Hemis, the biggest monastry in ladakh celebrated the birth of 8th century Indian saint, Guru Padmasambhava with mask dance, elaborated costumes and exhibition of a silk patchwork

Colourful Monasteries amidst the vast horizons of ladakh's terrain makes for a perfect picture. The influence of Tibetan Buddhism reflects across this region. let us sink into the jubilant Hemis Festival which is one of the grand annual events in ladakh. The famous two-day Hemis Festival organized by the Drukpa Order- the most revered Buddhist lineage of the Himalayas concluded at the Hemis Monastery in leh. Tens of thousands of visitors and devotees from across the globe participated in this event. The festival celebrated the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, the 8th century Indian saint who spread Vajrayana Buddhism throughout the Himalayas. His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche,one of the spiritual regents of the Drukpa Order, blessed the event and its participants.

To commemorate this event, participants dress in their traditional attire and don the town in symbols of ladakhi culture and heritage. The first day of the festival featured the monks of the Drukpa Order performing 'Chams' - an ancient mask dance performed to the sounds of cymbals, drums and long horn  as they recite stories associated with the Drukpa Buddhism. A series of Chams performed in a sequence, demonstrate the victory of good over evil, which was the central theme of the festival and highly resonant in our world today. The performers wore colourful and elaborated costumes with brightly painted masks, and delivered a highly moving performance. High masters from the Drukpa Order presided over the festivities as they revealeda 400 years old embroidered silk thangka (religious tapestry) depicting Guru Padmasambhava during the festival.The thangka, is revealed once in 12 years in the early morning hours from dawn till noon. The tapestry emanates a deep spiritual resonance and is believed to provide ‘liberation through sight’ from karmic debt to all those who witness it. More than 50,000 people and visitors from various countries joined the festivities. It ended with the exhibition of a silk patchwork, thangka-painting by a royal prince, the great Gyelsey Rinpoche who was the nephew of King Nima Namgyal and revered as a reincarnation of a Drukpa Master. A supplication to Maharaja Pehar -a powerful protector of Hemis, brought the festivities to a close.