Title

Cham in the Lepcha Village of Lingthem

Description

Every winter, over a period of six days, the lamas of Lingthem's village monastery hold their annual cham. These dramatic ritual masked dances impart elementary Buddhist teachings while providing entertainment to villagers. Their main purpose is to remove obstacles and ward off misfortune for the village, its inhabitants and the monastery. However, for lamas and more serious Buddhist practitioners, these cham and their rituals hold deep philosophical meanings. In the course of this village event, the deities who emerge in the period between death and rebirth make their rhythmic appearances followed by the Lord of Death who judges one's good and bad deeds in the after life.

Tag

Sikkim, Lepcha village, The Lamas, Cham, Rituals, Lingthem Village, monks, effigy ritual,

producer

Namgyal Insitute of Tibetology

distributor

Dawa Tshering Lepcha

Language

Lepcha

Location

Sikkim

Extent

00:50:27

Date

2007