Mani Rimdu

Mani Rimdu

Usually NovemberThis Tibetan Buddhist festival is held at the Tengboche gompa (monastery) in Solu Khumbu district high in the Himalayas of Nepal. Merely getting there requires at least a six-day hike in the mountains. But the scenery—which includes Mt. Everest and several lower but equally impressive peaks—is magnificent for those who make it.
Mani Rimdu is a thousand-year-old Buddhist epic that is re-enacted in the courtyard of the monastery. It takes place under a full moon, and begins when masked dancers enter the courtyard in silence. The same re-enactment takes place at the Thami monastery in May or June, although festival organizers in both locations recently have started requesting that foreigners who want to witness the event pay a fee.
CONTACTS:
Nepal Tourism Board, Tourist Service Center
Bhrikuti Mandap
P.O. Box 11018
Kathmandu, Nepal
977-1-4256909; fax: 977-1-4256910
www.welcomenepal.com
Tengboche Monastery Development Project
Tengboche Monastery
Khumbu, Nepal
www.tengboche.org
SOURCES:
WildPlanet-1995, p. 276