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Mani Rimdu Festival - Tengboche

Area: Khumbu
Days:
15 day trip -12 day in Khumbu, 3 day In Kathmandu
Dept. Ex. KTM -14 October
Per Person Cost -

The Mani Rimdu festival in Tengboche is performed in the 9th month of the Sherpa Tibetan calendar ( corresponds to 3rd week of October) according to the tradition of Mindroling and came from Rongbuk Monastery north of Tengboche in Tibet. The name comes from "Mani" part of the chant of Chenrezig, and "Rilbu & quot; which are the small red pills, which are blessed throughout the ceremony and distributed to everyone at the end.

At the beginning a beautiful and intricate mandala or sacred diagram is drawn in fine colored sand. The sand is collected from a special place high in the mountains. It takes four days to complete the mandala then it is covered and used as a focus for the next ten days meditation.

At the end of the ceremonies the monks perform the sacred mask dances known as Cham. There are sixteen dances with some comic interludes that delight the crowds. These dances are a recreation of the establishment of Buddhism in the Himalayas by the legendary Padmasambhava, known as Guru Rinpoche. The dances convey Buddhist teachings on many levels from the simplest truth to the most profound realization. Throughout the dances, symbolic demons are conquered, dispeled or subdued. The symbolism can be interpreted on many levels; the inner "demons" of hatred, greed and ignorance overcome through meditation on compassion and wisdom. A blessing ceremony (wong) is offered by the Tengboche Rimpoche Nawang Tenzing Zangpo ( the chief abbot of the Tengboche Monastery) to the local Sherpas who have come to attend the festival.

On the last day when most people have gone home a fire ceremony is performed by the monks to allay all the harm in the world. Afterwards the sand mandala is symbolically dismantled and the merit dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings.

Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu
Day 2: Walk and Tour in Kathmandu
Day 3: Fly to Lukla and trek to begin trek
Day 4 ~6: Trek to Tengboche - making of the sand Mandala
Day 7: Dance rehearsal and Dhupchen
Day 08:
Wong (blessing ceremony)
Day 09: Cham Dances begins. During the whole night there is traditional dancing by the Sherpa community
Day 10: Jinsang - fire ceremony
Day 11~12:
Trek back to Lukla
Day 13:
Fly Lukla - Kathmandu
Day 14: Free day in Kathmandu
Day 15: Trip ends


Mani Rimdu Festival - Chiwang Solu

Area: Solu Khumbu
Days: 12 day trip -7 day trek, 4 night In Kathmandu
Dept. Ex. KTM -15 November
Per Person Cost -

The Mani Rimdu festival in Solu is celebrated on in the 10th month of Sherpa / Tibetan calendar ( 3rd weeks of November) at the Chiwang Gompa which is situated atop of magnificent cliff near (1 hour's walk) Phaplu airstrip.

Built in 1935 by legendry Sange Lama of Phaplu, the Chiwang Gompa is one of three monasteries in Solu Khumbu to play host to the Mani Rimdu festival of Nepal.

In the chill of each day's dusk masked dancers make their first appearance on the bare courtyard of the monastery before performing, for hours on end, in an elaborate ritualistic retelling of the story of Buddhism's triumph over Bon, Tibet's ancient animist religion. The drama is lit by the full moon by which each Mani Rimdu is timed. Performing Lamas (monks) wear beautifully crafted papier maché masks and intricately woven brocade costumes. There are various phases to the festival as on the first day the monks act out elaborate prayer rituals before embarking on the story itself on the second day. On the final day, the throngs of Sherpas who have gathered for the ceremonies join with the local villagers and party the night away in an all night Sherpa dance. Sherpas are amongst the most devout Buddhists in Nepal, mountain people originally descended from Tibetans, who made the long and arduous trip from their country across the Himalayas. Trulshik Rimpoche (one of the chief abbot of the Nyingmapa sect of Buddhism from) from the Thubten Cholin monastery - presides the masked dances (wang) and the blessing (Wong) ceremonies.

Before the arriving at the Chiwang Monastery for the festival, we trek to the milky lakes of Dudhkunda Himal.

Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu
Day 2: Tour of Kathmandu
Day 3: Fly to Phaplu and trek to Junbesi
Day 4:
Visit Himalayan sherpa School in Phungmuche
Day 5: Visit Thubten Cholin Monastery
Day 6: Trek to Chiwang Gompa
Day 7~9: Cham and Ong Ceremony
Day 10: Fly Phaplu to Kathmandu
Day 11:  Free day in Kathmandu
Day 12: Trip ends


Destination:
Trip Type:
   
Departures list  
 
High Altitude Trek
Arun Trek
3Valleys of Mt. Everest
Nar, Phu and Tilicho Lake
Manaslu Trek
Dhaulagiri Circuit
Kanchenjunga Trek
Langtang And Helambu Trek
Upper Mustang Trek
Rolwaling, Tashilabtsa, Everest
Simikot To Mt. Kailash
Extreme Altitude Trek
Mera la, Amphulabtsa & Cho-la
Jugal Himal Expedition
Cultural Treks
Rumjatar to Dudh Kunda
Pieke & Dudh Kunda
Mani Rimdu Festival
Tea House Treks
Everest Area
Annapurna Area
Langtang Area