IN FOCUS

Bhutan's Procession of Warriors Festival

Karma Dorji

Bhutan Himalaya Travel Programs Coordinator

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Fierce protectors of an ancient martial tradition, the Pazaaps of Punakha appear in public in full ceremonial regalia once a year at the end of a great spring festival to commemorate their proud military past and their role safe-guarding the holiest relics in the land. © Karma Dorji/Bhutan Himalaya

After leaving me with detailed instructions on where I can find them in their villages (so I can deliver their pictures when they are printed) they rush off, disappearing quickly into the long shadowy passages on either side of the massive stone fortress they have known all their lives. They are in a hurry because the Pazaaps are the main attraction today at the annual "Procession of Warriors", a grand annual festival in this part of the country we have invited some of our guests to attend.