Hemis monastery all set for famed mask dance
Ahead of a grand congregation of Buddhists next month, the 17th century Hemis monastery of Drukpa lineage, the largest such in Ladakh, has been decked up for a two-day annual festival that sees monks wearing traditional masks representing deities and evil spirits, the organisers said.
The famed Hemis Festival, which will be inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on July 14, commemorates the birth of Padmasambhava, the eighth century Indian guru revered for spreading Buddhism throughout the Himalayas.
Spiritual teachers, monks, nuns, devotees and tourists from across the globe will gather to witness the mesmerising festivities that include the traditional mask dance, portraying the triumph of good over evil, Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche said.
He is the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa Order based in the Himalayas.
A 400-year-old embroidered silk ‘thangka’ or religious tapestry depicting Guru Padmasambhava will be especially unfurled during the festival.
The four-storey high tapestry has a deep spiritual resonance and is believed to provide ‘liberation through sight’ from karmic debt to all those who witness it.
This year, the Hemis Festival will also witness the grand Naropa Festival, popularly known as the Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas, from September 13 to October 1.
The Naropa Festival was earlier to be held like in the past in July but was postponed at the last minute as it was coinciding with the visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to Leh in August for teachings.
The Naropa Festival, which honours the birth anniversary of the 11th century Indian saint Naropa, is the biggest spiritual gathering in the region and happens only once in 12 years.
For the Buddhists, it’s like the Maha Kumbh Mela mass pilgrimage that’s also celebrated every 12 years. Founded in the 17th Century, the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh in India’s Jammu and Kashmir houses famous holy relics which are thousands of years old. IANS