Traditions & Practices
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Lama Dances of Sikkim
Lama dances are masked dances performed by the Buddhist monks of Sikkim as part of their religious practices. The practices are codified in the religious texts of Sikkim in accordance with the teachings of Guru Padmashambhava, the legendary saint of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Based on these, Lamas conduct prayers for the benefit of Buddhism and the state of Sikkim. But each prayer and its dance are distinct from the others as they are derived from different texts dealing with different problems faced by a person during the cycle of birth and death. Unlike the original Tibetan Buddhist dances, Mount Khangchendzonga is central to any Sikkimese Buddhist dance. In the Lama dances, very gorgeous attire and colourful masks made according to the scriptures are used with traditional musical instruments like cymbals and big horns rendering the codified religious music and chanting.
Source IGNCA Inventory of ICH, Janapada Sampada Division, IGNCA
Contributed by Aditya, CEE Ahmedabad
Lemon-Chili Dangles
Lemons have long been considered auspicious among Hindus, and are displayed and used in most rituals. A lemon-chili bunch is often seen hanging from the doors of homes in India, especially newly constructed houses. New cars/bus/truck and other automobiles in India are driven over lemon as they are rolled out of showrooms.