Celebrated for three days – from 9th to 11th June – once in every 12 years,
Hemis Festival is one of the most famous festivals of
Ladakh. It is celebrated in the rectangular courtyard of the biggest monastery of Ladakh known as Hemis Gompa, 45 km from Leh, to celebrate the birthday of Guru Padmasambhav, who is believed to be a part incarnation of Lord Buddha himself. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhav was an Indian Tantric who introduced and propounded Tantric Buddism in Tibet around 7th century. Since he was born in the Monkey Year, one of the 12 Year Signs, the festival too is celebrated in that year. A great spiritual healer of his time, it is believed that those who are followers and devotees of the Guru and participate in the festival, attain good health and spiritual strength.
Hemis Festival is an ideal time to see the most precious legacies of Tibetan Buddhism in India. You can see rare thangka paintings on display during the festival including the one that is two stories long and showcases the embroidered painting of Guru Padmasambhav done in semi-precious stones and pearls. Sengge Namgyal, an illustrious ruler who favored Drugpa sect, built Hemis Gompa in 1630. The monastery is also known as Chang-Chub-Sam-Ling (which means Solitary Place of the Compassionate One). Local people gather at the gompa during the festival in their finest traditional attires and Lamas or monks perform traditional dances and plays narrating scenes from the lives of Guru Padmasambhav.
The masked dance drama known as Chhams are quite popular and enact mythological legends of fights between the Guru and the demons. They are performed to the music of drumbeats, long horns, and cymbals. The beautiful costumes worn by the artists include elaborate and specific headgears and brocade gowns to represent their characters. In the end, a symbolic offering is made of a human figure made from dough and the pieces are scattered in all the directions. The function is presided by the Head Lama or Rimpoche. The last Hemis Festival was celebrated in 2004 and the next one is due in 2016. Beautiful handicrafts and devil dances are the special highlights of the fair. The local liquor known as ‘chang’ literally flows during the festival and locals come alive with mirth and merrymaking after a long spell of snow and ice in winter.
