The important 'chaam' dance festival of Rumtek near Gangtok are those performed two days prior to the Tibetan New Year and that performed on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar. This Tse Chu Chaam basically presents the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava.Padmasambhava( the lotus- born) was the Indian sage who consolidated Buddhism in Tibet. He is also revered by the Sikkimese as Guru Rimpoche and during his travels he is suppose to have visited Sikkim. The dances in Rumtek celebrate the various episodes of his life and his battle against the forces of evil. The winter 'chaams' performed just prior to the Losar present the battle between good and evil and the ritualised destruction of evil. Rumtek monastery is 23km from Gangtok and is the seat of karma Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. This monastery was built by the 16th reincarnate Gyalwa Karmapa, after he escaped from Tibet and settled in Sikkim. Presently Rumtek has acquired notoriety due to internecine battle within the order ,since matter is subjudice and to avert conflict between two parties high court has sealed the treasury ,, and deployed ITBP ,about internecine battle which is the story of power play and avarice I will write in next post
You should write about the Lake Gurudongmar.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you have visited it.