditated.
We drove to the starting point of the walk and were one of the first to start up the steep dirt track. It wound through the trees passing ladies sat on the side selling souviniers and nic-nacs. It was tough going not helped by the altitude robbing us of oxygen. After a while we were overtaken by other visitors who had hired skeletal ponies to take them upwards - their riders often looked terrified as they clung on to their saddles. We were warned not to stand between a passing pony and the drop at the side of the path and I saw why when one pony took a deliberate side-step to bump into a walker - almost launching him over the edge !
After about 45 minutes, we came to a small cafe selling refreshing tea and offering a view of the Tiger's Nest across the chasam. After a brief rest, most continued the slog up the mountain to actually visit the Nest. I was amongst the minority that decided it wasn't worth the effort to visit yet another monastry and returned to town in favour of a once in a life time opportunity to visit the festivities.
We drove to the starting point of the walk and were one of the first to start up the steep dirt track. It wound through the trees passing ladies sat on the side selling souviniers and nic-nacs. It was tough going not helped by the altitude robbing us of oxygen. After a while we were overtaken by other visitors who had hired skeletal ponies to take them upwards - their riders often looked terrified as they clung on to their saddles. We were warned not to stand between a passing pony and the drop at the side of the path and I saw why when one pony took a deliberate side-step to bump into a walker - almost launching him over the edge !
After about 45 minutes, we came to a small cafe selling refreshing tea and offering a view of the Tiger's Nest across the chasam. After a brief rest, most continued the slog up the mountain to actually visit the Nest. I was amongst the minority that decided it wasn't worth the effort to visit yet another monastry and returned to town in favour of a once in a life time opportunity to visit the festivities.
THANGKA
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| The Thangka |
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| Incense and Candles |
Amidst religious music, songs, and dances, it unfurled at the Deyankha Temple. and, being 85 feet wide and 55 feet tall, it requires the entire 5 story Deyankha temple to fully unfurl. Even though we had risen very early, it was already on display when we arrived and there was a steady queue of locals, passing the dark yhrough the smoke from incense burners, passing the Thongdrol to gain a powerful blessing.
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