The distant district of Dolpa hurts when disaster hits the country and abroad. Peace puja is organized in Dunai, the district headquarters of Dolpa.
The puja is held wishing for prematurely departed souls. Prayers are also offered for the mitigation of natural calamities.
Khempo Ghese Nima Kunkap, a social worker from Dolpa Baijibara is continuously involved in this generous work. He has a Ph.D. in Jyotish Shastra in Buddhism.
He has been spending his own money on social service taking care of people in the district, country, and abroad. Dhumchya Puja has been concluded this year as usual under the leadership of Khempo. The puja is performed every year at Yungdung Shughal Gumba in Baijibara village. It has a history of about 400 years.
The resident Bajibara village of Kaike rural municipality ward no-5 has been celebrating Dhumchya Puja since time immemorial. They are Bon Buddhism followers.
It is worshiped at the end of the year.
According to the Bon religion, the chief deity of Dhumchya is called Hitam Valsai Ngampa. According to the tradition of this village, Dhumchya Puja is performed in the last month of the year. The main reason for performing this puja is to get astrological remedies and get rid of other problems throughout the year.
Nima Kunkyap, the Khempo of the monastery says the puja is performed for a month-long period. The preparation is carried out by villagers three months ahead of the puja. The puja was affected due to internal strife and political-ideological division that occur in the village.
Thus puja is reduced to a week from a month-long duration. The residents of the village work collectively during the puja. During the week-long puja, the head lama of the monastery and other lama recite a mantra, read scriptures, and performs rituals. People from Baijibara and the neighborhood also participated in the Puja along with rituals were performs in the monastery for a week.
On the last day, lama dances were performed followed by night prayers. On the last night, the final form of worship with white horse dances is demonstrated. From the next morning onwards, more lama dances are performed throughout the day. And on that day, the feast is organized for all the participants who take part in the puja. According to the belief after a long day of lama dances and prayers, wishing for keeping away mishap in the whole year, Dhokpa is thrown amidst chief lamas and other lamas perform dances and prayers.
Dhumchhya festival was celebrated similarly this year too. According to Khempo Ghese Nima Kunkyap, three such powerful pujas are performed in a year, of which Dhumchhya is most important. It is believed that this will keep away negative thinking of the people throughout the year. And they have entered the good phase in the upcoming year.
"This puja is very important but puja was halted due to the conflict in the country and some politicians in the village, but we will not stop celebrating it," said Khempo Kunkap. ' We should respect Dhumchya. It is a religion that has been continued and practiced by our ancestors, ' he said,' We should not despise it. Instead, we should preserve it and celebrate it with delightfulness. ' It dispels bad thoughts, brings good thinking he added.
Dhumchya Puja was held under the leadership of Khempo this year too.
He is spending his life helping Baijibara and supporting in education and basic needs of poor Dolpo people. The residents of Baijibara supported Khempo with a whole heart in his dream of building Baijibara and constructing a 400-year-old tomb at the top of Baijibara.
