(Picture: Participants of the Puja throwing rice and tsampa flour…)

This morning, we participated in a ritual we had heard and read so much about, the traditional “Puja” ceremony. The Puja is an important religious ritual that is strictly adhered to by Sherpas climbing on big mountains. It is believed that by giving prayers and offerings to the mountain Gods, climbers will be accorded good weather and safe passage during the climb. The importance of the Puja is underscored by the fact that neither Sherpa nor climber is allowed to go beyond Advanced Base Camp before seeking favour from the Gods believed to reside on the mountain.

The Puja was an eye-opener for the team and it highlighted the spiritual aspect of climbing that is very much honoured by the Sherpas and respected by climbers. The Puja lasted for 2 hours and was centered on the chanting from the sutra by three Tibetan lamas, punctuated at intervals by the ceremonial tossing of rice and tsampa flour by the participants of the ceremony.

After the Puja, we completed some “domestic” chores such as cleaning up our dining tent, placing toilet rolls in our makeshift toilets and setting up our communication equipment – yes, we are sending out our dispatches from the relative comfort of our dining tent. We also received emails from our friends and loved ones, definitely something that gave us all good cheer!