The Monpas and Sherdukpens of Arunachal Pradesh, like their neighbors in Bhutan, are followers of the strain of Mahayana Buddhism which Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have introduced in early ninth century A.D. Known as Guru Pema Jungney by them, he is believed to have staged ritual masked dances for the establishment of Dharma and in order to bring an awareness among people to uphold moral and ethical values.

The masked dances are performed in the monasteries, village temples, or in open fields by lamas and laity alike. The performers have to observe austerities during the period of performance.

The specific masked dance Bardo Cham, or Lokhor Chung Nyi Cham (the Dance of the Twelve Horoscopic Signs), is about a hunter and his hound who kill twelve animals. The spirits of the animals assemble in the court of Yama, the lord of death, where good and evil deeds are judged. The hunter is summoned to the court, punished, and instructed to never again destroy the life of a living being.

Bardo is the period between death and rebirth when Yama pronounces judgements after listening to the accounts of the good and evil deeds performed during one’s lifetime. The performers include the twelve animals, a lama (monk), and the hunter and his hounds, as well as LhaKarpu, the god of well being, and Yama and his Yam-dut. The masks are made of wood.