The Tiji Festival is an auspicious festival in the Upper Mustang region of Nepal and a great way to experience the deep cultural heritage. The festival was celebrated as the symbol of the victory of good over evil, according to the traditional account. It is believed that a demon caused droughts and spread the diseases that devastated what is now the Mustang region. The deity Dorje Jono confronted and defeated this evil and protected his people, and the festival celebrates his victory with prayer chants and colourful dances.

According to the Vajrayana Buddhism, Dorje Jono is known as Vajrakilaya or Dorje Phurba, the name of a wrathful deity, a centuries-old Buddhist practice in Nepal & India. The Padmasambhava (a Buddhist Master) introduced this practice in Tibet as well as Nepal, together with the Kashmiri Pandit Vimalamitra and the Newar yogi-king Silamanju, in the 8th century. It then branched into many lineages throughout the Himalayan region to this day.

Padamasambhava taught the step-by-step practice of the sacred dance of Vajrakilaya at Samye Monastery in Tibet. Chhode Monastery at Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang is famous for its performance of the Vajrakilaya practice and tradition.

The patronage of the kings of Mustang introduced the Tiji festival in Upper Mustang in the late 17th century. The King Samdup Rabten invited Sakya Trizin Ngawang Kunga Sonam to visit Lomangthang. He lived at Chhode Monastery and asked the monks to perform the worship and dance of Tenpa Tserim in the presence of the King of Mustang.

The Tenpa Tserim (prayer for world peace), subsequently abbreviated to TENCHI, and finally became TIJI. The series of dances performed the special Vajrakilaya rituals to eliminate the anti-elements and also the protect all sentient beings in Mustang.

Since then, the Chhode Monastery has organized the The Tiji Festival that showcases these Vajrakila rituals. The monks have been performing this three-day sacred dance annually at the courtyard of the Royal Palace in Lomangthang. It will take place from May 14 to 16th, 2026.

How to celebrate the Tiji (Tenchi) festival in Upper Mustang?

The 1st day of the Mustang Tiji Festival:

There are two types of activities on the first day of the festival. First, the monks gather at the Chhode Monastery and begin the morning worship ceremony to eliminate the negative forces. The worship consists of praying to Vajrakila, performing a dance called Tso Chham. The dance symbolizes reenacting the persecution of the demon Ma Tam Ru Ta.

This sacred dance is part of a meditation practice based on the Tantric teachings associated with Vajrakilaya. Initially, the name of this dance was Tenpa Chirim, which honors Buddha's teachings for all sentient beings. The performer of this dance gets the empowerment of Vajrakilaya, representing the wrathful deity. He needs to complete the three-month retreat before the festival, especially the Tso (head of the mask dancer).

Second, the monks play traditional musical instruments, such as drums, cymbals, and copper horns, to unveil the large Thanka depicting Padmashabhawa and the two dakinis on the south wall of the square. The Royal families and the villagers from the Upper Mustang participate in observing these sacred rituals.

The 2nd day of the Mustang Tiji festival:

There are several steps in this ritual dance. It has different poses and gestures that reflect the various processes of its deeper meanings. The second day of the festival begins with Na-Cham. The dance marks the generation of the deity, Dorje Shonu. His father demon is looking at the events in the middle of the square under a blanket, while the birth of Dorje Shonnu is taking place. The Bardo is the type of prayer transition of death or birth.

The same dancers perform the dances as on the first day, followed by wrathful manifestations until his rebirth. At these steps, the dances sometimes have a sense of humor that appeals to the audience, and the audience cheers when they feel the demon is about to be challenged further.

You will see the several poses and gestures of the dances. The groups of dancers with the terrifying mask look like the guardian deities of the Royal family, who try to protect the soul as it journeys through the Bardo. The dance of trembling skeletons represents the deities who come to receive the soul at death. There are groups of such dancers, adorned with animal masks, in the various frescoes of the Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The dog-faced masked performer finds a box containing the demon substance and gives a piece of the death-substance to all the masked deities. Through this process, the Dorje Shonnu protects the Lo Kingdom from demons.

The 3rd day of the Mustang Tiji Festival:

The final day of the Mustang Tiji festival is the most significant of the three days. It is when all the demons and spirits are gathered and eliminated, and the festival concludes with cheers as the people burn a dummy of the devil. The Tiji festival holds great mythological significance as it has undergone a cycle of losing and regaining its worth, with the mysterious hidden behind it. The people living in Upper Mustang are committed to preserving the cultural traditions of the Tiji festival.

The Mustang Tiji Festival Trek is a top-rated event every May in Upper Mustang, coinciding with the full moon. It features significant religious ceremonies that attract visitors from all around the world who come to experience the festival themselves. The festival concludes only after all the preceding activities have been finished.