Dancing Lamas

The last day In Dharamsala before heading to Amritsar we had heard about some Lama Dances in a monastery about 4 hours away. They where very highly recommended by a friend so at 4:50 am we got the first bus and we were on our way. Once the sun had come up the scenery was stunning green fields with cows sitting lazily under trees, tall yellow hay stacks all with million Rupee views of the Himalayas which had had a fresh dusting of icing sugar white snow that morning. It was chilly but the scenery was brilliant. Onto the bus many interesting characters got on and got off as they went about their life’s. A man got on with big stainless steel milk urns. “That man” the driver said “his milk is 50 percent water” the bus drove on winding around narrow roads. More stunning fields and small towns alive with school children and people getting ready for work and doing what they do. We passed a row of shops, the bus driver feeling brave about his English pointed and laughed and said “and that man his milk 75 percent water!!!” the laughter was contagious, soon several people around who understood English where all laughing too. Finally we arrived in Beijnath. Beijnath is a medium sized town with a very very old Hindu temple but that was not the destination. We had Hot Alloo Parata a sort of stuffed pancake and hot tea, as it was still freezing cold. Then we got a taxi to the monastery. The taxi ride was beautiful. As we wound our way through the mountains the pine trees and a huge gushing river with boulders and clean looking water direct snow melt from the Himalayas. Finally we arrived at the monastery, Tibetans all dressed in their regional cloths and monks in their deep red robes swarmed around the monastery completing circum navigations as they chanted mantras. People where all dressed so beautifully and all eagerly awaited the dances. We went in to get a good seat and the sight inside the main courtyard was unbelievable. A canopy of colourful Tibetan prayer flags fluttered in waves and created an incredible effect as they cut through the azure blue sky. After some time the first dancers came out. Striking deep blue incredible costumes  that had strips of stunning colourful cloth down their backs and long baggy sleeves so when they lifted their arms you could see the patterns better. The first lot of costumes where comparable to nothing, aside from the faces that could be like the Balinese Barong or perhaps the Chinese lion dance costumes but it is not very similar really. The choreography was brilliant, with lots of hopping and dancing in perfect formation. The traditional Tibetan music was beautiful in a special way, the deep long horns and the piercing cymbals that cut through this massive court yard of the 5 story monastery. Some of the Monks who where perhaps shy or supposed to be doing something peered through the windows sometimes peeking through closed curtains. About 4000 people sat on various levels and on the ground of the courtyard itself to watch these dances the people on the courtyard ground  had to be ushered back regularly so as no to encroach too much on the space. Some old Tibetans chatted and spun prayer wheels and the atmosphere was relaxed but intense and interested all at the same time. The ambiance is impossible to describe through words alone. Lamas in their robes with tall yellow hats that resemble the top notch on a rooster led most of the dances and procession or sometimes guided the dancers into and around the courtyard. Next came a different dance, similar face masks but this time all in white with huge fan like ears. This time there where plain strips of colour hanging from the costumes so whenever they twisted or turned the strips swayed like hula dresses on a massive brightly colourful scale. The next dance was similar but all the costumes where red, and the monks carried big green drums, which they hit in sequence with curved sticks. Each of the dances lasted about half an hour. In one corner was an amazing umbrella. It was about 3m in diameter and was covered in the most amazing material. Hanging down from all sides where hundred of peacock feather ends which all moved with the breeze creating a mirage of colour. The next dance was the snow lion dance. Huge white two person snow lion costumes all with green manes, tails, feet and had a green ridge down their backs. They wore red necklaces with huge brass bells. The snow lions where about 4 or 5m long and each had two attendants who helped direct them and make sure they didn’t crash into each other or the crows using subtle scarves which they hit lightly on the lions to indicate direction and position. The attendants where dressed in bright blue costumes which made the contrast with the green and white snow lions amazing to see.