Once practiced in secret, Charya Nritya (dance as a spiritual discipline) is a traditional Buddhist ritual dance. In ancient times, it was believed that the gods were so pleased by the performers’ skill that they would appear before the dancers. Accompanied by Charya Giti (devotional songs), Newar Buddhist priests (Bajracharyas and Shakyas) perform these sacred Buddhists dances using small cymbals (ta) and a two-faced drum (damaru) for musical accompaniment.
Wearing elaborate costumes and six types of ornaments, the dancers move gracefully through poses inspired by Buddhist deity figurines. The dance includes different styles representing deities such as Manjushree, Avalokiteshvara, Vajrayogini, and Vajrapani. As part of Vajrayana deity yoga, performers embody the appearance, qualities, and awareness of the deity they portray.
According to myth, Kathmandu Valley was once a giant lake full of snakes, and that was naturally uninhabitable. The dance tells the story of how the Buddhist sage Manjushree and his consorts Brada and Mokshada, when on a visit to Swayambhunath Stupa, drained out the water and so made the valley inhabitable for people to live in.
Bajrayogini is one of the four tantric goddesses of the Kathmandu valley who is revered as the goddess of yogic practices. Her temple is located in the village of Sankhu some one hour from Kathmandu. Replete with symbolic hand movements and animated facial expressions, red-costumed dancers sometimes move languidly to depict tranquility and sometimes vigorously to convey anger. It is a very interesting dance that is captivating to watch.
Considered to be their main ritual dance by the Shakyas, the Pancha Buddha dance is performed during the more important festivals in the valley. This dance is performed in honour of the Pancha (Five) Buddhas, i.e. Vairochana (the brilliant one), Aksobhaya (the unshakeable), Ratnasambhava (the matrix of the jewel), Amitabha (the infinite light) and Amoghasiddhi (the infallible realization). Dancers don the distinctive colours of the five Buddhas and depict their specific postures.
The other two Charya dances are the Rakta Ganesh dance (dedicated to the elephant-headed god Ganesh, and the Arya Tara dance (in honour of the consort of Amoghasiddhi, the green complexioned Tara).
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