Danse cham où les danseurs (moines) portent des masques et des costumes particuliers. Monastère de Repkong, province de l’Amdo, février 1995
See it in the Museum
Emporium
Orientation 1
Wall object 2
ABE 047
Code: ABE 047
Country: Tibet (Amdo)
Style:
Date: 1995
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: Unknown
Materials: Tirage en noir et blanc
Cham ritual dance in which the dancers (monks) wear special masks and costumes. Repkong monastery, Amdo province, February 1995
Masks are used in Buddhist ritual dances, called cham, performed by specially trained monks. These colourful and spectacular ceremonies attract large crowds. These extremely codified and difficult dances feature characters from the Buddhist pantheon, mixing peaceful and wrathful deities.
Some ritual masks may also depict animal-headed deities.
At the Tibet Museum, you can admire the ritual masks representing a bear (ABR 082), a tiger (ABR 081) and a buffalo (ABR 084) at the bottom of the emporium. The mythical garuda bird (ABR 083) and one of the manifestations of Padamsambhava (ABR 085) are also recognisable.
The cham ritual dance ceremonies are held with great pomp. Large crowds attend, and the spectacle of the monks seated in their ceremonial robes conveys a feeling of grandeur that is further enhanced by the music and the twirling, highly impressive dances, mastered to perfection.
The skull shown here has its equivalent in the display case on the right. Here we find the Chitipati couple, the masters of the charnel grounds, always represented in the form of dancing skeletons. There are also three kapala, ritual bowls made from a human skull cap. Wrathful deities often hold one filled with swirling blood.
Masks are used in Buddhist ritual dances, called cham, performed by specially trained monks. These colourful and spectacular ceremonies attract large crowds. These extremely codified and difficult dances feature characters from the Buddhist pantheon, mixing peaceful and wrathful deities.
Some ritual masks may also depict animal-headed deities.
At the Tibet Museum, you can admire the ritual masks representing a bear (ABR 082), a tiger (ABR 081) and a buffalo (ABR 084) at the bottom of the emporium. The mythical garuda bird (ABR 083) and one of the manifestations of Padamsambhava (ABR 085) are also recognisable.
The cham ritual dance ceremonies are held with great pomp. Large crowds attend, and the spectacle of the monks seated in their ceremonial robes conveys a feeling of grandeur that is further enhanced by the music and the twirling, highly impressive dances, mastered to perfection.
The skull shown here has its equivalent in the display case on the right. Here we find the Chitipati couple, the masters of the charnel grounds, always represented in the form of dancing skeletons. There are also three kapala, ritual bowls made from a human skull cap. Wrathful deities often hold one filled with swirling blood.