Suitcase and World: Hemis Festival. The Five Tshog Len and The Ten Great Ging.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Hemis Festival. The Five Tshog Len and The Ten Great Ging.


The Five Tshog Len and The Ten Great Ging were the last two dance performances and the performances overlap so I'm including both on one post.

At this point in the festival performances, the symbolic figure of all evil spirits including devils and demons has been put to an end and has been turned into pure nectar of wisdom.  This nectar is offered to the all the Dharmapalas, the protective deities, by the Five Tshog Len.  The Five Tshog Len are in their wrathful form.  One is red but extremely wrathful, a second one is also red but not quite as wrathful, one is white, one is yellow and one is green. 












Before the Tshog Len left the courtyard, the Ten Great Ging entered.  The Ten Great Ging are heroes and heroines who also appear in wrathful form.  They wear a warrior flag on their head and tiger skins on the lower part of their body.  Beating small drums, their dance drives away spirits and energies that can harm the dharma and sentient beings no matter where the evil forces are coming from.  The colors of their faces are yellow, brown, red, green, and blue.