Caption: Pemagantse, Sikkim, India - Feb 2003. The abbot of Pemagantse monastery peforms at the annual Bumchu Masked Dance Festival in Sikkim. Held im
Caption: Pemagantse, Sikkim, India - Feb 2003. The abbot of Pemagantse monastery peforms at the annual Bumchu Masked Dance Festival in Sikkim. Held immediately before the Tibetan Losar, or New Year, the festival is designed to cleanse the society of any karma or evil presences accumulated through the year. Unfolding over three days, dances peformed by monks and lamas reenact mythological tales describing the eternal battle between good and evil. Bad spirits, evil thoughts and evil motivations are summoned into the playing field of the monastery, where they are transformed into a dough human figure -usually shaped as a woman- and then brutally destroyed. Credit: Leisa Contact: Legal Notice: Any use of this picture is subject to a license agreement entered into by the user and AsiaWorks Photography Ltd. All other rights reserved. Any re-use and redistribution of this image is prohibited. For sales enquiries regarding any additional use of this or other pictures from AsiaWorks Photography please contact
Size: 5310px × 3495px
Photo credit: © Leisa Tyler / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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