Events & Festivals In Ladakh

Colourful and Culturally Rich Festivals are celebrated mainly in the winter months.

Festivals

Majority of the festivals in Ladakh are celebrated during the winter months. These festivals offer an opportunity for the closely-knit community to come together and participate in the culturally rich traditions.

Hemis Festival - One of the biggest and the oldest of monastic festivals in Ladakh, it is celebrated in late June or early July. The festivities mark the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. A grand Thangka (religious icon painted or embroidered on cloth) is displayed every 12 years during the two-day festival.

Other monasteries also have similar festivals. The popular ones are at Lamayuru in early July, Phiyang in July-August, Tak-Thok and Karsha in Zanskar.

Losar - This festival held in December-January marks the Ladhaki New Year. Festivities go on for two weeks. The colourful festival features stage fights of good and evil, chanting of prayers and mantras, walking with fire torches, dance of the Ibex Deer. The whole atmosphere is laden with dance, music and frenzied merry-making.

Harvest Festival - Held for a period of two weeks in September, the festival is marked by folk dances, music, polo and archery. Wedding Ceremonies are also organized during this time. The procession taken out on the final day of the festivities passes through the streets of Leh.

Events and Fairs

Sindhu Darshan - This is a festival, which celebrates the Indus River also known as Sindhu. Tourists travel on a pilgrimage and prayers are offered to the river, which originates in Mansarovar, Tibet. The river is seen as a symbol of peace and harmony.

The festival held in May-June every year is an endeavor of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir to bring in tourism to this part of the country.

Ladakh Festival - The festival showcases the culture of Central Asia, Tibet and Northern India all that are represented in Ladakh. The festival held in September provides a unique insight into the lives, culture of the Ladakhi people.

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