Ladakh information part 3 :

Festivals of Ladakh :

Celebrated with great fervour every year, the festivals of Ladakh are usually held in the courtyard of Buddhist monasteries. Monks wearing colourful robes and frightful masks perform cham (sacred mask dances). These cham represent the purification of mind and also the triumph of good over evil. The festivals are an important part of Ladakh's cultural life. People, young and old, from all parts of Ladakh attend these monastic festivals.

Festivals are traditionally celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of religious figures (Buddha, Padmasambhava, etc.) and other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar.

Spituk Gustor Festival :

Spituk Gustor is the first festival celebrated in Ladakh after Losar (the New Year). People brave the chilly weather and attend this festival. The main highlight of the festival is the large thangka of Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa sect, which is put on display for the public. People also wait in queues at the gate of the gonkhang (main temple) to seek blessings from protector deities such as Mahakala and Sridevi (Palden Lhamo) whose faces are unveiled only during the festival.

Dosmochey Festival :

People of Ladakh often look upon Dosmochey as the harbinger of warmer days following months of cold days in the winter. The royal family of Ladakh started Dosmochey as an annual festival. Cham or sacred dances are performed by monks at the old temple below the Leh Palace. Rituals are performed and idols made of dough are either burned or kept in isolation to get rid of evil spirits. Crosses made of threads by the monks are also offered. People adorned in traditional costumes visit the prayer rooms, seeking blessings from the deities and other gods and goddesses. Dosmochey festival is also celebrated on the same day at Diskit gompa in Nubra valley and at Likir gompa.

Stok Guru Tsechu Festival:

Stok Guru Tsechu festival is held in Stok village which is the present seat of the royal family of Ladakh. This festival is famous for oracles who make predictions for the coming year. These oracles are not monks but laymen who are trained by monks from the Spituk gompa to allow the spirit of the deities to enter their bodies. Before the festival, these laymen are spiritually cleansed and prepared by the monks. People from Ladakh firmly believe in the predictions made by the oracles.

Matho Nagrang Festival :

Matho Nagrang festival (along with Stok Guru Tsechu) is well-known as the 'festival of oracles' in Ladakh. Unlike the festival at Stok where deities take over laymen to make predictions, the oracles or ronstang take over the bodies of two chosen monks so that they would make predictions for the village and people of Ladakh. These two monks chosen to be oracles need to meditate for months for the preparation so that they can be ready for the festival and tell the future of the people. Such is the faith of the people of Ladakh that they brave the cold and assemble in large numbers to seek blessings from the oracles and listen to their predictions.

Saka Dawa, Buddha Purnima or Vesak Day :

Saka Dawa (also known as Buddha Purnima or Vesak Day) commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. The people of Ladakh like Buddhists in other parts of the world celebrate Saka Dawa as the supreme festival of all the Buddhists. This festival is usually celebrated in May depending on the lunar calendar. A large number of people from all parts of Ladakh take part in Bhumskor, a procession where people carry sacred religious books along with thangka depicting the life and noble deeds of Buddha. Students, monks and people from all walks of life take part in the procession that culminates at the Polo Ground in Leh. People visit monasteries and seek blessings from Lord Buddha on this day.

Sindhu Darshan Festival :

Sindhu Darshan festival is celebrated every year at Shey to pay honour to the river Sindhu (Indus). The Indus river is considered as the birthplace of Indian civilization, the symbol of India’s unity. This three-day festival attracts tourists from all parts of the country. Artists from different parts of India converge to Ladakh and showcase cultural programs such as dance and musical performances at the banks of the Indus river. Tributes are also paid to Indian soldiers who gave their lives in the line of duty. A committee comprising people from different religions hosts a reception ceremony signalling the start of the three-day festival.

Yuru Kabgyat Festival :

Lamayuru is one of the picturesque villages in Ladakh and the grandeur of its monastery is further accentuated with the celebration of Yuru Kabgyat festival. Such is the relevance of this two-day festival that monks from different parts of the world attend it in huge numbers. The main highlight of the festival is cham or sacred mask dance-dramas. One of the dances depicts Yama (Lord of death) and Guru Rinpoche or Padmsambhava (also known as the Second Buddha). Sacrificial offerings are made and sacred rites are performed on the concluding day of the festival.

Hemis Tsechu Festival :

Hemis Tsechu festival can be considered the most popular monastic festival in Ladakh among the tourists. This festival is held to celebrate the birthday of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. Sacred mask dances or cham are performed by the resident monks of the monastery in the courtyard. The monastery is home to the world's largest thangka or Tibetan scroll painting. This two-storey-high thangka is unveiled once every 12 years. The thangka was displayed in the year 2016 and it will be shown again in 2028.

Shachukul Kabgyat Festival :

Shachukul Kabgyat is the most important festival in Durbuk block as people from different villages from this block gather to celebrate this event. Monks from this block who are studying in different parts of the country make it a habit to attend this two-day festival held at the Shachukul gompa. The monks of this monastery follow the Drikungpa sect, which has other major monasteries at Phyang and Lamayuru

Stongde Gustor Festival :

Stongde gompa, one of the oldest monasteries in Zanskar, is famous for the Stongde Gustor festival. People and monks assemble at this monastery that was founded by Lama Marpa, the disciple of Naropa, almost ten centuries back. This festival is celebrated on the 28th and 29th day in the 11th month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Monks perform sacred mask dances during the festival.

Phyang Tsedup Festival :

Phyang Tsedup is one of the most important festivals of Ladakh. The festival is dedicated to Skyoba Jigten Gombo, a saint and the founder of the Drikungpa order. Unlike the sacred mask dance-dramas performed in other monasteries, the cham at Phyang gompa are performed at length and are usually half an hour long. Another attraction of the festival is the thangka of Skyoba Jigten Gombo that is unveiled and put on display every third year (years of the pig, snake and monkey of the Tibetan lunar calendar).

Karsha Gustor Festival :

Celebrated at Karsha gompa, the largest monastery in Zanskar, Karsha Gustor signifies the victory of good over evil. Karsha Gustor is celebrated in summer. The main highlight of Karsha Gustor is the future predicted by a layman instead of reputed oracles or soothsayers. This layman is chosen, spiritually cleansed and prepared by the monks of the monastery.

Korzok Gustor Festival:

With the Korzok monastery overlooking the majestic Tso Moriri lake, Korzok Gustor festival could easily qualify as one of the most memorable and beautiful festivals in the whole of Ladakh region. What adds charm to the festival is the attendance of Changpa nomadic groups who come in large numbers to attend the festival. Korzok monastery, affiliated to the Drukpa lineage, was founded by Kunga Lodro Ningpo around three centuries back.