Dharamshala: On 17 February 2025, Secretary Dhondul Dorjee of the Department of Religion and Culture, Central Tibetan Administration, attended the annual Torgyak festival at the Gyuto Tantric Monastery to an invitation extended by the latter.

Over a thousand devotees, both monastic and lay, gathered at the Gyuto Monastery for the occasion. The attendees included representatives from both governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as local residents of Dharamshala.

The Torgyak festival, which has been held annually for over six centuries by the Gyuto Monastery, is a highly revered ritual known as the ‘Great Iron Fort Torgyak.’ This practice involves the Yamantaka (Jampal Shinje) deity and is based on the Seven Tantric Realisations. The ritual is performed to promote the flourishing of the Buddha’s teachings in general, and specifically the teachings of the Yellow Hat sect’s great master, Je Tsongkhapa. It is also performed to ensure the long life and the fulfilment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s noble commitments, to dispel all negative intentions arising from both physical adversaries and formless obstacles that may threaten the religious and political institutions of the Central Tibetan Administration, and to pacify natural disasters like earthquakes and epidemics in these degenerate times.