Kagyad Chaam- A Symbol of Peace and Prosperity

The main Torma  

Monks performing with liturgical music

Kagyed Chaam is a Sikkimese Dance performed on the 28^th and 29^th day of the 10^th Month of the Tibetan calendar which generally falls in the last week of December. The word Chaam in Tibetan corresponds to a dance performed by various artists. This dance is performed in Sikkim symbolizing the destruction of the evil forces and hoping for peace and prosperity to flourish in every Sikkimese home. The dancers of this enormously admired Chaam are always monks who are accomplished in liturgical music and chanting. The solemn nature of the dance is interspersed with comic relief provided by the jesters. Kagyed dances enact various themes from the Buddhist mythology and culminate with the burning of effigies made of flour, wood and paper. During monarchy, Sikkim used to celebrate this dance as a national event. One can notice the Kagyed Chaam celebration of monarchical Sikkim in the visuals of much awaited documentary of Satyajit Ray.

Monks performing Kagyad Chaam at Enchey Monastery Gangtok  

With full of religious fervour this year also Kagyed Chaam was performed in a majestic comportment at Enchey Monastery Gangtok. The pictures with this post are taken by Mr. Tashi Wangyal Denzongpa at Enchey Monastery. I am thankful to him for sharing these pictures. 

Charles Alfred Bell: The Second British Political Officer of Sikkim

C A Bell -The second Political Officer of Sikkim

Charles Alfred Bell was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) India, on 31 October 1870 - the son of Henry Bell of the Indian Civil Service (ICS). He was Educated at Winchester school and New College, Oxford. After accomplishing his studies, Charles also joined the ICS in 1891 and spent the next nine years in various posts in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, before being transferred to Darjeeling in 1900. It was in Darjeeling; Bell came to be familiar with the Tibetans settled there and began to learn their language. His devotion towards the Tibetan language leads to the publication of his first book, A Manual of Colloquial Tibetan, a two-part grammar-phrase book and dictionary in 1905.

Gangtok British Residency picture taken by C A Bell

 Apart from a Tibetan scholar, Bell also had a passion of photography. During his stay in Tibet, he has taken many photographs related to the daily lives of the Tibetans, which are greatly helpful for the study of Tibetan culture and civilization. In 1904-5 he was put in charge of administration of the Chumbi Valley, which had been temporarily ceded by Tibet to Britain under the terms of the Younghusband Mission. It has to be mentioned here, the Chumbi valley was once a part of Sikkim which was later transferred to Tibet after the Anglo-Chinese convention.

After the retirement of Sir James Claude White, Charles Bell was appointed as the Political Officer of Sikkim in 1908. The most momentous event during Bell's tenure as Political Officer was meeting the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in 1910. Due to the political hostility between the Chinese and the Tibetans his Holiness the 13^th Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet and he sought refuge in Sikkim. As Political Officer of Sikkim, Bell provided necessary assistance to his Holiness during his exile. The two formed an intimate and lasting friendship, which later proved objectionable to the British in their future negotiations and dealings with Tibet after the Dalai Lama's return to Lhasa in June 1912.

Bell continued as Political Officer for Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet until 1918. During this time he continued his communications with the 13th Dalai Lama and advised him on the modernization policies he was developing for Tibet. Bell was widely acknowledged in British circles as the primary authority on Tibetan matters at this time.

Sky burial in Tibet Pic. C A Bell

After 1918 Bell took leave from the Civil Service and devoted himself to the study of Tibet, spending the next two years in Darjeeling. Although for many years he had an open invitation from the 13th Dalai Lama to visit Lhasa, the British Government did not allow him to do so. In 1920 Bell was finally given Government permission to visit the Tibetan capital as part of a diplomatic mission, arriving in Lhasa on 17 November. Bell's role was to advise the Tibetans on foreign policy. "The Dalai Lama showed his more than friendly intentions by receiving Sir Bell, at the very first interview, informally, sitting with him at a small table in his private apartment, with no witness present.

Nepalese in Lhasa Pic. Charles Bell 

Bell remained in Lhasa for the best part of a year. After his return, in 1921, he left the ICS and applied himself to writing about Tibet. In his retirement, Bell published several books on Tibetan culture and history - Tibet: Past and Present (1920), followed by The People of Tibet (1928), and The Religion of Tibet (1931). Bell also continued his personal correspondence with the Dalai Lama.

In 1934 Bell returned to Tibet once again and this time with his wife, Cashie. Unfortunately he was too late to meet his old friend again, for the 13 th Dalai Lama had passed away in December 1933. Bell continued his travels in Central Asia during the next few years visiting Mongolia, Manchuria and Siberia. Fittingly, Bell's final work was a result of the strong bond that he had formed with the 13 th Dalai Lama since their first meeting in 1910. The book, Portrait of the Dalai Lama, was completed only a few days before his death in Canada (where he had recently migrated) on 8 March 1945.

Picture of Rabden Lepcha who accompanied Bell during his visit to Lhasa 

Sir Charles Bell was probably the most influential British officer to serve in Tibet. He set the groundwork for Anglo-Tibetan relations, and his visit to Lhasa in1920 paved the way for subsequent British officials to travel to Tibet. Bell's strength lay in the way he was able to immerse himself in Tibetan culture and language, becoming, in his own words, "in a large measure Tibetanised". This earned him the respect and acceptance of the many Tibetans. As one Tibetan official "When a European is with us Tibetans I feel that he is a European and we are Tibetans; but when Lonchen Bell is with us, I feel that we are all Tibetans together".

The above article is compiled by Claire Freeman, Curatorial Assistant, Pitt Rivers Museum (Emphasis added) http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/tibet_Charles_Bell.html. The photographs with this post bears copyright of Pitt Rivers Museum University of Oxford. 

Tashiding Monastery- Greatly shaken by 6.9 Magnitude Earthquake

Destruction inside Tashiding Monastery Pic. Chogyal Bhutia

Tashiding is a small village situated in the Western part of Sikkim and is regarded as the most holy land on earth by the followers of Tibetan Buddhism. The village has a monastery which is popular with the name of Tashiding Monastery. It is one of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim. Constructed in 1641A.D, by a revered Saint Ngadak Sempa Chempo of Ningmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism is also a National heritage site categorized by the Ecclesiastical Department, Government of Sikkim. The word Tashiding in Tibetan means depth of auspiciousness. As stated above, the place is regarded as one of the holiest place by the Buddhists around the world. Tashiding is surrounded by four holy caves from four different directions which is the prominent facet to make this place the holiest one. In the East of Tashiding, Shar-chog-bey Phog (Phog in Tibetan means Cave) is situated near Ravangla. On the Western part of Tashiding, there is Dechen Phug at Darap Nambu. Similarly, Lharing Nying Phug at Labdang Tashiding is at the northern direction of sacred Tashiding Monastery. Finally, Lho- Khandro Sang Phug at Reshi/Legship is in the southern part of the shrine. It is also said that Mahaguru Padmasambhava, who is also known as Guru Rimponche in the Tibetan Buddhist world has also blessed this place in the 8^th Century A.D. Thus, the place is a sanctified, exalted and sanctimonious not only to the Buddhists of Sikkim but to the entire Sikkimese populace who are now interweaving themselves in a yarn of a common Sikkimese culture.

Tathagata himself speaks at Tashiding Pic. Chogyal Bhutia

Being one of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim, the historical importance of Tashiding cannot be overlooked.  Tensung Namgyal, the second king of Namgyal Dynasty (that ruled Sikkim from 1642 to 1975) was born at Tashiding in 1644 A.D. The latter shifted his capital from Yoksam to Rhabdentse after his consecration in 1670, as the Second Ruler to the Namgyal Throne. Further, Tashiding was also sanctified with the elegance of Rikgzing Goedem Chen in 12^th and 13^th century who had come to Sikkim from Tibet. This revered Lama has constructed a monastery at Nesha Paohungri, which still has its ruins at Nesha, north to present days’ Tashiding Monastery. Had this monastery been in a standing position it could have been regarded as the oldest monastery of Sikkim. Presently, this position is enjoyed by Dubdi Monastery of Yoksam in West Sikkim. It is said that, Rikgzing Goedem Chen divulged many treasures hidden by Mahaguru Padmasambhava in Sikkim.

Being a hallmark of Tibetan Buddhism, Tashiding monastery observes a pious festival of Bom- Chu which dates back to 1641 A.D. The literary meaning of Bom-Chu is Holy Vase Water. It is believed that, the vase on which the Chu or Water is contained was made by Guru Rimponche himself. This festival is celebrated here on the full moon of first month of Tibetan Calendar.

Pic. Chogyal Bhutia

The place with such a historical importance was also greatly shaken by the recent earthquake occurred on September 18^th. The devastating earthquake has destroyed its ceiling, walls and even its floor. The earthquake measuring 6.9 Richter scale has nearly put down the structure on the ground. But, possibly due to the immense faith of the Sikkimese towards this shrine, the Tashiding Monastery is still standing and blessing the entire Denzong Valley.

Locals of Tashiding clearing wreckage after the Earthquake Pic. Chogyal Bhutia

Floor of the shrine after the Earthquake Pic. Chogyal Bhutia

The locals and monks of this monastery have recently conducted a Menlem (prayer) in the name of the departed souls, who lost their lives in the catastrophe of September 18^th in Sikkim. It also conducted Dok-Thap (Puja to protect Sikkim from such cataclysm) from 4^th of October to 6^th of October 2011 praying his Almighty to protect this tiny Himalayan state from any such devastation. 

Namchi grieves for the earthquake victims

Namchi mourns for the Earthquake victims

The earthquake of 18^th September has greatly astounded Sikkim, the tiny Himalayan State of Indian Union. The incident was perhaps a shocking episode in the history of Sikkim and it is hard to forget to all those who have come across the catastrophe. Even after the span of 5 days from the apocalypse the government measures are still struggling to reach to the victims. We all are getting reports, some official and some unofficial about the desolation caused by the earthquake. Amid to these reports, the rumor is playing a vital role to create panic among the traumatized people. Yesterday morning I received a text on my mobile which was a sufficient stuff to get terrorize for all of us who are trying to surmount the fatality. It states thus:

Students of Namchi Govt. College

Earthquake can occur within 48 hours due to lava at Guru Dongmar Lake and it can damage entire Sikkim. These people, whom I prefer to, say anti-socials are leading a key role to play with the innocence of the Sikkimese people. 

The cataclysm came and gone but has left an untold miseries. I saw a picture published on an English Daily from Gangtok which has greatly stroked me. It was a picture of a school girl from Mangan who was searching her books and copies on the debris of her dismantle house. Every newspaper is chock-full with the reports and pictures of devastation. It is really harsh to believe that all the pictures are from our state and the people on those pictures are our fellow brethrens.

Silent Prayers of Namchi 

In order to show our concern to all the departed souls, ailing individuals and affected families of the disaster, NTSF has organized a “Candle Rally” at Namchi on 23rd September.  A crowd of around 500 have made a “Candle March” which was started from Central Park Namchi at 6:20 P M.  The march was attended by the students, teachers, journalists, and lawyers and so on. The accomplices were holding placards on their hands to show their concern towards the departed souls. I have also witnessed few Buddhist Monks chanting “Om Mani Padme Hung” to prevent such incidents in the near future. People gathered for march have prayed for the salvation of the departed souls as well as for the speedy recovery of injured in the catastrophe of September 18th. The only prayer of every individual before his almighty was to bless the Mayalyang in the near future from such apocalypse.    

Chak Tha Rimponche.....A fact or an anecdote?

The history of Sikkim is always surrounded with the folklore, mysteries and fictions. It is covered by a thick blanket of legend and mythology in which one can find births, re births and incarnations and much mythological bits and pieces which in fact have no credibility in history. But, even being mythological in nature they cannot be ignored entirely as they have their roots in our times of yore. The photograph pasted here belongs to a person who was then known as Chak- Tha Rimponche, who according to the people of Tashiding West Sikkim, used to be a conventional Buddhist. Chak Tha was a Bhutia by caste who hailed from Tashiding (Gangyap), West Sikkim and a Lama by profession. But, according to the few natives of Tashiding, at a distance from his occupation he used to tame cattle in the forest of Pokhri- Dara and its neighboring area. The descendents of those cattle tamers believe that Chak Tha had some paranormal power by which he could even control the nature. It was due to his clairvoyant smack he could fly like a bird which (according to the belief of the local people) could prove a great calamity for them. Therefore, to avoid such disaster Chak Tha was kept like a captive by his village men and Lamas by tying him with an iron chain which weighed more than a quintal.  Due to the lack of evidences it is not possible to ascertain his definite period. But, when we stumble upon with the photograph of the Rimponche it becomes clear for us to understand that he certainly lived in Sikkim after the latter’s contact with British India. Because, before the advent of the British, camera, photographs and sketches were dreamlike things to the Sikkimese society.  

The account of Chak- Tha greatly allured me in the beginning but, when I heard the whole narrative I found it to be larger-than-life. The half naked body along with some other unknown object proves that he was a great Tantric Lama who certainly was the follower of Tibetan Tantricism. The Dammaru in front of him (right hand side), his hair-style, and a Trisul kind of entity on his left hand makes it clear that Chak- Tha was a great Tantric Lama who in all probability exhibited his acquaintance in front of the villagers and those acts of the Rimpoche later became the legends in the village and transferred from one generation to another. But, apart from all other issues, it is a fact that Chak Tha was a native of Tashiding (Gangyap) and his family still lives at the very same place where he had his eminence.

The picture was possibly taken by some British officials on their way to the famous Tashiding monastery.

Wake-Up Dude....!!!

This again is an evidence of our indifference towards our traditional riches. The captions added below the photograph suggest that it is a Sikkimese monastery. From the outer looks, it can be conjectured that this is the monastery of Tashiding. It seems that a religious rite is captured by the photographer who was really serious about preserving these valuable moments. We need to pay our sincere courtesy to the Das Studio, Darjeeling for collecting and conserving the rare sight. On the contrary, we may put the so called aristocratic rulers of the then Sikkim into the hot suit for being so indulgent in their materialistic perspectives and thus ignoring the interest of the greater institution. This is a serious point of discussion--- if the photograph could be procured by a studio of Darjeeling, why could the same not be done by the much acclaimed Sikkimese nationalists? Once again, we come to the observation that either they were too conservative to share those belongings with mass people or they did not really think about the importance of the same because they were well accomplished in their realms of wealth and power.