Bumthang is known as an important cultural hotspot of the country. The district has 26 major festivals and 120 monasteries of which some are among the oldest in the country. One of the ancient monasteries is the popular Jambay Lhakhang where a rare 700-year-old festival is performed annually. After being performed behind closed doors for the past two years due to covid, the four-day festival attracted thousands of spectators this time.
The biggest crowd-puller among mask dances at the festival is the much-revered Naked Dance or Tercham.
When you mention the word Naked Dance, almost everyone giggles and shies away from an interview. However, the Naked Dance of Jambay Lhakhang has a deeper meaning and significance than it is a taboo subject.
The sheer number of people gathered for the dance itself speaks volumes about the reverence they have for it.
“I have never heard of it, so we were interested to see what’s on and since the COVID, the festival probably didn’t happen for the past two years, so there are so many people here,” said Urs Schlatter, a tourist visiting from Switzerland.
“This is the second time I am witnessing the Naked Dance. I wish to get Guru Rinpoche’s blessing, that’s why I am putting up with the cold,” said a resident of Bumthang, Tshering Dema.
“I came to get a blessing for a fulfilling life and a peaceful afterlife. I have never witnessed the dance before,” said Pem Dorji, who came from Drepong in Monggar.
“People say this is going to benefit us in our afterlife, that’s why I came to watch it,” said another visitor from Monggar, Thinley Zangmo.
This year people showed up in record numbers from all across the country partly because the festival is opened to the public after two years due to the restrictions on gatherings because of the covid pandemic.
The four villages of Chawang, Norgang, Nashphel and Jambay Lhakhang conduct the festival. Around 15 laymen from these villages with their faces wrapped in white clothing but otherwise stark naked perform the Naked Dance for three nights.
“There will be siblings and relatives among the audience, the discomfort and embarrassment they feel will relieve them of ill fortune. The sisters, mothers and fathers of the dancers will also be watching the dance. They can make it out who their brothers or sons are from their physical appearance but they stay put as it is for the wellbeing of both the dancers and the spectators,” said the Chakhar Lam, Chimi Rinzin.
The famed Jambay Lhakhang Drub is said to be instituted by Terton Dorji Lingpa around the 14th century as prophesied by Guru Rinpoche as a consecration ceremony of the temple.
However, the Naked Dance is believed to be first performed by Guru Rinpoche during the construction of the Nabji Lhakhang in Trongsa. Sindhu Raja’s daughter Tashi Kheoden had invited Guru Rinpoche after evil forces obstructed the construction.
“When Guru Rinpoche performed the Naked Dance, the evil spirits were drawn to it which in turn allowed the construction to continue without hindrance. Then, when Guru Rinpoche arrived in Bumthang, he is said to have hidden a text behind the Jowo stupa which contained the instructions on the need to institute the consecration ceremony. Accordingly, Dorji Lingpa arrived in Bumthang between the 13th and 14th centuries, revealed the text, renovated the Jambay Lhakhang and initiated the consecration ceremony,” said Lam Chimi Rinzin.
Locals say abstaining from performing the festival would bring misfortune to the community. Thus, this one-off festival spanning over several centuries and having its roots in the earliest Buddhist masters is only going to flourish.
Kipchu, Bumthang
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
