Singye Cham
The Lion Dance
The Lion's Roar of the Dharma
Among the sacred performances of Jambay Lhakhang Drup, one of the most visually striking is the Singye Cham — the Lion Dance. Dancers move inside elaborate lion masks and costumes, the physical demands of the performance matched by its dramatic presence, making it one of the most memorable moments of the entire four-day festival programme.
The dance's meaning is drawn directly from Buddhist teaching. In Vajrayana Buddhism, the lion represents the fearless authority of the Dharma — traditionally described as a "Lion's Roar" (Simhanada), the confident proclamation of the Buddha's teaching that silences opposing views and doubt outright, the way a lion's roar silences every other creature in the forest. The lion is closely associated with Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, who is depicted riding one — wisdom itself given the lion's fearless voice.
When and How It's Performed
Unlike many Cham dances that are performed once during a festival's programme, the Singye Cham at Jambay Lhakhang Drup is performed twice — once as a daytime ceremony and again in the evening. This dual performance gives visitors two distinct opportunities to see it: the daytime version in full natural light, where the detail of the lion costume and mask is easiest to appreciate, and the evening version, performed as darkness gathers and the festival's atmosphere shifts toward the more solemn, fire-lit ceremonies of the night.
The dance sits within a broader repertoire at Jambay Lhakhang Drup shaped by two of Bhutan's great treasure-discoverers, Terton Pema Lingpa and Terton Dorje Lingpa, alongside performances found more widely across Bhutan's festival calendar. Its lion imagery gives it a distinct visual identity within that programme — few other Cham dances in Bhutan centre on this specific animal form.
Where to See the Singye Cham
The Singye Cham is performed at Jambay Lhakhang Drup, held annually at Jambay Lhakhang temple in the Choekhor Valley of Bumthang, fixed on the 15th day of the 9th Bhutanese lunar month — generally falling in late October or early November. It's one of several distinctive performances at this particular festival, alongside the Tercham (the midnight naked dance) and the Mewang fire blessing, both unique to Jambay Lhakhang Drup within Bhutan's wider festival calendar.
Read our full guide to Jambay Lhakhang Drup Festival for the complete four-day programme, the temple's own remarkable history, and everything else to see and do in Bumthang around the festival.
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