Considered to be their main ritual dance by the Shakyas, the Pancha Buddha dance is performed during the more important festivals in the valley. This dance is performed in honour of the Pancha (Five) Buddhas, i.e. Vairochana (the brilliant one), Aksobhaya (the unshakeable), Ratnasambhava (the matrix of the jewel), Amitabha (the infinite light) and Amoghasiddhi (the infallible realization). Dancers don the distinctive colours of the five Buddhas and depict their specific postures.
The other two Charya dances are the Rakta Ganesh dance (dedicated to the elephant-headed god Ganesh, and the Arya Tara dance (in honour of the consort of Amoghasiddhi, the green complexioned Tara).
