Culture · Rumtek
Gutor chaam before Losar at Rumtek
Watch Rumtek's monks perform the Gutor chaam, the masked dance that closes a week of Mahakala rites just before Losar, the Tibetan New Year. A winter festival with few tourists, when the courtyard fills with local families.
Photo: Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
In the last week of the Tibetan year, Rumtek's monks hold Mahakala rituals to clear away the obstacles of the year that is ending. The rites close with two days of chaam, sacred masked dance, in the courtyard of the main monastery, two days before Losar. The dances usually fall in February or early March.
Dancers wear heavy brocade robes and painted masks of protector deities, animals and skeleton-like citipati, moving slowly to drums, cymbals and long horns. On the last day a torma, a sculpted dough offering representing the year's negativity, is carried out and destroyed. Local families come in their best clothes and sit for hours.
Arrive early to find a place on the steps around the courtyard, and bring a cushion and warm layers: February mornings at 1,500 m are around 5 °C. Do not walk across the dance ground, use flash or block the view of seated monks. Dates follow the Tibetan calendar; check current status before you travel.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
When is the Gutor chaam at Rumtek?
It is held over two days just before Losar, the Tibetan New Year, which usually falls in February or early March. The exact dates follow the Tibetan lunar calendar and change every year. Check current status before you travel, and book Gangtok rooms early, as Losar is a holiday week.
Can tourists watch the Rumtek mask dances?
Yes. Visitors are welcome to watch from the edges of the courtyard. Sit where monks or volunteers indicate, do not cross the dance area and avoid flash photography. Dress warmly and modestly. It is a religious ceremony first, so keep voices low during the dances.
What is the difference between Gutor and Losar?
Gutor is the end-of-year ritual, held in the last days of the old Tibetan year, to dispel obstacles; its mask dances are the public part. Losar is the New Year itself, celebrated at home with family, food and visits to monasteries over the following days.
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