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Cham is famous as a religious mask play performed at Lamaseries in Tibet, Mongolia, Butan, Nepal, etc. It is performed in religious mass to offer sacrifices to God and to drive out disasters. Hobeopjons appearing in Cham are divinities indigenous to Tibet, which had been antagonistic to Buddhism first but were evangelized by old monks and promised to protect Buddhism. Their angry face may remind of hostile ghosts but it was to defeat evil spirits with the power of Buddhism.

The occurrence of Bungyo, an old religion in Tibet, primitive shamanism and animal-mimicking dances provided conditions and foundations for the occurrence and development of Cham. Around the early 7th century A.D., Toben under the rule of Songchanganpo established its letters and laws and, celebrating it, performed mask dances by entertainers disguised as lions, tigers, cows and leopards in the grand celebration ceremony. In the inauguration ceremony (779) of Sangya-sa, the first Buddhist temple in Tibet, animal-mimicking dances were performed by those in mask. On an old cliff at Ariilto-hyeon in Tibet are found a large number of animal totems and people dancing in mask. Yeonhwasaeng, an old priest in India, established Cham as a Buddhist mask play by absorbing Tibetan native dances.

'Hoebijeokheuksaeguihogamyeon¡¯ dedicated to Salga-sa in Tibet at present was given by an Indian priest to Inheumsangpo 900 years ago and became Gajisin of Tobeon. Later the mask fell into the hand of Gonggallyeongpo, one of five priests in Salga-sa, and became a heavenly god worshipped in the temple as well as a main character in Salga Cham.

Among masks in Cham is frequently seen one with five skulls on its top, which implies the suppression of man's five sins.

There is also a folk mask plays called <Janghee> in Tibet. It is handed down not only in Tibet but also provinces such as Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan etc. in which Tibetans are residing. The development of Janghee varies significantly according to region because of differences in geography, history, culture, custom, etc. There are six kinds of Janghee, which are <Deokgyeokhui>, <Baengmyeonguhui>, <Nammyeonguhui>, <Changdohui>, <Andahui>, <Mogahui> and <Gayunghui>, among which Baengmyeonguhui is oldest and Nammyeonguhui is most advanced.