FESTIVALS OF LADAKH and other Leh, India Things to Do Tips

THE LAND OF CELEBRATION

The centuries-old culture of Ladakh has found expression in its monuments, monasteries, oral literature, art forms, fairs and festivals.

And in the time-honored tradition of collective celebration: every occasion-marriage, birth, harvesting or even the flowering of plants-is marked by feasting, dancing and the singing of folk songs that form a part of its living heritage.

MONASTIC FESTIVALS: A CARNIVAL OF LIFE

But it is the monastic festivals that provide the average Ladakhi with the spice of life. No other festival can match them in religious and entertainment value.

Monastic festivals are held to commemorate the founding of a monastery, the birthday of its patron saint or major events in the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism. Thousands of people turn out in their colourful best, making every festival a carnival of colors.

EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF “CHHAMS”

Chhams, a highly choreographed sacred dance-drama, is the core event of every monastic festival. A select group of resident lamas, in brightly patterned brocade robes, perform these dances in the courtyard of the monastery. All of them wear masks that represent various divinities found in the “Gon Khang” -the room dedicated to the guardian divinities in every major monastery. Some may even represent characters from historical episodes or Tibetan fables.

The lamas, holding ritual objects in their hands, step around the central flagpole of the monastic courtyard in solemn dance and mime, accompanied by the crash of cymbals, the boom of drums, the melodious sound of the “Shawm”, and the deep resonance of twelve-foot horns.

MAKESHIFT MARKETS AND MERRYMAKING

The monastic festivals also provide an opportunity for socializing, trading and organizing outings. A makeshift market springs up overnight outside the monastic complex. During the summer festivals, people organize picnics, overnight excursions, and all-night singing and dancing parties.

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Directions: Every Village has a monastery and every monastery has its festival.

TSE-CHU
(THE HEMIS FESTIVAL)

The 10th day (Tse-Chu) of the Tibetan lunar month is celebrated as the birthday of Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche), the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Hemis Monastery celebrates this event in the form of a 2-day festival. Its resident Lamas perform sacred masked dances leading to the destruction of the sacrificial offerings. Masks worn by the lamas represent various guardian divinities of the Dugpa order, of which Hemis is the leading establishment in Ladakh.

This 200 year-old tradition was introduced by a member of Ladakh’s ruling family who was reincarnated in the 18th century as the monastery’s Head Lama, “Sras Rimpoche”. The Hemis dances are a re-enactment of the magical feasts of Padmasambhava, in his services to the cause of Buddhism in his eight different manifestations.

The festival takes an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan Year of the Monkey, when the two-storey high Thanka’ depicting Padmasambhava is displayed. This famous Thanka, richly embroidered with pearls and semi-precious stones, is due to be displayed nest in AD 2004.

As the Hemis festival is held during the peak summer season, it attracts the largest number of people from within and outside Ladakh.

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Address: Hemis Village-Ladakh
Directions: 40 Kms from Leh town.

GU-STOR
The victory of Black Hat dancers over evil

(Villages: KARSHA GUSTOR, SPITUK GUSTOR, THIKSEY GUSTOR)

Gu-Stor literally means “Sacrifice of the 29th day”. It is traditional to the monasteries of the reformist Geluk-pa order of Tibetan Buddhism. This two-day long festival is held mainly in the Spituk, Thiksey and Karsha (Zanskar) monasteries, at different times every year.

The celebration ends with the dismemberment and dispersal of the “Storma” (Sacrificial cake) by the leader of the Black Hat dancers in a ceremony called “Argham” or “Killing”. This symbolizes the destruction of all forms of evil. And also re-enacts the assassination of the Tibetan apostate King Lang-dar-ma, by a Buddhist monk in the mid 9th century. In some monasteries, an effigy symbolizing the stronger forces of evil is burnt at the end of the festival. The masks worn by the dancers represent the guardian divinities (Dharmapalas) of the Buddhist pantheon, and the patron divinities of the Geluk-pa order.

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Address: Held in Karsha, Spituk and Thiksey villages

DOSMOCHE
Masked dances in the royal courtyard

An ancient tradition started by the Kings of Ladakh. Dosmoche is still celebrated every year in February with great pomp and fervour. The courtyard of the chapel below the gates of the Leh Palace comes alive with the music of drums and the thumping steps of the masked Lamas from different monasteries performing the sacred dance-drama.
The Lamas prepare, consecrate and eventually destroy the sacrificial offerings as the climax.

The tantra of “DO”

The Lamas from the Takthok Monastery, the only Nyingmapa foundation of Ladakh, who are experts in tantric practice and astrology, prepare the elaborate “DO or Thread Crosses-the main objects of offering, which ensnare all the evil spirits, hungry ghosts and demonic forces when the prescribed mantras are recited and requisite rites observed by the Lamas.

The festive procession

Ten other kinds of offerings, of different shapes and sizes, complement the main offering. These are brought down from the main venue and carried through the main bazaar.
Black Hat dancers, followed by the lamas in their religious costumes and the local people in their resplendent best, make this a spectacular procession.
Musicians and the monastic orchestra lead the way. Outside the town, the offerings are burnt and destroyed with great fanfare to whish away all evil spirits and guard against natural calamities and disasters in the coming year.

Dosmoche celebrations are also held in the Liker (Indus valley) and Deskit (Nubra valley) monasteries. In Deskit, a number of folk dances are performed as interludes to the “Chhams”

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Address: Likir village and Leh town

MATHO NAGRANG
The festival of the blindfolded acrobatic oracle monks

On the 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month, a 2-day festival is held at the Matho Monastery-the only Shakyapa monastic establishment in Ladakh. During this festival, the two oracles of the monastery make a public appearance in their full spiritual form. These oracles, actually monks of the monastery, meditate in complete isolation for a full month in preparation of entering in a state of trance and invoking the spirit of the deities.

On the day of the festival, they invoke and receive the deities and come into their full spiritual trance. They run over the high rise ramparts of the monastery jump from one balcony to another and execute a number of acrobatic feats, all while blindfolded!
People from far and wide come to hear the oracles predict key future events and to seek answers about their own future.

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Address: Matho village

STOK GURU TSE-CHU
When even laymen can predict the future.

Yet another festival of oracles, this is held in Stok, the present seat of royal residence. The two Stok oracles-unlike those at Matho are laymen, spiritually cleansed and prepared by the lamas of the Spituk Monastery to receive the spirit of the deities.

As in the case of Matho, people repose abiding faith in the predictions made by the Stok oracles.

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Address: Stok Village
Directions: Stok villlage 17 Kms from Leh town

PHYANG TSEDUP
Pilgrimage to the Thangka

Phyang is one of the two Dringungpa Monasteries in Ladakh. This monastery, 17 km west of Leh, holds its festival in July/August. Like other monastic festivals, sacred dance-dramas or “Chhams” from the core of this festival. But the main attraction for the devotees is the pilgrimage to the huge Thangka of Skyabje Jigten Gombo, founder of the Dringungpa monastic order, which is kept on exhibition during the two-day festival.

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Address: Phyang Village
Directions: Phyang Village, 17 Kms from Leh town, off Leh Srinagar Highway

YURU KABGYAT
An awesome spectacle

This 2-day festival is celebrated during July, in the spectacularly situated monastery of Lamayuru, about 127 kms west of Leh.

The masks worn by the lamas during the dances represent guardian divinities from the Dringungpa pantheon. As in the case of other monastic festivals, the sacred dance-drama concludes with destruction of the sacrificial offerings. Devotees come by the hundreds to witness the celebration.

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Address: Lamayuru Village
Directions: Lamayuru village, 125 Kms from Leh town, off Leh Srinagar Highway

Names of the Festival 2004-------- 2005

Spitok Gustor JAN 19,20----------- JAN 8,9
Dosmoche FEB 18, 19 --------------FEB 6,7
Stok Guru Tsechu FEB29/MAR1-- FEB 17,18
Matho Nagrang MARCH 5,6 ------FEB 22,23
Budha Purnima JUNE 3 -----------MAY 23
Hemis TSE-CHU JUNE 28,29 ----JUN 17,18
Yuru Kabgyat JUL 4,5 ---------------JUN 23,24
Zanskar Gustor JUL 14,15-------- JUL 3,4
Ph-Yang Tsedup JUL 19,20 -------AUG 7,8
Korzok Gustor JUL 20,21 ----------AUG 8,9
DakThok Tse-Chu JUL 27,28-----AUG 15,16
Sant Naro Nasjal JUL 30,31-------AUG 18,19
Shachukul Gustor AUG 12,13 -----AUG30,SP1
Thiksay Gustor OCT31/NOV1 ----NOV 18,19
Chemrey Angchok NOV 10,11 ----NOV 29,30
Galdan Namchot DEC 7 -----------DEC 26
Losar DEC12 -------------------------JAN 1

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THE PANGONG LAKE: This route takes the visitor past the picturesque villages of Shey and Thikse, and turns off the Indus valley by the side valley of Chemrey and Sakti. The Ladakh rang is crossed by the Chang-la (18,000 feet / 5,475 M) which despite its great elevation is one of the easier passes, remaining open for much of the year even in winter, apart from periods of actual snowfall. Tangse, just beyond the foot of the pass, has an ancient temple.

But the main attraction of this circuit is the Pangong Lake, situated at 14,000 feet (4,267 M). A long narrow basin of inland drainage, hardly six to seven kilometers at its widest point to which foreigners are permitted, is only some seven km along the southern shore from the head of the lake, but it affords spectacular views of the mountains of the Changchenmo range to the north, their reflection shimmering in the ever-changing blues and greens of the lakes brackish water. Above Spangmik are the glacier and snow-capped peaks of the Pangong range.

Spangmik and a scattering of other tiny villages along the lakes southern shore are the summer homes of a scanty population of Chang-pa the nomadic herds’ people of Tibet and south east Ladakh. The Pangong Chang-pa cultivates sparse crops of barley and peas in summer. It is in winter that they unfold their tents (Rebo) and take their flocks of sheep and pashmina goats out to the distant pastures.

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Address: CHANGTHANG
Directions: CHANGTHANG-LADAKH