07/11/2014
Monastic Festivals - Ladakh is famous for its festivals, both religious and cultural. The religious festivals which are held in the major Buddhist monasteries are the ones with which Ladakh is famously associated. Almost all the major monasteries hold annual festivals at various points during the year. These take the form of dance-dramas performed by Lamas, attired in colourful costumes and wearing various kinds of masks. The most famous festival is that of Hemis which is held in early summer and is dedicated to the life and mission of Padmasambhava, founder of Tibetan Vjarayana Buddhism. Every 12th years, a huge Thangka of the saint is ritually exhibited, hung from the front façade of the monastery. Other monasteries, which have summer festivals, are Lamayuru, Phyang, Tak-thok and Karsha (Zanskar). The monasteries of Spituk, Stok, Thikse, Chemrey and Matho have their festivals in winter between November and March. Likir and Deskit (Nubra) hold their annual festivals coinciding with the Leh Dosmochhe which is held in late February, and is one of two Ladakhi New Year Festivals, the other being Losar, which falls around the time of the winter solstice.
The main event of the Monastic Festival is the 'Chhams" ritual dance-drama which is choreographed by the mystic dance master (Tib: Chham-spon) strictly as per the guidelines prescribed in the dance books. The dances are performed mainly as ritual offerings to the tutelary deities of the monastery and the guardians of the faith. The dancers are lamas of the monastery who are selected and trained for the purpose. They wear elaborate brocade robes and masks representing various divinities. As the 'Chhams' approaches its end on the last day of the festival, the climactic scene is enacted in which a human figure made from dough is ritually cut into pieces and scattered in the four cardinal directions. This figure symbolizes the embodiment of the three cardinal evils in the human soul viz. ignorance, jealousy and hatred, the root causes of suffering. Its dismemberment and dispersal symbolizes banishment of the these cardinal evils.
