Cham Dancers in monastery arena
To define cham ('cham) broadly, it is Tibetan Buddhist ritual dance performed by monks for lay people. There is great variety among cham dances according to the sect of the hosting monastery, the religious occasion, the region of performance and the traditions of the particular monastery. Though this stag mask is from a Tibetan area of China, the video below depicts dancers in Mongolia performing a dance. The tradition has spread wherever Tibetan Buddhism including ethnically Mongol areas. The map below is approximate, but gives a good impression of the areas of Tibetan Buddhist religious influence. Areas of Tibetan Buddhist (Vajrayana), influence are marked in magenta.
Size: 5268px × 3505px
Location: Spituk Monastery, Leh, India
Photo credit: © Manish Lakhani / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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