<Ladakh Festival> <Buddha Mahotsava Festival>      <Sindhu Darshan> <Calender> <Oracles> <Archery>  <Arts & Crafts> 

FAIR AND FESTIVALS.

The religious philosophy of Buddhism, however, profound and subtle doesn’t preclude an immense joie-de-vivre among its Ladakh adherents, and even solemn religious enactment’s are made the occasion for joyous celebration. Many of the festivals of the gonpas take place in winter, a relatively idle time for the majority of the people. They take the form of dance-dramas in the Gonpa courtyards. Lamas, robed in colourful garments and wearing often startlingly frightful mask, perform mimes representing various aspect of the religion such as the progress of the individual soul and its purification or the triumph of good over evil. Local people flock from near and far to these events, and the spiritual benefits they get are no doubt heightened by their enjoyment of the party atmosphere, with crowds of women and men, the opportunity to make new friendships and renew old ones, the general bustle and sense of occasion.

The biggest and most famous of the monastic festivals, frequented by tourists and locals a like, is that of Hemis, which falls in late June or the first half of July, and is dedicated to Padmasambhava.Every 12 years, the gonpa’s greatest treasure, a huge thangka - a religious icon painted or embroidered on cloth- is ritually exhibited. The next unveiling is due to take place in AD 2004.Other monasteries which have summer festivals at Lamayuru( also early July), Phyang (Late July or early August), Tak-thok ( about tend days after Phyang) and Karsha in Zanskar( 11 days after Phyang). Like Hemis, the phyang festival too involves the exhibition of a gigantic thangka, though here it is done every year. Spituk, Stok, Thiksay, Chemrey Matho all have their festivals in winter, between November and March. Likir and Deskit (Nubra) time their festivals to coincide with Dosmochey, the festival of the scapegoat, which is also celebrated with favour at Leh.Falling in the second half of February, Dosmoche is one of the two New Year festivals, the other being Losar. At Dosmoche, a great wooden mast decorated with streamers and religious emblems is set up outside Leh. At the appointed time, offerings of stoma, ritual figures moulded out of dough, are brought out and ceremonially cast away into the desert, or burnt. These scapegoats carry away with them the evil spirits of the old year, and thus the town is cleaned and made ready to welcome the New Year.

Losar falls about the time of the winter solstice any time between 8th and 30th December.All Ladakhi Buddhist celebrate it by making offerings to the gods, both in the gonpas and in their domestic shrines.

LADAKH FESTIVAL

The Department of Tourism spends a huge amount of Rs.16.00 Lacs for promotion of Tourism by way of holding a 15 days Ladakh Festival every year. The main aim of organising the same since last 7 years in the month of September is to extend the lean tourist season in the region and also to represent and prorogate the rich cultural heritage of the area. The grand success of the festival and the tremendous response from foreign tourists and home including the local people are due to the rich cultural heritage and variety of other attractive programmes like traditional Polo match and Village archery. The famous monastic dance in the monasteries including exhibitions of invaluable Thankas and other Ritual Instruments of the monasteries. The tourists have the opportunities to see the entire traditional cultural programme of the region like Traditional Folk dance and songs of the Nomads. The traditional folk songs and dance of Drokpas the pure Aryan race and many more different traditional folk dance and song of the village. The grand achievements of the Ladakh Festival are noticeable of the significant increase in the arrivals of tourists during the lean tourist season of the year.

BUDDHA MAHAOTSAVA FESTIVAL

Two days multicolored cultural bonanza of Buddha Mahaotsava 2001 was held on 1^st and 2^nd of June 2001, starting from 700 years old, Deskit Monastery in procession with Ven. Monks, participating in their most attractive robes. The Festival first of its kind in the history of Ladakh, was organized by Department of Tourism in Collaboration with ministry of Tourism, Government of India with a view to present and propagate the rich cultural heritage of Ladakh.

The festival has also extended its magnetic field to the foreign and home tourists to witness the colorful Buddhist Monastic Dance and Thanka exhibition in Deskit. Monastery including evening illuminations in the monastery followed by melodious tunes of ritual instrumental play. This year’s special attraction of the Festival was the performance of play on the life story of Lord Buddha by Party of Miss Anamika from Delhi.

Tourists also enjoyed double humped camels and yaks ride in the Sand Dunes of Hunder village. In ancient days, Deskit was the main centre for meeting of Caravans travelling on the famous Silk Rout between India and Central Asia. The significance of the festival was commemorating the five important events in the life of Lord Buddha. The five main events of the day in Buddha’s life are:-

Buddha after hie Enlightenment at Budh Gaya preached his

First Sermon on Four Nobel Truths, at Sarnath in Banaras.

It was on the same day that Mayamaya devil, the mother of

Lord Buddha conceived Bodhisatvas Gotama in her womb.

Prince Siddharttha left his Kingdom and become acetic.

Prince Rahul, the Son of Siddharttha was born on the same day.

The commencement of the preaching of the Tavatinas heaven which took place in the 7^th year of his Enlightenment.

SINDHU DARSHAN FESTIVAL:-

Sindhu Darshan Festival 2001 was the fifth Annual Festival in the series and has infact became a movement signifying National Integration and unity among diversity. From this year, the festival will be held on fixed dates i.e from Ist of June to 3^rd of June so that the domestic and foreign tourists could also join the event since the inception of Sindhu Darshan.

CALANDER OF MONASTIC FESTIVAL

Name of festival	2010	2011	2012	2013
Spituk Gustor	Jan 13-14	Jan31-1 Feb	Jan 21-22	Jan 09-10
Stongde Gustor	June 29-30	July 18-19	July 06-07	June 26-27
DosmocheyLeh	Feb 11-12	Mar02-03	Feb19-20	Feb 08-09
Likir & Diskit	Feb 11-12	Mar 02-03	Feb 19-20	Feb 08-09
Stok seschu	Feb 23-24	Mar 14-15	Feb 02-03	Feb 19-20
Matho Nagrang	Feb 27-28	Mar 18-19	Feb 07-08	Feb 24-25
Sindhu Darshan	June 12-14	June 12-14	June 12-14	June 12-14
Saka Dawa	May 27	June 15	May 04	May 25
Hemis Tseschu	June 21-22	July 10-11	June 29-30	June 18-19
Yuru Kabgyad	June 10-11	June 28-29	June 16-17	June 05-06
Karsha Gustor	July 08-09	July 27-28	July 15-16	July 06-07
Phyang Tserup	July 09-10	July 28-29	July 16-17	July 06-07
Korzok gustor	July 14-15	Aug 02-03	July 22-23	July 11-12
Dakthok Tsechu	July 20-21	Aug 08-09	July 28-29	July 18-19
Sani Naro Nasjal	July 24-25	Aug 12-13	Aug 01-02	July 21-22
Shachukul Gustor	June 28-29	July 17-18	July 05-06	June 25-26
Ladakh Festival	Sept 1-15	Sept 1-15	Sept 1-15	Sept 1-15
Thiksay Gustor	Oct 25-26	Nov 13-14	Nov 01-02	Nov 20-21
Chemday Angchok	Nov 04-05	Nov 23-24	Nov 11-12	Nov 30-1 Dec
Galdan Namchot	Nov 30	Dec 20	Dec 08	Dec 27
Losar	Dec 6	Dec 25	Dec 14	Jan 02

ORACLES & ASTROLOGERS.

The Ladakhis believe implicitly in the influence of gods and spirits on the material world, and undertake no major enterprise, without taking this influence into consideration. The lamas are the vital intermediaries between the human and the spirit worlds. Not only do they perform the rites necessary to propitiate the gods- in Private houses as well as in the gonpa temples, they also often take on the role of astrologers and oracles who can predict the auspicious time for starting any enterprise, whether ploughing the fields, or taking in the harvest, arranging a marriage or going on a journey- and advise as to the auspicious way of going about it.

The most famous monk-oracles are those of Matho Gonpa, Chosen every three years by a traditional procedure, two monks spend several months in a rigorous regiment of prayer and fasting to prepare and purify themselves for their arduous role. When the time comes they are possessed by the deity, whose spirit enables them to perform feats that would be impossible to any one in a normal state such as cutting themselves with knives, or sprinting along the Gonpa’s topmost parapet. In this condition, they will answer questions put to them concerning individual and public welfare. However, the sprit is said to be able to detect questions asked by sceptical observers with the intention of testing him, and to react with frenzied anger.

There are also in some villages lay people, men and women, who have special powers as oracles and healers. Some of them belong to families in which there have been several such receptacles of spirit forces. Other are diagnosed as such without any hereditary background. The spirits possessing these lay persons are believed to be capricious, and not always entirely benevolent, and some people resist being possessed by them. Once they have accepted, however, they undergo a process of initiation and training by monks and senior oracles, and only after this is completed may they start practising. The effectiveness of their spirit healing is an article of faith with the Ladakhis.

ARTS AND CRAFTS.

There is little tradition of artistic craftsmanship in Ladakh, most luxury articles in the past having been obtained through imports. The exception is the village of Chiling, about 19 Kms up the Zanskar River from Nimo. Here, a community of metal workers, said to be the descendants of artisans brought from Nepal in the mid-17th century to build one of the gigantic Buddha - image at Shey, carry on their hereditary vocation. Working in silver, brass and copper, they produce exquisite items for domestic and religious use: tea and chang pots, tea cup- stands and lids, hooka-bases, ladles and bowls and, occasionally, silver chorten for installation in temples and domestic shrines.

Local blacksmith (Gara) with the bowls and cooking pots they need for every day use, as well as with agricultural implements supplies those who cannot afford the expensive ware of the Chiling craftsmen. The gara also make the large and ornate iron stoves seen in kitchens of the richer Ladakhi homes. In general, craftsmanship has not developed beyond the production of every day items for personal and domestic use. Pattu, the rough, warm, woollen material used for clothing is made from locally produced wool, spun by women on drop-spindles, and women by semi- professional weavers on portable looms set up in the winter sunshine, or under the shade of a tree in summer. Baskets, for the transpot of any kind of burden - manure for the fields, fresh vegatables,even babies-are woven out of willow twigs, or a particular variety of grass. Woodwork is confined largely to the production of pillars and carved lintels for the houses, and the low carved tables that are a feature of every Ladakhi living room.

Many such items, together with others recently introduced as part of the development process, are available in the District Handicraft Centre at Leh, which exists to train local people as well as to market their products. They you can find, in addition to traditional objects, a few special items like Pashmina shawls-rough compared with those produced in Srinagar, but soft and warm as only pure pashmina can be; and carpets in designs and techniques borrowed from Tibet.Similar carpets are also to be had at the Tibetan Refugee Centre at Choglamsar.

The handicrafts Centre also has a department of thangka painting. These icons on cloth are executed in accordance with strict guidelines handed down from past generations. In the same tradition are the mural paintings in the gonpas, where semi- professionals, both monks and laymen, labour to keep the walls decorated with images symbolising the various aspects of the Buddhist way. The skill of building religious statues also not extinct. The gigantic representation of Maitreya, was installed in Thikse Gonpa as recently as the early 1980s.

ARCHERY AND POLO.

In Leh, and many of the villages, archery festivals are held during the summer months, with a lot of fun and fanfare. They are competitive events, surrounding villages all sending teams and the shooting takes place according to strict etiquette, to the accompaniment of the music of Surna and Daman (aboe and drum). As important as the archery are the interludes of dancing and other entertainment. Chang, the local barley beer, flows freely, but there is rarely any rowdiness. The crowd attends in their Sunday best, the men invariably in traditional dress, and the women wearing their brightest brocade mantles and their heaviest jewellery. Archery may be the pretext for the gathering, but the party’s the thing.

Polo is traditional to the western Himalaya, especially to Baltistan and Gilgit. It was probably introduced into Ladakh in the mid -17th century by King Singge Namgial, whose mother was a Balti princess. The game played here differ in many respects from the international game, which indeed, is adapted from what British travellers saw in the western Himalaya and Manipur in the 19th century. Here, each team consists of six players, and the game lasts for an hour with ten minute break. Altitude nowith standing, the hardy local ponies- the best of which come from Zanskar scarcely seem to suffer, though play can be fast and furious. Each goal is greeted by a brust of music from Surna and Daman, and the players often show extraordinary skill. For example, when starting play after a goal the scorer gallops up to midfield holding ball and mallet in the right hand, and throws the ball, hitting it in the same movement towards the opposite goal.

Unlike the international game, Polo in Ladakh is not exclusively for the rich. Traditionally, almost every village had its polo ground, and even day it is played with verve in may places besides Leh, especially in Drass and Chushot, a big village close to Leh. In Leh, it has been partly institutionalised with regular tournaments and occasional exhibition matches being played on the Polo-Ground in the shadow of the palace. The local crowd takes keen interest, especially in these matches in which a civilian teams takes on the Army.Altogether, polo adds a unique kind of colour and excitement to the Summer in Leh.