Torgya, a three-day monastery festival, is observed by the Monpa tribe of which state?

Torgya is a three-day festival celebrated at the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh by the Monpa tribe. It is held every year in January, on the 28th to 30th day of the 11th month of the Tibetan lunar calendar.

Torgya is celebrated to drive away evil spirits and to protect the people from natural calamities, disease and misfortune in the coming year, and to bring prosperity and happiness. The main attraction of the festival is the masked dances, called cham, performed by the lamas (monks) of the monastery in the courtyard. Dressed in colourful costumes and wearing masks of deities, animals and demons, the monks perform dances that show the victory of good over evil. On the last day, an effigy representing evil, made of dough, is burnt or thrown away, symbolising the destruction of evil forces. People from the surrounding villages gather at the monastery in their traditional costumes to watch the dances and receive blessings. Once every three years, the festival is celebrated on a larger scale, and it is then called Dungyur.

The Tawang Monastery, also known as the Galden Namgey Lhatse, is the largest monastery in India and one of the largest in the world outside Lhasa. It was founded in 1680-81 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso, in accordance with the wishes of the fifth Dalai Lama. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born near Tawang in 1683.

The Monpas are a Buddhist tribe living in the Tawang and West Kameng districts. Their other major festival is Losar, the Tibetan New Year, celebrated in February-March.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sikkim celebrates Buddhist festivals such as Losoong and Saga Dawa.
• ✗Himachal Pradesh celebrates festivals such as Halda in its Buddhist areas.
• ✗Uttarakhand celebrates festivals such as Phool Dei and Harela.