Tiji Festival 2023 | Upper Mustang

#tiji The Tiji festival is an exceptional Buddhist religious event that started with Sakya Tenzin Nawang Kunga Sonam. The King Samdup Rabten of Lo Manthang brought a scholar at the end of the 17th century to cleanse the territory of demons. Tiji Local known as (Than Chi) During this festival time, the monks have been residing in Chhode monastery and performing vajra kila practice for the last three days. Vajra kila is a practice that was introduced in Nepal, by Guru Rinpoche, or Padma Sambhava, the Tantrik master, in the 8th century. Since then, monks at Chhode Monastery have performed this religious mask dance every year. generally the end of April, or may consider the Tibetan lunar calendar. To reach the upper Mustang flight, the best option is to save your time. Choose to drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu and then take a flight to Jomsom. Trekking is recommended. There are three major monasteries: Chhode, Thupchen, and Jhampa. During the Tizi festival, the monks of the Tupcin and Chode monasteries chant prayers in the morning. The actual mask dance of the festival begins around 2 pm and lasts for approximately three hours. On the first day, locals clean the palace square and sprinkle water in the alleys before the dance takes place. The first day of the festival features the Socham dance, reenacting the harassment of the demon Mata Rudam, as part of the meditation practice related to Vatra Killah. The second day showcases the Machamp dances, representing the birth of Turji Sonam and his journey through the pardo, accompanied by various manifestations and comic moments to entertain the audience. The dances involve terrifying mask-wearing performers The dances feature fearsome mask-clad performers who protect the soul’s passage as gods from the royal families. Third day involves the impersonation of Derji Sonam, who aims to destroy the demon Zoh. The performance incorporates Buddhist tools, chanting, spiritual music, and symbolic actions like hitting the demon’s forehead and using gunpowder muskets to scare away other potential demons. After the cleansing ritual, the monks and the audience return to the walled city, stepping over a hay fire at the main gate to rid themselves of any remaining evil. The Tso is among the mask dancers who return to the palace square to accept Tibetan scarves from the king and the populace as a token of appreciation. for more information please visit this link