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An experiential retelling of India's grandest monastic festival
Pru waved to me from her first-floor window as I was packing my camera gear in the hotel courtyard. I was introduced to her only a day before at our hotel stay in Leh. She had an uncanny resemblance to my grandmother. While my grandma was not an adventurous soul, Pru, a Montessori teacher from South Africa, was. She had come to Ladakh to attend the Kalachakra Initiations by Dalai Lama.
Ladakh was having a great summer. It was the only time when the Hemis Festival dates coincided with the Kalachakra ceremony. Ladakh was playing host to both events. Pru and I connected over our shared interest in the region's enticing culture. While Hemis Festival was not part of Pru's plan, Kalachakra was not part of mine.
Most travellers visit Ladakh, seduced by its unworldly terrain. Some like me are topographically and culturally inclined. The Hemis Festival was an ideal place to experience the Tibetan culture that had long fascinated me.
I was about to head to the festival alone when I spotted Pru and waved back. She was not going to the Kalachakra that day. So I invited her to accompany me to the festival instead.
While travelling to Pangong Tso, we turned right at Karu instead of a left towards Chang La. The Hemis Road takes you across the Indus River and deep inside a valley. It was surreal to leave the beaten track. We drove through mountain villages where Ladakhis went about their daily lives.
Most monasteries in Ladakh are perched on top of hills and are identifiable from a distance. But not the Hemis Monastery! It won't be visible until you are close enough. Hidden by towering mountains, it feels intentionally concealed. It reminded me of secret Inca cities I had only read about in books.
We reached the monastery after a 40 km drive from Leh. Soon we realised that we were just one among the many who had come to witness the cultural extravaganza. If you're planning a visit, know that entry to the Hemis Festival doesn't require a ticket.
Hemis Festival is a two-day event celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. He was the founder of Tantric Buddhism. As there is no narrator, reading about the festival beforehand can help understand what's going on. Especially about the story told through the costumed Chham dance and its cultural significance. I unintentionally hit the jackpot as Pru turned out to be an expert in Buddhism.
According to Buddhist beliefs, Guru Padmasambhava fought against dark spirits and demons. Also called Guru Rinpoche, he introduced tantric Buddhism and a spiritual and positive way of life. The natives of Hemis village soon started celebrating his legacy and the victory of good over evil. In 1730, Gyalsras Rinpoche formally introduced the Hemis Festival.
The Hemis Monastery celebrates this festival on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar. As per the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls in June or July. On this day, the locals dress in their finest traditional attire to celebrate the birthday of their Guru. The lamas adorn the monastery courtyard with colourful flags, ornamental umbrellas, and a four-storey-long thangka (sacred Buddhist painting). Their passion and enthusiasm, contagious as it was, soon carried us along with the flow.
The ground surrounding the dancing arena was crowded, despite reaching early. The organisers had reserved most seats for the Indian Army, VVIPs, and tour groups. Additionally, the media frenzy that descended on Hemis Monastery during the festival added to the woes of finding an empty place.
Pru and I managed to lodge ourselves at an excellent vantage point at the top step of Dukhang Barpa (main hall) overlooking the open courtyard. To our surprise, monks in elaborate fineries emerged from the room behind us. As they passed us and headed down the stairs, it was an opportunity to see them from a close quarter.
The lamas, concealed behind their masks, danced in a spiritual trance, oblivious to the onlookers. The spectators were equally entranced with the slow dance, synchronised with the gongs of drums.
As the festival continued for hours. We decided to take a brief break to explore the monastery.
The Hemis Monastery dates to the 17th century. It is the largest monastery in Ladakh and follows the Drukpa sect of Buddhism. Typical of Buddhist monasteries, we saw stupas, prayer wheels, and fluttering prayer flags. A golden statue of Buddha overlooked the monastery from an adjacent hill, along with the monks' living quarters scattered on the mountainside.
The monastery has two main prayer halls facing the courtyard, Dukhang Barpa and Dukhang Chenmo. Dukhang Barpa was out of bounds as the dressing room for the dancers. A separate hall, Guru Lhakhang, houses a two-storey sculpture of Guru Padmasambhava.
Opposite the main hall, across the courtyard, are the visitor pavilion, the monastery museum, and the library. The museum exhibited well-preserved artefacts like manuscripts, Tibetan books, ornate Buddha statues, sacred Thangkas, and weaponry.
While exploring the monastery, we also interacted with a few locals. A little Ladakhi girl had accompanied her father on her first visit to the festival. A mother with her newborn had come to take blessings at the monastery. She told us it is a customary practice, believed to bring good fortune to the child.
More exploration led us to peek into the monastery's kitchen near Nyingma Lhakhang, the oldest part of the monastery behind the main structure. Three women were preparing a large batch of momos. There was a feast after the fest, I presumed.
At the end of the dance, the monks distributed apricots to people before heading back to the Dukhang.
Back at Leh, Pru expressed gratitude for taking her to the Hemis Festival. Coming from a different part of the world, it was a spiritual encounter for her. Likewise, I told her the experience at the monastic festival was unlike any other. Hemis Festival opened a window for us into the rich culture of Ladakh and regaled us with a soul-stirring experience. The outstanding landscape played the cherry on top.
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