Festivals of Ladakh

Monastery Festivals of Ladakh

11 Best Festivals of Ladakh

We have listed the 11 best festivals of Ladakh along with the dates on which they fall. You can see the dates below and click on the links on the left to read more about the particular festival

Festivals of Ladakh 2024 and 2025

The Hemis festival , is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. Padmasambhava means ‘born from the lotus’.

During the Hemis festival, the locals dress up traditionally. You will see men wearing kamarbands and women with vibrant headgears and ample jewelry.
During the monkey year, which comes in a cycle of 12 years, the four-storeyed thangka of Guru Padmasambhava is hung in the courtyard with other precious thangkas out on display. Thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton/silk fabric.

You may also enjoy a Cham performance. Cham is a lively masked and costumed dance associated with Tibetan Buddhism. The Cham dance form is considered to be an offering to the gods.

The Chang-pa, nomadic herdsmen from the Tibetan plateau come in large numbers to this festival. The Black-Hat dance is a major highlight of the festival. The Lama dancers wear masks representing Dharmapalas who are the patron divinities of the Drukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Himalayan Ecotourism arranges everything for the travellers from A TO Z and can guarantee a fun-filled, adventurous trip to the land of high passes.

The Losar festival , is celebrated for two to three weeks.

The first few days of the festival are most important for the locals as they make offerings to and seek the blessings of the Gods and deities.

This festival is very entertaining and sees the enactment of a lot of ancient rituals and the age-old traditions in the land of the high passes. People also visit their relatives and friends during the Losar festival celebrations.

Sindhu Darshan festival is celebrated to honor the river Indus. The Indus River which is considered to be the birthplace of Indian civilization appears in many ancient Indian texts as ‘Sindhu’.

In this three-day festival, artists from all over the country are provided a platform to showcase their unique dance performances. Senior Lamas offer prayers on the banks of the river.

The Phyang Tsedup festival , is celebrated to honor Skyoba Jigten Gombo, the founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage. Jigten Gombo founded the Drikung Thil Monastery in 1179. The monastery serves as a residence for around 300 monks.

The Cham dance is performed at the celebration. Elegant thangkas including a grand one of Skyoba Jigten Gombo are displayed at the festival.

The 2-day festival is believed to have been started by the royal families in Ladakh to ward off evil. During the festival, the Leh palace is decorated in grandeur, and monks from different monasteries perform a sacred dance.

Traditionally dressed locals and monks and colorfully decorated monasteries are the highlights of the Dosmochey Festival. Senior monks with expertise in Buddhist Tantrism burn dough idols and make thread crosses to keep away the evil forces.

Saka Dawa is the supreme festival of all Buddhists. During the festival, people take part in a procession called Bhumskor wherein they carry articles depicting the life and noble deeds of Buddha.

People engage in meditation and dharma sadhana while refraining from killing animals. The people honor and walk on the path preached by Buddha (Sakyamuni, the sage of the Sakyas)

The festival begins with the unveiling of the statue of Yogi Naropa who is believed to have meditated at the Kanika Stupa in Sani Monastery. As a ritual offering, the Lamas of the Bardan Monastery perform masked dances.

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The Takthok gompa belongs to the Nyingma order, which is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Takthok monastery is where Guru Rinpoche meditated and the festival comprises dances and art forms that portray the life of Guru Rinpoche.

Matho Nagrang is a very unique festival. It is known as the festival of black oracles. Two oracles are chosen from monks who have been meditating for months and preparing themselves for this special festival. The chosen then give blessings to a large number of people gathered.

The name itself gives you an idea that the festival will be a platform that showcases the diverse cultures of the highland.

The festival is arranged jointly by the locals and the tourism department. Archery, Polo and various other competitions are also held during this festival. People who have come for the fest can enjoy the local barley beer called Chang.

Ladakhi food, handicrafts, folklore dances, traditional music, and the entire festival give tourists a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Ladakhis.