Masked dance: The Hemis Festival of Ladakh

The Hemis festival is a colourful two day event that falls on the 10th day of the Tibetan Lunar month.

The festival is also known as Tse-chu in the local language . Witnessing the Hemis festival is thought to bring the spiritual fortitude and good heart. The hemis monastery is 40-50 kms away from Leh. The monastery is the principle Gompa of the state. Every year the Buddha Pad Masambhava is honoured for his endeavor to improve the spirituality of all living creatures and for being the founding father of the Buddhism. The festival is held inside an extravagant courtyard of the gompa . The courtyard is filled with the Hemis monastery dancers with colourful masks perform the mystic mask dances ( chams ). The masked dancers stimulate combact between good spirit and evil demons. The dance movements are slow and measured in stark contrast to the grostesque masks the dancers wear. The dance ends once the artificial idol of evil is destroyed by the leader of the black hat dancers signifying the win of good over evil. Chams (mask dance) are the indispensable part of the Vajrayana teaching. This is where the monks perform their tantric worship. It also includes a sacred play around the flag pole. The head priest or lama directs the entire festival. Another esoteric highlight is the display of a large and precious Thangka of the Guru. It is the large piece of the cloth 22ft in height which has a portrait of the guru woven in the bright colour and the finest silk. The festival is a must visit for discerning traveler. The festival has an aesthetic appeal, the dance conveys a message to the viewers about the trustworthiness of the divine creatures in afterlife. In order to teach Nirvana the soul must endure these personifications of human emotions