This is to communicate to all the individual friends, associations and Dolpopa brothers and sisters, who have relentlessly contributed to welfare of Dolpo community, a brief history of the Shelri Rivo Drukdra pilgrimage.
For Buddhists, there are numerous pilgrimage sites, which pilgrims visit every year. However, some of the great pilgrimage sites like the four great pilgrimages in India, the three sacred stupas in Nepal, the magnificent statue of Sakyamuni in Jokhang, Lhasa, Tibet, and the holy Mount Kailash share a special characteristic in that these sacred sites are linked to a particular year, i.e. its 12th anniversary year, which conveys it special sanctity. In other words, there are twelve great pilgrimages linked to any given year according to the twelve signs of horoscope, and the anniversaries of these great pilgrimages, as mentioned above, are observed in a grand manner every 12 years due to their special religious significance. For example; great pilgrimage sites like the Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu have a special significance in the year of the bird, and pilgrimages to Mount Kailash in the year of the horse. It is believed that pilgrimages during such years give pilgrims a hundred-fold merit. So this year of the dragon is a special year for pilgrimages to Shelri Rivo Drukdra in Dolpo, which is believed to be the “sanctum sanctorum” and the abode of gods, and pilgrimages there will be immensely beneficial to the devotees.
The sanctity of the Shelri Rivo Drukdra pilgrimage was discovered through the prophecy of the great Buddhist Master Kyoppa Jigten Gonpo, renowned as a second
Nagarjuna, and he is also the principal guru of Drubthop Senge Yeshe, one of the founding fathers of Dolpo. Drubthop Senge Yeshi gave guidance in the discovery of this sacred site in the year of the iron dragon, approximately 1220 A.D. according to the Tibetan calendar. In this year of the dragon this sacred pilgrimage will enter its 792nd anniversary year since its inception.
Before the discovery of Shelri Rivo Drukdra, the Buddhist master Drubtob Senge
Yeshe, along with Tenzin Raepa, the first incarnated lama, Sangay Tenzin and Kathogpa Tsewang Norbu, had visionary dreams and a holy apparition telling them of the significance of this sacred mountain.
These visionary great masters saw that the sacred Shelri Rivo Drukdra is extremely vast, with the Crystal Mountain in the middle, covering an area of about 500 pagtse (about 5 km). Inside the Crystal Mountain they had a visual manifestation of a thousand Buddhas surrounded by five hundred Arhats, sixteen compassionate beings and eighty tantric siddhis, thus reinforcing the belief that Shelri Rivo Drukdra is the sanctum sanctorum of the gods.
Moreover, many Buddhist masters have had visionary dreams of the enlightened one descending from this holy mountain, and their interpretations can be found in religious texts. Similarly, when Ngari Penchen Pema Wangyal made his visit to the rugged land of Dolpo, he had a real vision of “Dhachog’s assembly” and the palace of hundred peaceful and wrathful deities at Shelri Rivo Drukda. Ngari Penchen Pema Wangyal has written about this vision of Shelri Rivo Drukdra in his biography.
Based on these religious beliefs, the year of the dragon in the Tibetan lunar calendar is considered the most auspicious for undertaking a pilgrimage to this sacred mountain and will enable the devotees to accumulate immense merits.
In the year 2000 A.D., the Dolpo Society, representing all Dolpo communities, took the responsibility to conduct a Shelri Rivo Drukda pilgrimage, popularly known as the Shey Festival. This year of the dragon assumes special significance because His Holiness Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche will be there to bless the occasion.
The Shey Festival will begin on 29th August and end on 3rd September 2012. The details of the Festival program are as follows:
The Festival will formally begin on 29th August 2012 with an assembly of monks and lay devotees, who will offer prayers to launch the pilgrimage. During the Festival the local government officials will distribute new citizenship certificates to the locals and provide the handicapped and elderly people with certificates that entitle them to governmental welfare programmes. On the initiative of the Dolpo Society, special “eye camp” services will be provided to treat the visually impaired, and Dolpo amchis will treat sick people with traditional herbal medicine.
1. On 29th August 2012, His Holiness accompanied by district officials and reputed lamas will jointly inaugurate the opening ceremony, followed by hoisting of prayer flags and burning of incense, with the blowing of ritual religious instruments like conches and trumpets, thus adding to the magnificent opening of Shey Festival. In the afternoon, to add gaiety to the Festival, participants from amongst both monks and lay people will display various religious and cultural shows.
2. On 30th August 2012, His Holiness will preside over the thousand Tsok offerings at the gathering of all the monks and lay devotees, which will be followed by devotees circumambulating (kora) the pilgrimage site. Later on in the day, on the initiative of the Dolpo Society, His Holiness along with district officials will issue to the elderly and disabled people with certificates that enable them to receive government grants. The day’s program will be concluded with short speeches from His Holiness and district officials. This will be followed by cultural and religious programmes from different schools and monasteries of Dolpo, who enthusiastically wish to share their involvement in the Festival.
3. On 31st August 2012, His Holiness will preside over the longevity prayer, after which the Dolpo Society will organise an animals’ life-sparing ceremony, individually chosen by different communities like Tibetan Drokpas, Thakalis, Mugupas, Tichurongpas, etc. In the afternoon His Holiness will deliver a short speech and bestow phowa transmission and phowa teaching to all the devotees, and this will be followed by short speeches from prominent personalities. To make the Festival more festive, monks will perform masked dances followed by Dolpo’s traditional “Shabdro” dance by locals.
Since 31st September 2012 is a “Full Moon Day”, both monks and lay devotees are encouraged to make the circumambulation (kora) around the “Shelri Rivo Drukdra”. This is particularly important for those devotees who have not made the Kora before.
4. On 1st September, His Holiness Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, together with an assembly of venerable lamas, tulkus and monks, will conduct the longevity prayer and one hundred thousand tsok offerings, while the general public will make the circumambulation (kora) around the sacred mountain. In the afternoon, the Dolpo
Society and the Organising Committee will take the opportunity to thank the Government Ministers, district officials, foreign donors and I/NGOs by garlanding them with ceremonial scarves in recognition of their generous help and support in the organising and success of the Festival. Moreover, the Dolpo Society will conduct a special dance and cultural programme to thank them for their support and this will form a happy conclusion to the Festival.
5. On 2nd September 2012, H. H. Rabjam Rinpoche will preside over the life-long empowerment initiation in the presence of all Khenpos, tulkus, venerable lamas and monks. Furthermore, accumulated merits of long-life empowerment will be given to the general public in the form of longevity pills and nectar.
A special reminder is given here that from 29th August to 2nd September 2012, five days of traditional programmes, such as archery competitions, horse races, cultural dances and songs, will be held by the youngsters of Dolpo-pas. At the same events, amchis (herbal doctors) will treat sick people with traditional healing methods and herbal medicines. The women of Dolpo will display traditional methods of clothes-making, and samples of traditional Dolpo attires will be exhibited. Men folk will display various traditional artefacts, which they normally create for a living. In short, Dolpo people’s entire daily life will be exhibited during the Festival. Apart from monks, participants from various monasteries in Dolpo will perform masked dances, and lamas and incarnate lamas will ritually burn incense. To end the programme, the people of Dolpo will perform Shadro dances throughout the nigh