Hemis Festival

The Hemis Festival is celebrated to commemorate Guru Padmasambhava's birth anniversary. The Hemis monastery, the biggest in Ladakh host the festival and it lasts for two days. According to the Tibetan calendar it falls on the tenth day of the Lunar month. The festival is an enchanting mix of music, masked dances and colorful plays.

There is a legendary story associated with the Hemis Festival in Leh Ladakh. Popular belief is that Guru Padmasambhava fought with the demons to save the local people. As a remembrance to that event the monks perform masked dances to depict how the good prevails over the evil.

The Lamas wear the masks that represent the guardian divinities belonging to the Dugpa order, under which the Hemis monastery is constituted. The end of the dance observes the destruction of dough made figure, the pieces of which are then spread into four directions. The head Lama or the Rimpoche, presides over the entire festival.

Dances and plays apart the festival homes a colorful fair, the main attraction being the wonderful handicrafts of the Ladakh area. The two story high monastery or the Thanka is a visual wonder, embroidered with pearls and other precious stones.

This year the Hemis Gompha is again gearing up to welcome visitors all over the world to indulge into a two day long grandeur in the lap of the picturesque Ladakh. Few necessary facts of the event are given below:-

Venue - The courtyard of Hemis Monastery, Ladakh, India

Dates - 25th June to 26th June, 2007

How to reach - Leh is the nearest airport. From Leh a 45 KM journey by car or bus.

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