04/04/2011
HEMIS MONASTERY FESTIVAL 2011
The Hemis Festival is held every year in the Hemis Monastery, the biggest Buddhist monastery of Ladakh. It is celebrated on the tenth day of lunar month in the Tibetan calendar. The festival is celebrated in the commemoration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. During the festival, the Lamas gather around the central flagpole in the courtyard of the monastery and perform mask dances and sacred plays. Their performances are accompanied by the music from drums, cymbals and long horns.
The Hemis Festival of Ladakh is associated with a legend. The founder of Tibetan Buddhism, Guru Padmasambhava fought with fiends for the safety of the local people. Marking the victory of good over the evil, monks perform the sacred mask dances. When these performances come to an end, an idol made of dough is destroyed by the leader of black hat dancers. The destroyed pieces of the figure are then spread in four directions.
The programme of Hemis Festival is supervised by the head lama. After this, there is also a devil dance that acts as an important part of the social entertainment of the Ladakh people. Other major attraction of the Hemis festival includes a fair displaying some of the most exquisite handicrafts of the Ladakh region.
However, the most attractive and important part of the festival is the display of the two-story high 'Thanka' from the enormous treasure of the monastery. The Thanka is beautifully embroidered with pearls and semi-precious stones, and depicts Guru Padmasambhava.
This year it will be celebrated on 10th and 11th of July, so come...join us to celebrate this cultural extravaganza......