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 29th & 30th 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
8th 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.
