Wearing colorful robes and fearsome masks, the monks high stepped and spun around around the sandstone courtyard to the sound of drums, cymbals and long horns. Behind them towered the wrathful Buddhist diety Mahakala with his crown of skulls, carrying a bowl of blood and the legendary weapon Vajra.
The cham dance is performed in this monastery in the Himalayas the day before the Tibetan New Year, known as Losar, evoking Mahakala to remove obstacles and cleanse the place of negative energy.
Palpung Sherabling is a branch of a monastery founded in the 18th century in eastern Tibet. It’s situated near the north Indian town of Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh, and belongs to the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Some of its monks come from exiled Tibetan families, while others are from nearby Indian hill towns and other places in the Himalayas.
A row of monks sat in a corner of the gallery, setting the beat with ritual instruments. When they paused, the chatter of house sparrows filled the courtyard. There were dozens nesting in the eaves and gaps of the building, which houses hundreds of monks.
Dancers emerged from behind a printed yellow curtain, often two at a time, representing Mahakala, or mythical creatures in the shape of dragons, birds, animals, and human skeletons. Each creature followed its own rhythm — some lively and expressive, others measured and stately.
In the middle of the courtyard there was a shrine-like structure, containing a large mask-like representation of Mahakala, which the monks had sculpted out of barley flour mixed with butter. At the end of the dance, the whole structure was carried outside to be ritually burnt.
The faithful believe that the fire burns away all that is obstructive and evil, entrapped by the Mahakala sculpture.
