EIGHT Tibetan monks will be in Wimborne for the start of a UK tour which will display their sacred dance, music and prayer.

The Power Of Compassion is a performance of the dramatic ritual Cham dances which are a meditative practice as well as offerings to the deities.

They have been a part of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery trad-ition for more than 500 years.

The ritual features masked dances, traditional musical instruments, sacred mantras and elaborate costumes.

It is only since the Tibetan diaspora – the spread of Tibetan communities outside their homeland since 1959 – that outsiders and lay people have witnessed the performances.

The performances are accom-panied by explanations of the significance and meanings behind the dancers and prayers. They have been described by The Independent as “a window of time into a magical universe of reincarnation and release”.

The three-month European tour was organised by the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery UK Trust, of which the Dalai Lama is patron.

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was one of the most important monasteries in Central Tibet and was re-established in Karnataka State, India, after the Tibetan national uprising of 1959.

The performance will be at the Minster Hall of the Allendale Centre on August 12, at 7pm. There will be a monks’ shop at the venue, raising money for the monastery.

Tickets cost £10 at the venue or call 01425 622031 or atholme61@btinternet.com