Mar 2 - Today is the second day of Punakha Tshechu, a three-day festival held in the Punakha Dzong. It was specifically for the festival dates that I placed the Bhutan segment where I did. I could have picked from a number of festival dates in Western Bhutan, but this one made the most sense to attend, as it combined the festival with a dzong that I wanted to see anyway. It is held here due to the historical importance of the valley and dzong (as related on Day 332), and the fact that the Je-Khenpo (chief Abbot) and the main body of monks reside here in the winter.
‘Tshechu’ translates to ‘Day 10’, referring to the date of the festival, which is on the tenth day of a month according to the lunar Tibetan calendar. Most of the festival is dancing and singing, which relate mythical and actual historical events specific to Bhutan. It is an occasion for people from near and far to gather, celebrate, conduct business, and generally bond with others. Though some of the stories told by the performances are rather sobering, overall there is a celebratory feel to it.
Only Odette is properly dressed for this festival. The clothes were bought for us by the owner of the tour agency we used, Bhutan Journeys. This photo was taken from the wooden cantilever bridge that connects the dzong with the western side of the valley, over the Mo Chu. Now that I’m looking at it, it almost appears to be a fake backdrop.
Looking downriver from the cantilever bridge over the Mo Chu.
We attempt to go early and get a good spot in the inner dzong plaza. However, foreigners are supposed to get tickets, and the ticket office is not open at 8:15 when we show up. We stand around on the bridge that connects the dzong with the town over the Mo Chu River waiting while Gembo tries to sort everything out. It takes him a lot of arguing but we manage to get in at about 8:50.
We follow the stream of people entering the dzong.
The area under where the chief abbot sits is where the musical instruments are played and the singing goes on. The man in the center is playing the yangchen (hammered dulcimer).
We struggle a bit to find a spot to sit. Gembo was unable to secure a place during his discussions with authorities. We end up next to the musicians on an elevated floor. There is only one tourist-looking person here this early, an American photographer who has been doing research here for 40 years. I guess his media pass allows him to just walk in.
The day begins with some antics from the atsaras (jesters). They harangue the audience and performers all day long. They are also the primary means by which the monastery collects donations, as they filter through the crowd asking for money. Their humor is often very sexual, which Odette found strange but fascinating.
A group of women often came out between more serious performances, to dance and sing. Their body and hand movements are similar to those we were shown yesterday at the Simply Bhutan Museum.
By 9:00 the plaza has filled up.
Our spot, which we kept from the start until about noon.
An atsara, trying to intimidate the women in the audience.
The historical trace of today’s performance opens up when the ceremonial guards above (there were similar people stationed at the entrance to the dzong) walk ahead of the procession of Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the unifier of Bhutan in 1616 CE.
More of the Zhabdrung Rinpoche’s procession.
The man in the yellow robes plays the part of Zhabdrung Rinpoche, who really does nothing but watch the performances all morning and give blessings (by placing white scarves around the necks of those who present themselves before him).
Some dancers with animal masks.
This part illustrates the construction of the Punakha dzong (1637 CE). The chief carpenter is on the right with a brown shirt.
Some logs for the construction are dragged off through the audience.
These women chant a mantra similar to the one we saw at Simply Bhutan Museum. Their job is to pack earth for the walls of the dzong.
This unusual song is specific to Punakha, and is a celebration of the completed construction of the dzong.
Dancers representing the five elements (water, fire, air, vegetation, and earth) bring colored scarves to Zhabdrung Rinpoche to be blessed.
The plaza was completely packed by 10:00, and more tourists showed up by then.
Local deities dancing.
When Ngawang Namgyal (Zhabdrung Rinpoche) fled Tibet in 1616 and unified Bhutan, he had with him a holy relic he had taken with him. The rulers of Tibet were unhappy with this and sent and army to teach him a lesson. There is a series of battle scenes in the performance to illustrate this war. In the end, Bhutan is victorious.
One of the best series of dances in the morning is the Zhanag (Black Hat Dance). The defining characteristics are the long flowing robe (called a phoego), and the hat with a flat, black base. It symbolizes the subjugation of evil and eradication of negative forces. It also has a special meaning local to Punakha. Legend says that the unifier of Bhutan (Zhabdrung Rinpoche) brought a relic with him from Tibet when he fled to Bhutan. The Tibetan army that came after him camped on the hill behind the Punakha dzong waiting for a moment to attack. Zhabdrung went to the bridge over the river and showed the relic to them, and shouted that he would rather cast it into the river than give it back. He was wearing the costume now imitated by the Black Hat Dancers. He then slipped the real relic into a sleeve of his robe and threw an imitation in the river. Upon seeing that, the Tibetan troops decided that he was crazy and decided to go home, since the relic was supposedly lost.
The kids don’t think the Black Hat dancer is so scary.
The Black Hat Dancers as a group.
Odette is kinda nervous around the atsara.
At about noon there was a shift in the arrangement of the performance area, so we moved to the other side of the plaza. The next dances also shifted, from recounting a historical timeline to an introduction of the demonic characters. The point here is to introduce the people at the festival to the demons they will encounter upon death, so that they can recognize them and not be so startled.
One of the first animal demons one is expected to encounter in the afterlife has a bull head (shown above).
The other demon to be seen first is one with a monkey head (shown above). He has a sort of mace as a weapon, which is the chosen weapon of the Hindu god Hanuman.
A dancer with what appears to be a wolf head.
An atsara gives the dancers a bad time.
It was at this point that we needed to move on and see another dzong in the area. First we took a tour of the important temple interiors of the Punakha Dzong. No photos were permitted inside.
Inside this building, on the second floor, is a sacred room that only the king, former king, chief abbot, and an assistant to the abbot can go.
The main temple of the dzong.
The central, and highest, building.
About 20 minutes north of Punakha, we go across a suspension walking bridge and hike up to Khamsun Yulley Namgyal Chorten.
The bridge.
The chorten.
The chortens we’ve seen are all chained down by snow lions. This is because the chortens are so powerful they could fly away if not restrained in this way.
The view down the Punakha Valley from the roof of the chorten.
These eight large stupas all have different bases, each representing a stage or event in the life of Buddha.
Back down the valley and over to one of the longest suspension walking bridges in Bhutan.
The bridge crosses the Pho Chu (father river) just before the confluence.
The suspension bridge.
Returning to the hotel, we pass the ‘carnival grounds’ outside the dzong, where much entertainment and pop-up stores is there for the many people who have traveled here to see the festival. There must be twenty bouncy houses set up.
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