Holy vase measures out quarter cup less

THOUSANDS CONGREGATE FOR BHUM-CHU AT TASHIDING
WANGCHUK BHUTIA
TASHIDING, 20 March: Thousands of devotees [12,000, as per the organizers] congregated at Tashiding in West Sikkim over the weekend to attend the Bhum-Chu ritual at the Tashiding Monastery, where water from the holy vase was measured out on the midnight of the intervening night of 18 and 19 March. The holy vase, which holds 21 cups of water, measured out a quarter cup less this year. While some of the devotees at the spot saw this as portending a year of conflict and unrest ahead, the Thungyee of Tashiding Monastery, Tashi Wangdi, while confirming that the holy water filled out 20.75 cups, clarified that this was in fact a good sign for the year ahead.
The official divination will be made over the coming days by the monks at the Monastery, who will also recommend special prayers and offerings which now need to be made, and will be released by the Ecclesiastical Department later.


Meanwhile, the Thungyee informs that the Bhumchu ceremony this year was led by the Uder-Chosum Lama of the Tashiding Monastery.
The ritual is one of the most significant for Buddhists of the region and the devout started arriving at Tashiding from the afternoon of 18 March itself to participate in the ceremonies and receive the holy water.
The actual ceremony involving the opening of the casket and the measuring out of its contents is held around midnight and witnessed by senior monks and representatives of State Government, the main gate of the monastery was opened at 2 a.m. on 19 March for the lay devotees who streamed in for a darshan of the Bhumpa [holy vase] and collect their portion of the holy water.
Special prayers, “Thugjaychenpo Khorwaledol”, which had begun a week earlier with a retinue of 120 monks of the monastery led by the Omje, Dorjee Lopon and Tsultrimpha, also concluded with the opening of the vase.
As per tradition, only three cups of the sacred water are taken out of the vase [the rest is poured back along with fresh water sourced from Rathong Chu and Riney Chu streams in West Sikkim] and mixed with more blessed water for distribution. Traditionally, one cup of water was reserved for the royal family, one for the monks and the third cup for the devotees gathered for the ceremony.
It is believed that the contents measured out by the holy vase carry predictions for the year ahead for the world and Sikkim. What signs they convey, depend on the content and clarity of the water.
The State Government was represented at the ritual by Minister Dawcho Lepcha, officials from the Ecclesiastical Affairs Department headed by Additional Secretary, T. Doma Bhutia, DC [West], Santa Pradhan, SP West. The devotees had come from all over Sikkim, neighbouring Bhutan [whose numbers were much higher this year, it is informed] and Nepal and even Buddhists from the West.
[with additional reporting by PURAN TAMANG]