Place : Ladakh, Jammu Kashmir
Month : June - July
Venue : Courtyard, Hemis Gompa
Significance : The birth anniversary
of Guru Padmasambhava
About Hemis Festival
The Hemis Monastery lying just 45 kms away from Leh, the
capital of Ladakh is the largest Buddhist monastery in
the area. The courtyard of Hemis Gompa - the biggest
Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, is the stage for the
famous 'Hemis' festival, held annually in the month of
June/July.Hemis festival is one of the most famous
monastic festivals to commemorate the birth of Guru
Padmasambhava, the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet.
The 3 day colourful festival falls on the 10th day (Tse-Chu)
of the Tibetan lunar month. During the festival, the
local people are seen dressed up in their finest
traditional garb for the occasion.
Crowds
gather here in huge numbers to commemorate the birth
anniversary of Padmasambhava, the Buddhist saint.
The Event During the Festival
'Rimpoche' or the head lama presides over the function.
The lamas recite mantras associated with the various
episodes of the 'chhams'. 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' is
richly embroidered with pearls and semi-precious stones.
A colourful fair, displaying some beautiful handicrafts,
is the special highlight of the festival. The sacred
dance drama of the life and mission is performed wearing
facial masks and colorful brocades robes. Dramatic
masked dancers, swirling around to the music of pipes,
enact the battle between the good and the evil spirits.
Around the monastery a fair springs up during the
festival where local handicrafts are sold.
Getting There
Hemis lies 45-km southeast of Leh, the headquarters of
Ladakh.
Air : The nearest airport is at Leh.
Road : By car, Hemis is an easy day trip from Leh.
By bus, services are only frequent during the festival.
