Tiji - The festival is indigenous to Lo-Manthang, Upper Mustang.

Tiji - The festival is indigenous to Lo-Manthang, Upper Mustang.

Tiji is a fascinating annual three-day festival consisting of Tibetan rituals that celebrate the myth of a son who had to save the Mustang kingdom from destruction. The festival is  indigenous to Lo-Manthang, Upper Mustang.

"Tiji" the name is an abbreviation of the word "Tempa Chirim" which means "Prayer for World Peace". This festival commemorates the victory of Lord Buddha's incarnation Dorjee Sonnu over a demon called Man Tam Ru a vicious creature feeding on human beings and causing storms and droughts.

The Tiji festival usually takes place around mid May and lasts for 3 days. The monks of Lo-Manthang's "Choedhe" monastery perform ritual dances during the celebration. The harassment of Ma Tam Ru Ta (in a dance called "Tsa Chham" on the first day), the birth of Dorjee Sonnu as the demon's son (on the second day called "Nga Chham") and the attempt to return the demon to Lord Buddha's realm (on the third and final day) are enacted during the performances.

The Tiji festival dances are all organized by the Choedhe Monastery, which belongs to the Sakya sect of Buddhism. The monastery is headed by a Rimpoche. About 65 monks from Lo Manthang, Nhenyul and Chhosyer reside in this monastery.

The Tiji festival is the main festival of the Gurung, Bista's who live in Upper Mustang. Generally, like other festivals, in this festival, people eat according to their economic status, wear new clothes and ornaments, perform mass worship and dance in Gumwa, Chorten. This is the main festival of the residents of Chusang, Charang, Ghami, Surkhang and Choser villages of Lomanthang and Upper Mustang. Dorji is associated with the rebirth of Sunu. Tiji is celebrated in the belief that Sunu reincarnated and removed the fear and violence of demons and established peace and order on the earth.