China Tibet Tourism-Introduction-Festival-18

Blessing of the dagger of exorcism

The Three Great Monasteries each had its own noted religious festivals: the "Lubum" festival for Drepung, the "Taktse Drupcho" Taktse Drupcho" for Ganden, and the "Blessing of the Dagger of Exorcism" for Sera, There is no written record as to the source of the "Dagger of Exorcism", but the legend goes as such:
The Dagger of Exorcism was discovered by theIndian sage Padmasambhava from the walls of a stupa named, "Deje," in a place called Silwatsal in Indian in the 8th century. He brought it to Tibet and hid it under the earth at a place named Yerpa Sewa Dong. In the 12th century a yogin named, "Dachar", dug it from the hidden place. Many years after, it was received to the presence of Kunkyen lodroi Rinchen, the founder of the Je college, who kept it in the Hiyagriva (the Horse-Necked One) shrine as an important relic for the college. In the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, it was taken to Drepung monastery where he started giving blessings with it to people which was the stating point of its blessings. Later its blessings were given to people from the Potala palace. Finally the date 27th of the Twelveth month was fixed as the day for its blessings to be given to people by the Abbot of the Je college. On that day the staff of the Je college in festive attire first took the Dagger of Exorcism to the Potala palace, then to the Cabinet Ministery to offer blessings, and finally at their return to the Je college a general blessing of the Dagger of the Dagger of Exorcism was given to the monk and lay communities.