Everest & Solukhumbu · Tengboche
Mani Rimdu
मानी रिम्दु
Mani Rimdu is a 19-day ritual cycle at the Nyingma monasteries of Tengboche, Thame and Chiwong, ending in three public days of blessings, masked cham dances and a fire ceremony. For Khumbu Sherpas it is the biggest gathering of the year.
Mani Rimdu came to Khumbu from Rongbuk Monastery on the Tibetan side of Everest, where the lama Ngawang Tenzin Norbu began it in the early 1900s, drawing on the rituals of Mindroling, a great Nyingma monastery in central Tibet. Rongbuk's ties with Khumbu were close: it was Ngawang Tenzin Norbu who blessed Lama Gulu to found Tengboche in 1916. When Tibet's monasteries emptied after 1959, the Khumbu and Solu gompas became the keepers of the festival.
Most of the 19 days are private: monks build a sand mandala and chant to consecrate the mani rilbu, small blessed pills that give the festival its name. The public part comes at the end. On the first day lamas give the wang, a long-life empowerment, and hand the pills to the crowd. The second day is the dance day, when monks in brocade and painted masks perform the cham in the courtyard, acting out the defeat of forces hostile to the dharma, with comic interludes the Sherpa audience loves.
The final ceremony is a jinsek, a fire offering, followed by dances that dissolve the mandala's power back into the world. Families walk in from Namche, Khumjung, Pangboche and Phortse dressed in their best, and lodges in Tengboche fill. At Thame the festival usually falls in May; at Chiwong, on its cliff above Phaplu, it draws people from across Solu. Dates are fixed by the lunar calendar, so check current status before you travel.
Tips
- Book Tengboche or Deboche rooms months ahead for the dance days, or sleep in Pangboche and walk over early
- Sit where the monks show you, keep the dance floor clear, and never step over the ritual objects
- Bring a down jacket: the courtyard dances run for hours in the cold shade of an autumn afternoon
Questions
When is Mani Rimdu at Tengboche?
Tengboche's Mani Rimdu falls in October or November, set by the Tibetan lunar calendar, so the Western dates change every year. The public days, the blessing, the masked dances and the fire ceremony, come at the end of the 19-day cycle and usually land near a full moon. Thame holds its own Mani Rimdu, usually in May. Check current status before you travel.
Can tourists watch Mani Rimdu?
Yes. The three public days are open to anyone, and many trekkers time their Everest walk to pass Tengboche then. There is no ticket, though a donation to the monastery is welcome. Photography of the dances is generally allowed from the edges; inside the prayer hall, ask first. Dress warmly, arrive early for a place on the steps, and stay for the whole sequence rather than a single dance.
What does Mani Rimdu mean?
The name comes from mani rilbu, the small blessed pills consecrated during the festival's secret rituals and handed out on the empowerment day. Mani refers to the mantra of compassion, om mani padme hum, which monks chant thousands of times over the pills. Receiving them is considered a blessing for long life, and Sherpa families keep them at home.
Which monasteries hold Mani Rimdu?
Three: Tengboche in Khumbu, the best known and most visited; Thame, west of Namche on the old trade route to Tibet; and Chiwong in Solu, on a cliff above Phaplu. All three trace the ritual to Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. Thame's is usually in May, Tengboche's in October or November. Check current status before you travel, as dates follow the lunar calendar.