Robert HardingA photographic tour
Thimphu Tsechu is one of the spectacular Buddhist temple festivals held every year around October in the remote mountainous country of Bhutan, nestled between India and China.
Angelo Cavalli/Robert Harding
The highlights of the tsechu are the sacred dances in which masked performers play out moral stories and scenes centring around the teachings of the 9th Century saint and teacher, Padmasambhava.
age fotostock/Robert Harding
age fotostock/Robert Harding
Tsechu means ‘the tenth day’, the day on which the Guru Padmasambhava was believed to have been born.
Angelo Cavalli/Robert Harding
Large crowds turn up, dressed in colourful clothing, to watch the dances being performed.
Angelo Cavalli/Robert Harding
Young Buddhist monks sit on the steps of the temple watching the dances. The majority of the population practice Vajrayana Buddhism, a complex system of thought that originated in India.
Angelo Cavalli/Robert Harding
Angelo Cavalli/Robert Harding
Jester characters, similar to the ones that would perform in medieval European courts, create a lively, humorous atmosphere by playing jokes among the audience.
National Geographic/Robert Harding
National Geographic/Robert Harding
Some wear a phallic symbol, thought to counter evil spirits.
age fotostock/Robert Harding
A boy hides between two colourful dresses in the crowd.
age fotostock/Robert Harding
To see more photos from Thimphu Tsechu, click here.