Cham...An act of abolishing devil forces

It was the first morning of the year 2022. I took a motor ride to the Gangtok, India to visit Ranka Monastery to observe and document the Cham Dance performance. The Cham Dance is a vibrant masked and costumed ritual in Buddhism. Associated with the Tibetan Buddhism that prospered in the Great Himalayan Mountain Range, it is a religious tradition performed by monks. The ritual is performed for the greater good of humanity, destruction of bad spirits and for moral instruction to viewers.
The ritual dance-drama of ‘Cham’ is beautifully choreographed event. A group of resident lamas dressed in brightly patterned attire and masked gears to perform as directed by the ‘Cham-spon’, the mystic dance master. All the lamas of the monastery dress up in their full ceremonial attire, recite the mantras associated with the ‘Cham’ led by the Rinpoche, the highest post in the order of monks of the respective monastery. The performance is not just a dramatization of the philosophy of ‘good over evil’ but also a ritual offering to the deities of the monastery and the guardians of the faith.