| SLIDESHOW | WARRIORS PROCESSION |
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
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1. "The Palace of Great Bliss"
Stone-faced, burly and forbidding, the warriors are suddenly all smiles and grins, showing crimson teeth stained by beetle-juice. The fierce men lined up moments earlier for the group photograph are modern-day descendants of Bhutan's Pazaaps, a centuries-old citizen's militia charged with safeguarding holy relics within the fortified ramparts of western Bhutan's Dechen Punthang Phodrang or "Palace of Great Bliss," which straddles the confluence of two rivers, Mochu and Phochu, like a great white ship at anchor.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
2. A Group Photo
Like their ancient forebears before them, the present-day Pazaaps have heavy spiked brass helmets with protective coverlets that run down the sides and backs of their heads. They carry lightweight shields made from woven cane with an outer covering of tough animal hide. Their bright red shoulder-to-knee ghos are made from a dense blend of yak hair and wool. Wrapped around their shoulders and their necks are durable lengths of dull raw silk which, used correctly, can stop a full frontal blow from a long sword. And yes, they are wearing swords; swords well over two-feet long and hanging swashbuckler-fashion from their waists or tucked at rakish angles into their belts.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
3. A Vibrant Festival
Leaving me, the warriors disappear quickly into the shadowy passages on either side of the massive stone fortress—known colloquially as a dzong*—they have known all their lives. They are in a hurry because the Pazaaps and their cohorts are the main attraction today at the annual "Procession of Warriors", a grand festival blending religion, history and cultural spectacle in this part of the country we have invited our guests to attend. Each year, when winter gives up its hold on the countryside to an early spring and purple jacarandas start to bloom on the trees outside its walls, the grand halls and courtyards of this monumental monastery-fortress, one of the kingdom's finest, explodes in a riot of colors and sounds, a medieval pageant recounting one of the country's most important legends.
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*Dzong: A Dzong is one of Bhutan's defining architectural landmarks. These grand monastery-fortresses house religious and administrative offices of provincial governors spiritual leaders. Similar to European castles in function, they serve as state capitol, Buddhist seminary, district court all rolled in one. At various times of the year they also become the venue of large communal celebrations such as the religious festivals that have been held on their grounds for centuries. There are 20 beautiful dzongs in Bhutan; one each in each of the 20 regions of the kingdom.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
4. The Great Unifier
The story concerns a certain holy relic—the Rangjung Kharsapani*—a miraculous self-created image of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The holy artifact was brought to Bhutan in the early 17th century by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel—master-builder, administrator and, according to the history books, "The Great Unifier of Bhutan"—personified at the festival (above) by a high lama wearing a gold-paint mask. The fact that Shabdrung brought the sacred image to Bhutan among his prized spiritual possessions irked his powerful rivals in Tibet who promptly launched several military campaigns to reclaim it. Enter the Pazaap warriors, who were sworn in as its defenders. After several battles, Shabdrung and the ancestors of today's Pazaaps came up with an idea to put an end to the hostilities. During a lull in fighting, they formed a procession of monks and warriors to the Mochu river next to the dzong and pretended to throw the holy object in water. When the Tibetan forces saw that the Avalokitesvara image was now lost to all, they left, never to return. Unbeknownst to the Tibetans, however, the real relic was securely placed in a protected tower of the dzong, where it remains to this day.
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*Rangjung Kharsapani: An exceedingly rare statue of the enlightened Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara believed to have appeared from the ashes of Tshangpa Gyari, one of the founders of the Drukpa or "Dragon" school of Buddhism practiced in Bhutan (because of this Bhutanese call themselves Drukpai Meyser, or “People of the Drukpa”). Following his cremation, the founder Tshangpa Gyari’s vertebrae are said to have turned themselves miraculously into 21 such miniature statues of Avalokiteshvara.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
5. A Pageant of Warriors
A sudden blast of ceremonial music—drums, long horns, reedy pipes and clashing hand-held cymbals—announces the start of the day's festivities. Following the sounds of the music to the main outer courtyard of the dzong, I see the grand procession of warriors weaving its way from the ample grounds outside the fortress. Colorful swirling religious standards and pennants dominate the view on every side. As the procession moves closer, I can see that in addition to the foot soldiers like the ones I photographed earlier, there are proud commanders with gleaming helmets wearing flashy silks and brocades. They ride brightly festooned horses, led and followed by long lines of monks and monastics.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
6. Pomp and Ceremony
Then, a flash of yellow, a quick gleam of reflection from round-rimmed glasses announcing the arrival of one of the most recognizable and beloved figures in the kingdom, His Holiness Je Khenpo, chief arbiter of all things monastic in Bhutan. The courtyards now fill up quickly with vibrantly dressed festival-goers in their best and brightest. Among the residents of the surrounding valleys of Punakha, are state guests, high officials, ministers and members of the kingdom's beloved royal family. The dignitaries take their seats in the elaborate upper viewing galleries of the dzong which includes the ceremonial seat of His Holiness Je Khenpo, who presides. In short order, the festivities begin in earnest.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
7. Dance of the Warriors
A sudden explosion of fire-works accompanied by blood-curdling yells, whoops and whistles announces the entrance of our friends, the Pazaaps. Blades slice the air and shields rise to meet them. Faces contort fiercely, bodies twist and twirl. Drums beat, and feet leap in the air, a strenuous if effortless-seeming ballet telling a story about the brave and historic encounters of warriors past.
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Re-enacting the battles of their forbears, Bhutan's Pazaap warriors preserve a vital aspect of the kingdom's cultural memory.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
8. The Deflection
Suddenly, a plaintive cry, followed by more ceremonial music. The yellow-robed figure of the Je Khenpo rises, followed by his retinue of monks and ceremonial standard bearers. The re-enactment of the symbolic procession to the river includes Bhutan's chief abbot, His Holiness Je Khenpo (in yellow robes), modern day representatives of officials and nobility from the surrounding valleys and retinues of monks, musicians and warriors. The procession gradually makes its way out of the courtyard and down the stairs to the banks of the river. Bhutan's spiritual leader ceremonially throws something round and shiny into the river (I'm told it's an orange) symbolizing one of history's most unique peace-inducing deflections as well as an annual offering to the spirits of the river.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
9. Another Year
Down by the river, I can see the Pazaaps celebrating, pumping their fists gleefully in the air. I hear their exuberant shouts and cries, and though I can't see their faces from the distance, I imagine them grinning ear to ear with red betel-stained teeth, marking yet another happy year of their lives. Watching the final act of a martial celebration in a country otherwise known for its peace and tranquility I have reached a personal conclusion. Despite the explosions, in spite of the fierce dances, the leaping, jousting and vigorous crossing of swords, this event is really about finding resolution. It is not so much about the pride and prowess of the Pazaap warriors as about defusing conflict, something we need more of in the world today.
Slideshow of Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival
Images from Bhutan's early-springtime festival. Scroll down to read caption details. Feature Article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. | Travel Itinerary at Procession of Warriors.
10. Endnote
Although there is no longer an expectation that the Pazaaps will ever see battle, the young men are still chosen for their ancestry, strength, intelligence, standing in the community and, to a certain extent, for their good looks and their physical stature. These three friends relax after their exertions at the festival with a young monk (at the edge of the frame). While their lives will lead them down very different paths, of householder and renunciation (in the case of the monk), their strong bonds of kinship will endure through the years enabled by the openness of Bhutanese society and the wide-ranging roles that those in the monasteries play in the lives of the average Bhutanese citizen, warriors and laymen.
By Karma Dorji
The annual festival of warriors ushers Bhutan's springtime festival travel season. The history of the Pazaaps (as the warriors are known) celebrates martial strength, the significance of sacred relics in Bhutan and a clever defusing of cross-border hostilities. To learn more, read the full article at Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival. To see dates and prices for an upcoming journey featuring the festival, see here.
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