His Holiness the Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Choeda is presiding over a three-day kurim (cleansing ritual) at the public ground in Chamkhar, Bumthang.

On the first day, Rewo Sangchoe (mountain incense smoke offering) was performed whereby different kinds of aromatic woods, resin, and medicinal plants are burnt.

Hundreds of devotees attended the kurim to pay their respects to His Holiness the Je Khenpo and offer prayers for their wellbeing. Rewo Sangcho is a ritual that purifies three obscurations of all beings.

Goenpoi Tongtshog and Sinoen (exorcism) will be performed today and the kurim will end tomorrow with a public blessing.

The kurim is being performed for the wellbeing of Chamkhar town which has experienced repeated fire accidents in the last few years. The business community and the people who live within the thromde are organising the kurim.

Thromde ngotshab, Ugen Sangye said they are organising the kurim following His Majesty The King’s command that was passed during the last fire in Bumthang. “His Majesty The King has Commanded us to conduct a ritual that can subjugate such mishaps in the future,” he said.

Ugen Sangye said shopkeepers, contractors, the proprietors of guesthouses, automobile workshops and saw mills, and other residents of the thromde are involved in the kurim.

Yangchen, a shopkeeper in Chamkhar said she feels relieved as His Holiness is performing the kurim. “While the kurim is being performed people still should also be cautious at the same time,” she said, referring to fire safety.

Chamkhar town suffered four fires since 2010. The first fire occurred on October 26, 2010, and affected 77 families. Two lives were lost. The structures were reconstructed within four months with the help of His Majesty The King’s People’s Project and the armed forces.

Two different rows of buildings were razed during the second and third incidents, which took place in February and May 2011. Owners were granted timber, CGI sheets, and other raw materials as Kidu to help rebuild the structures. There were no casualties in the second and third fires.

The last fire that occurred on the night of December 28, 2016 razed 22 shops housed in the six traditional double-storey buildings.

His Holiness will leave for Trongsa to preside over its annual Moenlam Chenmo on April 26.

Nima Wangdi | Chamkhar