Nechung was the home to the State Oracle back in the day. On New Years Day and whenever the Dalai Lama had a heavy decision to make, he would consult the Oracle of Nechung. The Oracle would dress himself in a mask so large and heavy that it took two people to set it on his head. Then, with intense drumming and cymbal bashing and chanting filling the room he would go into a trance. A CRAZY trance where his eyes would reportedly swell and roll back in his head and he spasmed and lurched around the room. He would then begin to speak in a voice from another realm, the voice of the protector deity of Nechung, which he was now channeling. The deity would give it's advice or predictions and then depart the Oracle's body, leaving him faint and barely able to move. The deity has quite a dark and deeply mysterious aspect, and because this is his temple much of the art here is a bit gruesome and horrific. Also this is a tantric temple and I will not even pretend that I know what this means, but all the tantric temples I visited had alot of skulls and flayed human skins in their symbology...
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