The Living Religious and Cultural Traditions of Bhutan
An exhibition of arts and crafts of Bhutan entitled “The Living Religious and Cultural Traditions of Bhutan” was organised in New Delhi from October 17 to November 13, 2001 and in Kolkata from December 2 to 28. It featured over 176 rare artifacts covering a period between the 9th to 21st centuries A.D. Most of the exhibits have never been shown outside Bhutan before. These included, among others, Buddhist religious images, ritual objects, vibrant thangka paintings, stone vessels, exquisite hand woven textiles and a typical Buddhist altar recreated in all its pristine beauty. The exhibition embodied the simple values of peace, harmony and compassion that Buddhism is synonymous with.
The exhibition was the first of its kind in India, the aim of which was to showcase the rich and cultural traditions of Bhutan. It was a veritable visual treat and soul-stirring spiritual experience. The exhibition was not only a static display of artifacts. It also brought alive Bhutan’s vibrant performing arts, fine examples of Zorig Chosum (thirteen traditional arts and crafts), and ancient Buddhist religious rituals. Bhutanese art has three main characteristics: it is anonymous, it is religious and as a result, it has no aesthetic function. A Bhutanese does not view a painting or a sculpture as a work of art. To him it is a work of faith. The rules of iconography are firmly established in Bhutanese tradition and are scrupulously respected. Each deity has a colour and special attributes that cannot be changed without altering its significance and the religious function.
Paintings and sculptures are consecrated through a special ceremony whereby they come to personify the deities. When a Bhutanese commissions a painting or a statue, he looks on it as a pious act which would earn him merit.
This faith was evident in the live demonstrations, the monks gave of making kilkhor (sand mandala), torma (intricately decorated ritual offering with butter and white flour), colourful thangkas, using traditional earth paints, decorative wood carvings, clay sculptures and back strap weaving. For the benefit of the visitors, the monks also performed rituals using traditional instruments such as cymbals, oboes, horns, drums and conches.
The exhibition conveyed the message that in Bhutan arts, ceremonies and festivals are not relegated to the past but form an integral part of the daily lives of the Bhutanese even today. Bhutan’s aspiration has always been to bind today with tomorrow while retaining the richness of the past. In fact, the country’s development approach according to His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck is Gross National Happiness which seeks to maintain a balance between material progress and spiritual fulfillment. Hence happiness of the people and not the Gross National Product is the ultimate objective of development in Bhutan.
Added to the Zorig Chosum, on display were photographs of traditional Bhutanese architecture and a magnificent replica of the historic Punakha dzong built in the 17th century by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. The construction of which was predicted by Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century. The dzong was the winter capital of Bhutan till 1955. The coronation of H.M. the King Ugyen Wangchuck, the first King of Bhutabn took place in this dzong on December 17, 1907. The first National Assembly was also held here. The dzong houses the largest thongdrel (a giant appliqué thangka) ever made measuring 83 ft by 93 ft.
During the course of the exhibition in Delhi and Kolkata, artists from the Bhutanese Royal Academy of Performing Arts staged an impressive and colourful display of the country’s musical traditions through mask and folk dances, and melodious songs. They also performed in Lucknow, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Guwahati.
Bhutanese songs and dances can be classified into two categories viz. religious and secular. The religious dances, which normally performed by the monks are called cham. These dances can be grouped into three broad categories, viz., instructive or didactic dances which are dramas with moral, dances that purify and protect a place from demonic spirits, and dances that proclaim the victory of good over evil.
Folk music and dances are performed by both sexes, either separately moves or together. Bhutanese folk songs and dances are natural and intuitive expressions of social mores and beliefs. In addition to the universal themes of love, joy and sorrow, the folk songs and dances reflect the interdependence and harmonious co-existence of men and nature.
Source Courtesy: TASHI DELEK - the in-flight magazine of DRUK AIR, 2002.