Mani Rimdu is a festival of Buddhists that last for nineteen days and is mainly celebrated in the Himalayas to mark the founding of Buddhism by Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava. It falls in October every year with a slightly varying date or to be precise, it falls on the first day of the tenth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. The monasteries of Tengboche, Thame, and Chiwong are full of exciting shows that are put on different occasions.

Traditional rituals are performed by Buddhist monks who dress as masked dancers and tantriks. Tourists, trekkers, and devotees from all over the world gather at monasteries to enjoy the sight of the performing monks. Because these monasteries are on the way to exciting trek destinations like the Everest region and Kanchenjunga region, the trekkers mainly come to trekking on these regions at this time of the year to coincide their trek with Mani Rimdu.

The festival follows the full-moon of autumn. It follows the most popular Hindu festival of Nepal – Vijaya Dashami. After the fifteenth day of Dashain or Kojragat Purnima, the Mani Rimdu festival begins. The entire Everest Region is crowded at this time of the year as devotees come to Tengboche for the festival. The festival is mainly observed by the Sherpa community, but Buddhists from every community and every part of the world have shown interest in the festival.

What can be more exciting than watching the masked dances of Buddhist monks with the panoramic views of the highest peak of the world? Along with Everest, other exciting peaks like Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Kongde, Thamserku, etc. are visible from Tengboche monasteries which make the festival even more exciting.