Excursions India : Ladakh Tour Package
Hemis Festival
A Buddhist function in Hemis Gompa after 12 years: Tse Shoe is the name of occasion that is celebrated at various places every year as the birthday of lord Padamsambhava- known as Guru Rimpoche too, the founder of Tantrik Buddhism and main saint who established Buddhism in Tibet. The festival of Hemis is being celebrated on this day, which goes for 2 days and occurs every year but once in every 12 years, the Hemis monastery is unfurls the giant Thanka (religious mural) depicting Padamsambhava. The Thanka is richly embroidered with pearls and semi-precious stones and hangs two-stories down, covering almost the entire facade of the building. A member of Ladakh's ruling family, who was reincarnated in 18th century, as the Monastery's Head Lama, Sras Rimpoche, introduced this 200 Yr. old tradition
Another attraction of Hemis Festival is the Cham dances: Cham dance is a highly choreographed sacred dance drama performed by group of monks - wearing masks. Every monk wears a different mask, which further reflects the image representation of deities and devils. The whole dance with various symbols simply tells us the stories of glorious Buddhist past. The masks worn by the lamas represent various guardian divinities of the Dugpa order, of which Hemis is the leading establishment in Ladakh. The Hemis dances are a re-enactment of the magical feats of Padamsambhava, in his services to the cause of Buddhism in his 8 different manifestations.
The Hemis Monastery situated in the South of Leh, at a distance of 43 Kms, on the south bank of the Indus river, Belonging to "BKA BRGYUDPA "School of Tibetan Buddhism - one of the four major school, Hemis is a religious institute of one of the schools. The Hemis Gompa was founded 350 years ago and is one of the wealthiest monasteries in Ladakh. Hemis belongs to the Kagupa Brugpa sect of Buddhism, the sect dominant in Bhutan.
Hemis Festival - Reservation Form
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