TitleNga Ging Cham, Thangbi Mani: 2nd Day of Festival [Close shot]
Additional title: Dance of the Ging with Drums
NamesCore of Culture (Organization) (Producer)Core of Culture (Organization) (Donor)
CollectionBhutan Dance Project, Core of Culture
Dates / OriginDate Created: 2005
Library locationsJerome Robbins Dance DivisionShelf locator: *MGZIDF 729B
TopicsDance -- BhutanFolk dancing -- BhutanDance -- Religious aspects -- BuddhismRites & ceremonies -- BhutanMasks -- BhutanFestivals -- BhutanDzongs -- Bhutan -- Bumthang (District)Bumthang (Bhutan : District)Ritual and ceremonial dancing -- BhutanMask dances -- Bhutan
GenresFilmed danceFilmed performances
NotesAdditional physical form: For wide shot version, see: *MGZIDF 729A.Performers: There are only eight dancers who perform all the dances during the three days of the entire festival.Content: Heavy rain during the Nga-Cham. The tape finishes just before all the dancers have exited.Venue: Videotaped in performance in the front courtyard of the Thangbi Lhakhang/Lhendrup Chhoeling Monastery (camera c - shoots at ground level diagonally across the courtyard), in Bumthang, on Sept. 18, 2005.Acquisition: Gift; Core of Culture. NN-PDBiographical/historical: The Thangbi festival held at Thangbi Lhakhang was founded in 1470 by the fourth Zhamarpa of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Located in the north of Choekkhor valley, it takes about 30 minutes walk from the road through the fields of buckwheat to reach the Temple. A small village festival held annually after the harvest of Potato and buckwheat to be thankful for the good harvest. It is also the time to celebrate and to pray that all sentient beings are blessed by invoking the deities through the ritual dances that are performed.Biographical/historical: The fourth Zhamar Rinpoche of the Karmapa School came to Bumthang from Tibet in the 15th Century in order to establish a monastery and in 1470 he founded Thangbi Lhakhang, located in the middle of a wide fertile plateau overlooking the river. Following a quarrel with Pema Lingpa, Zhamar Rinpoche had to leave Thangbi. The iron curtain hanging in the entrance is said to have been forged by Pema Lingpa himself, who took over the monastery.
Physical DescriptionBorn digitalExtent: 1 video file (ca. 16 min.) : sound, color
DescriptionThe Peling Ging-Sum (the three dances of the Ging in the Pema Lingpa tradition) are three dances that are performed around the country in a particular sequence. The Ging-Sum comprises three dances: Jug Ging, Dri Ging and Nga Ging which show the forces of good in direct combat with evil spirits who plague living beings with their constant suasions to commit wrong. Jug means baton or wand and the Jug Ging are spirits tasked to search out the prtesence of evil (using their wands as sensitive instruments to find out the direction in which evil lies). The Dri Ging - who carry swords - subjugate evil with their weapons before punishing and slaying (with compassion) any such evil spirits found. The Nga-ging - who each carry a drum - perform a victory dance at having overcome the evil spirits, and also ensure that even those conquered evil spirits are still prayed for and ultimately liberated from their evil ways. These three dances are considered to have been reveled by Terton Pema Lingpa in the 16th Century - and they are thus known as ter-cham or (revealed) treasure dances. They express a coherent choreographic and dramatic intention on the great Saint s part. They are most often performed together with nyulemai cham (Dance of the Evil Spirit) which serves as an active and visible reference to the existence of evil in the world - and the nyulema is often captured and dispatched by the Jug bearing Ging of the first of these dances.
Thangbi Mewang is held for four days, from the 13th to the 16th days of the 8th Bhutanese month.
Type of ResourceMoving image
IdentifiersNYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19800799Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 93738d40-e378-0130-baf7-3c075448cc4b
Copyright NoticeCore of Culture
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