One of the most entertaining mask dances is the Ging Tsholing Cham, a dramatic ritual dance in which the intensity of the drum beat captures the audience attention. This beat intensifies leading into a fight scene beloved by children in particular. The mask dance is also locally known as Tro-ging, or entertaining dance in local Nabji dialect, for its entertaining presentation and performance. The dance is performed by two sets of performers. Boecham pa dancers are laymen trained in the dances, the regalia gives them the wrathful appearance of celestial beings known as Ging, which includes daka and dakini sky spirits. Monastic dancers, called Tsun cham pa, take on the role of the Tsholing emanation of guardian deities and Dharma protectors. These include the Four Kings of the cardinal points and the Eight Classes of Gods and Goddesses; these roles are usually performed by monks. According to literary sources, the mask dance was introduced by Tertön, treasure revealer, Pema Lingpa (1450-1521). In a vision he entered the spiritual realm of Guru Padmasambhava, known as Zangdok Pelri, the copper-colored mountain. There he saw this dance being performed and was able to transmit the dance to this realm. Pema Lingpa, who had a strong connection to Guru Padmasambhava across many lifetimes, met his enlightened master several times. On these occasions, Guru Padmasambhava conveyed predictions for the future; gave Pema Lingpa the list of treasures to be discovered in disguise; guided him to discover sacred sites; and often invited him into his realm during meditation states and dreams. On this particular occasion, Pema Lingpa came to Zangdok Pelri and found Rang-jung Trulpai Phodrang, the magnificent self-arising palace. There he saw the Guru Padmasambhava manifesting in a rainbow body from which millions of his forms emerged, filling the three realms of the universe, multiplying beyond our imagination. This is known as Ja-lue rainbow body or wisdom body. Among these magical representations, Pema Lingpa saw the enlightened sages of India and Tibet sit in the right row and the scholars sit in the left row. In between them sat the 108 treasure discoverers, who are incarnations of Guru Padmasambhava and his 25 chief disciples. Overhead, a cloud of gods and goddesses transformed into one hundred Dampa Rigja Protective Deities– forty-two took peaceful forms, and fifty-eight took Ging wrathful appearance. These deities made various sensuous offerings, including the performance of Dorji-lugar Vajra Dances, dancing upon the air, rejoicing in the doctrine. Outside the entrance gate of the palace, in each of the Four Directions are thousands of warriors from the Pho-jued and Mo-jued, male and female classes of protecting deities, the Eight Classes of Gods and Goddesses, led by the kings of the Four Directions who are Tshoglings, getting ready to overcome obstacles to the sacred teachings. In the war scene between the Gings and the Tshoglings, the drum beats of the Gings arouse a sense of fear in the obstacles and samaya oath breakers, the Tshoglings aggressively guide them to follow the righteous path of humanity. The vibrating sound produced by the beating of the drums symbolizes the Choe-ngai dra, the Buddhist teachings. A similar performance was originally introduced by Guru Padmasambhava to aid Tibet’s King Thrisong Detsen (c. 755-797 or 804 AD). Padmasambhava used his supernatural powers at the great Samye Monastery in Tibet, he manifested in the form of Ging and Tshogling, producing an immense positive force to fight and subdue the evil spirits that hindered the construction of the monastery. With the demons subdued, Samye became an important part of establishing the teachings of the Buddha in the region. When Pema Lingpa saw the spectacular performance he realized its benefits for the liberation of sentient beings. At Korphu Temple, Trongsa, one of his seats in central Bhutan, Pema Lingpa introduced the sacred mask dance to Jigten me-yul the human realm. Korphu Drub is the annual mask dance festival that coincides with the temple's dedication ceremony, and continues this dance tradition. There is still a saying that goes, "If you are not sure about the choreographies of Ging Tsholing, you should visit Korphu Drub." Due to the importance of the dance, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) who unified Bhutan later spread this mask dance to most annual mask dance festivals. The successive Je Khenpo spiritual leaders as well as the Druk Desi temporary continued this legacy.

Rigma Chudruk Cham is a pacifying dance, performed solely by monks wearing exquisite costumes to represent the sixteen goddesses that make various offerings to enlightened beings. The sixteen goddesses not only bestow wisdom but also entertain and bring enjoyable offerings to the enlightened spiritual beings. Generally, the dance takes two forms: Rigma Chudruk Cham, which is performed with a drilbu bell and daru/damaru drum in hand; or Rigma Chudruk Nga Cham in which dancers play Nga drums with Ne-tok, drumsticks. Though the costumes are identical, these dances can be easily differentiated by the instruments dancers use. The dance is known by various names across different Buddhist traditions: Rigma Chudruk Cham; Khandro-mai Cham, Dance of Dakinis; Zhe-wai Cham pacifying dance; Dorji Lhamo Chudruk, sixteen Vajra Dakinis; Choe-pai Lhamo Chudruk Sixteen Offering Goddesses; and Dodyon-gi Lhamo Chudruk Sixteen Pleasurable Goddesses. These goddesses are generally classified into three groups: Outer, Inner, Secret Offering Goddesses. The first group consists of four members: 1. Gegmo-ma\tSkt. Lasya \t\tGoddess of Grace 2. Threngwa-ma\tSkt. Mala\t\tGarland Goddess 3. Lu-ma \t\tSkt. Gita \t\tSinger 4. Gar-ma\t\tSkt. Nirti \t\tDancer The second group has also four members: 1. Meto-ma \tSkt. Pushpe \tFlower offering Goddess 2. Dhugpe-ma \tSkt. Dhupa \t\tIncense offering Goddess 3. Nangsel-ma\tSkt. Aloka \t\tLamp offering Goddess 4. Drichab-ma\tSkt. Gandhā\tPerfume offering Goddess The third group has five goddesses: 1. Piwang-ma\t\t\t \tViolin player 2. Lingbu-ma \t\t\t \tFlute player 3. Ngadum-ma \t\t \t\tDrum player 4. Zanga-ma\tSkt. Muranyyaze \tClay-drum player 5. Zuk Dorji-ma\tSkt. Vajra Dakini\tVajra Form Goddess The last group has three. 1. Ro Dorj- ma \t\t\t Taste Vajra Goddess 2. Rek-ja Dorji ma\t \t\t\t Feeling Vajra Goddess 3. Choying Dorji maSkt. Dharmadatu \tVajra Goddess of unfabricated awareness

The Masked Dance of the Drametse community is a sacred dance performed during the Drametse festival in honor of Guru Padmasambhava, a Buddhist master. The dance also commemorates several significant figures in the monastery lineage: founder of the Tegchok Namdroel Ogyen Choeling Monastery, Ani Choeten Zangmo (late 15th cen); and venerable Khedurp Kuenga Gyeltshen (1505-/) who introduced the Masked Dance. These two are the eldest daughter and the fourth son respectively of the great treasure revealer, Tertön Pema Lingpa (1450-1521). According to oral accounts, the Drametse Ngacham in 1518, just three years before Pema Lingpa’s death. The name of the mask dance is derived from the Drametse village community, which falls within the Drametse gewog, village block, of Mongar Dzongkhag district in the eastern part of Bhutan. The term Ngacham refers to the dance implements held by performers, a hand-held circular flat drum and mallet. Ani Choeten Zangmo established the Tegchok Namdroel Ogyen Choeling Monastery in 1530. The three-day Drametse Tshechu festival takes place twice a year, organized by the monastery administration. The dancers include monks as well as laymen. The origin of the mask dance, its characteristic choreography, masks, and costumes are specified by Pema Lingpa in detail in his Kabum, Collected Works. Pema Lingpa had seven children, including a son Sangdag, the father of both Tenzin Chogyal and Choeten Zangmo. She also took monastic vows as a nun, earning the title Ani. Therefore, Ani Choeten Zangmo is the granddaughter of Pema Lingpa. Though Ani Choeten Zangmo had no intention to start family, she was forced to marry Yeshey Gyalpo, son of Sumthrang Choeje Sherab Drakpa. Nevertheless, driven by her destiny, she later became a renunciate and established her permanent seat at Drametse where she recognized a place of peace and tranquility. She named it Dra-me “No Obstructions” to her meditational practices, at the summit of a Tse, small ridge. During her stay, her brother Kuenga Gyeltshen who is popularly known as Khedrub Kuenga Wangpo visited her. Kuenga Wangpo is highly revered by spiritual masters for his outstanding philosophical knowledge and realization of the true nature of mind, thus he was given a title of Khedrup, great and realized scholar. In meditational states he met Guru Padmasambhava several times and visited his spiritual realm, Zangdok Pelri, the Copper Colored Mountain. While staying at Drametse, Khedrup was practicing his early morning meditation on the 17th day of the 8th month of Iron Male Tiger year 1530—while the Drametse Lhakhang Monastery was under construction. In this state, three khadroma celestial maidens appeared to him with white complexion, decorated with colorful silken robes, ornaments and flower garlands. They invited Kuenga Wangpo to Zangdok Pelri, to take a tour of the palaces of the realm. He asked, “What should I take for the long journey?” The maiden responded, “While you are experiencing pure vision without doubts, come along with us.” They took him to the realm, and into a palace called Pema yoe ki Phodrang, Kuenga Wangpo saw King Indra Bhuti. Then the maidens took Kuenga Wangpo to the majestic palace of Zangdok Pelri, where he saw Guru Padmasambhava in a youthful form smiling and telling him “I am happy to see you here.” Instantly, Guru manifested to a Jalue, Rainbow Body, and dazzled Kuenga Wangpo with a splendid dance performed by many gods and goddesses transforming themselves into Dampa Rigja, the Hundred Guardian Deities; forty-two peaceful forms, and fifty-eight in wrathful appearance or in human form with various animals’ heads. All wore exquisite robes and a melodious sound of their drum beats resonated with Choe-ngai dra, Buddhist teachings. It is also believed that the sound of the drum signifies victory over evils and celebrates joy as Buddha’s teachings flourish. Kuenga Wangpo was then told to introduce this dance in Jigten me-yul, the human realm, and that conducting the Masked Dance would liberate sentient beings. Coming out of this meditation, he jotted down the detailed choreography, masks, and costumes. The first introduction of this Masked Dance was at the sacred place of Drametse, thus giving it the name Drametse Ngacham. Due to the significance embedded in the dance, successive spiritual masters and farsighted monarchs suchas Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) propagated the Masked Dance at monasteries and Dzong fortresses around the country.

Bhutan 2008

The name Zhana Ngacham comes from the zhana, black hats, worn by the dancers and the use of the ngachung, a small drum, during the Cham performance. It is another form of Zhana Cham, or black hat dance. Usually, the dance is performed by monks thus falls under the category of Tsun Cham, monks dance. Such dance is exhibited normally in fortresses, monasteries and temples during Tshechu, annual mask dance festivals and also during Drubchen, large ritual ceremonies. However, sometimes the monastic dancers are replaced by lay people if there are no suitable monks in the community. The dance falls under the category of Tsun cham, or monastic mask dance performances. The dancers wear a long brocade robe called phoe-gho with long and wide sleeve ends, a dorji gong, a crossed vajra collar, over the shoulder, and two phoe-cho or phoe-tog, bevels attached to either side of the hips that helps the robe turn smoothly and elegantly as the dancers twirl. The distinctive feature of the Black Hat dance is the black, spherical hat with decorations of stylized human skulls and peacock quills, and Thro-pang, an angry face wrapped around the front of the abdomen. Zhana Ngacham is usually performed by twenty-one dancers under the direction of Cham-pon, dance leader, and Cham-jug, deputy leader. In the seventeenth century, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) gave more importance to the performance of such dances and including them in the curricula of the central monastery under the title Gar-thig-yang-sum, putting mask dances alongside mandala proportions and ritual intonation, to their cultural significance in Bhutan.