Hemis Festival in June 2012.

The largest Buddhist Institution in Ladakh – located in the highland town of Hemis at 11,000 feet altitude, 40 kms from Leh – the Hemis Monastery celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava in a grand and elaborate annual 2-day festival held in the Hemis Monastery on 29^th & 30^th of June this year.

The high-point of the Hemis Festival is the performance in the Monastery courtyard by the Lamas of the Monastery – a Mask Dance which depicts the victory of good over evil. The brightly coloured costumes and large multi-coloured masks constitute the performers’ attire during the Hemis Festival Dances performances which stretch for two days. The over-sized and grotesque masks are the main aspects of the slow and graceful dance. Few other Lamas provide the music for the Hemis Festival with percussion instruments such as the drums, cymbals and long trumpets.

Guru Padmasambhava is also known as Guru Rinpoche and is regarded as the second Buddha by the followers of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism since the 8^th Century. Guru Padmasambhava is the first one to have introduced ‘Tantric Buddhism’ to people.

During the 2-day pageant, a 30-foot high painting of Guru Padmasambhava is displayed centre-stage. Several other performances, religious ceremonies and discourses and exhibition of Buddhist relics are a part of the Hemis Festival which is not only attended by the Buddhists from all over Jammu & Kashmir, it is also attended by the non-Buddhist locals of Hemis and Leh.

Tourism & Tour operators design tours of Leh which include a visit to the Hemis Monastery and its adjoining Hemis National Park (India’s largest National Park) during the Hemis Festival as this is the best time of the year to see Hemis. You will also find the media and photographers from all over the world witnessing to cover this event. Visitors of Hemis stay at Leh which is at 40 kms and do a day trip to Hemis.

In the backdrop of the Ladakh Mountains that overlook the Hemis town, the Hemis Monastery with its multi-coloured splendour gives a fascinating appearance and experience.

Pix courtesy: James Gritz, Baiyu, vkiran_2000 @ flickr, wikipedia & ABOUT.

Birthday of Blue-eyed Buddha !

Did you know that before he became a spiritual leader on whose teachings ‘Buddhism’ was founded, Lord Buddha was originally called Siddhartha Gautama who was born to a Kshatriya King of the ‘Sakhya’ Kingdom? 

Did you know that Lord Buddha was a trained Military Warrior since birth?

Did you know that Lord Buddha was a very strong man who was said to have possessed the ‘32 Signs of a Great Man’?

Did you know that Lord Buddha was a blue-eyed handsome man with a very attractive face?

Well…..now you do.

But the most sacred Buddhist Festival – the 'Buddha Purnima' or the 'Buddha Jayanti' marks and celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha and his Spiritual achievements each year on May 6^th.

Buddha Purnima commemorates 4 significant events in the life of Lord Buddha:

1.    His birth in 623 BC at Lumbini.

2.    His Enlightment in 588 BC in Bodh Gaya.

3.    His attainment of ‘Nirvana’ at age 80 in Kushinagar.

4.    His very first sermon preached at Sarnath.

Each year, the followers of Buddhism – though not necessarily all Buddhists, embark upon ‘Buddha Pilgrimage’ spanning across Nepal and India.

The 4 places to visit on Buddha Purnima are:

1. Lumbini in Rupandehi District, Nepal.
2. Bodh Gaya in Gaya District, Bihar State, India.
3. Kushinagar in Kushinagar District, Uttar Pradesh State, India.
4. Sarnath near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh State, India.

Typically, on Buddha Purnima, the Teachings of Lord Buddha on Peace, Compassion and Universal Brotherhood are preached at the various Buddhist Gompas; Stupas and Monasteries all over the world. Buddhists also engage in feeding and clothing the underprivileged on Buddha Purnima.

Other major places where Buddha Purnima is celebrated in a large scale in India are:

1.    Shey Buddhist Monastery in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.

2.   Namgyal Monastery near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

3.    Japanese Peace Pagoda in Darjeeling, West Bengal.

4.   Sanchi Stupa in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh.

5.    The Great Stupa of Nalanda, Bihar.

You may not be a Buddhist but you certainly believe in Buddhism if you believe in the following quotes which were preached by Lord Buddha and date back to 588 BC.

·         We are shaped by our thoughts - we become what we think.

·         There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

·         You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger.

·         Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

·         It is better to travel well than to arrive!

Cheers to that !!