Ladakh Festivals

The Ladakh Film Festival is, as the name should suggest, held in Ladakh. A fairly dry fact, in and of itself but is you've ever been to Ladakh, you would know that you could have an International Ball Bearing festival up there and still come away having had a brilliant time. And this is no ball bearing festival. The two key aims of the LIFF are to present to the world the festival's own carbon offset model as well as create a world class platform for world class cinema. Chaired by Shyam Benegal and boasting of some of the biggest names in the industry, including Shekhar Kapoor, Mike Pandey, Vishal Bharadwaj and many more, this is an event that you would do well to not miss.

They will play some music, eat a lot of momos and save the planet while they're at it. The Ladakh Confluence is the catalyst – a ladakh music festival organised by a handful of young professionals and enthusiastic volunteers, which is now in its second year. Local Mumbai bands which are slated to perform include Tough on Tobacco, Hipnotribe and Pulp Society. International acts (which were booked months in advance because of the busy international concert season) include Manu Delago, Christoph Pepe Auer, Jamie Catto and the Supersonics.

Hemis festival Ladakh is one of the most famous monastic festivals in June to commemorate birth of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. The sacred dance drama of the life and mission is performed wearing facial masks and colorful brocades robes. The three-day festival takes place from 9th to 11th. Especially the monkey year festival, which comes in a cycle of 12 years.

Gustors' festival takes place at Spituk, Thiksey, and Karsha in different months of the year. This festival is for two days. This festival a celebration is to mark the victory or triumph above the evils. You will find many mask wearing dancers here that signify the Protectors, Guardians and the Gods and Goddesses. The colourful festival of Ladakhis ends with the emblematic elimination of evils and blazing of the figurine of evils.

Dosmochey is another festival that is celebrated in Leh at Leh Palace, Deskit in Nubra valley and Liker is Lower Ladakh monasteries in the month of February. The most prominent festival amongst all is celebrated for two days inside Leh palace courtyard is Leh Dosmochey. Every year during the festivals, the monks from diverse monasteries perform the Chams turn by turn. This festival takes place in the ending and start of the New Year of Tibetan.

From the 1st month of Tibetan Calendar, festival Matho Nagrang is celebrated on the 15th day at Matho monastery. And it is the only monastery of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. The festival takes place for two days with the mask dancing by the monks wearing colourful silk brocade robes of the monastery and mask in diverse appearance of God and Goddesses. The festival is famous because of appearance of the two oracles during the festival after full month.       

For two days the monks of Spituk and Stok monasteries celebrate Stok Gruru Tsechu and also perform mask dancing in the month of February just a week before the festival Matho Nagrang. The two laymen prepared by the monks from the same village appear has Oracles to accept the spirit of the deities during the festival.

Phyang Tsedup is yet another costume and mask dancing festival that takes place in July - August. The Monks too wear colorful brocade robes and masks of various God and Goddesses performing and dancing. Throughout the festival the gigantic thanka of Skyoba Giksten Gonbo are hung in the courtyard. 

The 2-day festival takes place in July in Lamayuru monastery around 125 kms. from Leh. Monks like other monastic festival perform mask dances. During the festival monks perform prayer and rituals to get rid of disaster and peace in the world. 

The Losar or New Year festival is pursued by Galdan Namchot, the birth anniversary of Tsogkha pa who initiated Gelukpa School of order. Throughout Namchot celebrations the local people light up their houses, mountains and Monasteries and make offerings in the houses and monasteries.

Every year during September 1st to 15th of the Ladakh festival takes place in Leh and nearby villages. The inaugural ceremony in Leh is celebrated in a large scale with the parade of different cultural groups from various parts of Ladakh. The parade overtakes the Leh Market while singing and dancing with local and traditional music, wearing a colorful local and traditional Ladakhi clothes and conclude the ceremony at the Polo ground subsequent performing their best dances and songs.

A three day festival 'Sindhu Darshan' is held during 1st to 3rd June in Shey Manla, it is approximately 8 kms from Leh on the bank of Indus River. This festival was held for the first time in October 1997, as a mark of unity and Communal harmony and national integration and at the same time encouraging domestic tourism in Ladakh. It is also a symbolic salute to brave soldiers of India who have been fighting not only with enemies in the in the human form but also in the form of nature.
Sindhu Darshan Festival Ladakh >>>

Every year Buddha Purnima Festival Ladakh is celebrated on 4th May all around the world. Celebration of Buddha Purnima is held very happily and remembering Lord Buddha and his teachings. People perform various activities in the special day. Buddha Purnima Festival is celebrated differently in every country.
Buddha Purnima Festival Ladakh >>>