Hemis: The vibrant festival of Ladakh that celebrates the victory of good over evil
If you happen to visit Ladakh’s most famous and wealthiest monastery, Hemis Gompa, in the month of June or July, then you are probably going to be a witness to this vibrant spectacle: A group of monks and Lamas wearing brightly hued traditional clothes and exotic masks dancing slowly to the beats of drums. Wondering what it is? We are talking about Ladakh’s most colouful festival, Hemis, set against the barren brown mountains. According to the lunar Tibetan calendar, the Hemis festival is celebrated on the 10th day of Tsechu, an annual religious Bhutanese festival, which falls in the fifth lunar month, June or July. This festival is also known as Hemis Tsechu. Well, this two-day celebration, held in Hemis Gompa, marks the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava who introduced Buddhism in the Tibetan region. He was revered and thought to be an incarnation of Lord Buddha. He is thought to be the protector of the Himalayan kingdom against dark forces and demons. He also introduced a form of tantric Buddhism that gave the people a new perspective of life.
Originating in the 8th century, the festival is celebrated with great fervour to honour his legacy of achieving victory over evil and keeping negativities at bay. The Hemis Gompa is adorned with lovely decorations for this vibrant two-day festival. Ladakhis and natives of the region dress up in colourful attires and gather in the Gompa courtyard for the celebration. It boasts of customs like the Cham dance, devil dances and handicraft exhibitions, all while enjoying the Chang, a local liquor!
Cham dance
The Cham dance is one of the main highlights of the Hemis celebration as the festivities begin with this ritual. In Cham dance, performers dress in traditional clothes and extravagant masks and headgears. The head lama or currently elected ‘Rinpoche’ presides over the event. The monks and lamas wear long traditional gowns with striking papier mache masks to perform slow, wonderful, masked dances to the beats of drums, horns and cymbals. The main function of the music as per Tibetan religious customs is an offering to the deity. Each and every mask as well as headgear has a symbolic connotation too while the monk dancer is an empowered deity in the body of a human. The dancers come into the centre of the courtyard and dance around in slow and solemn movements to the beats of the instruments.
Devil dances
There are devil themed dances performed during the festival. They are a little different from Cham dance. Several such dances with implicit symbolism are performed by various masked groups. One of them is the Tsamchot Dance or the Dance of the Black Hat Janaka which is a tantric type of dance. In this dance form, there are thirteen dancers donning large black hats and heavy robes made of Chinese silk. They wear capes, aprons and a necklace with a skull emblem reminding people of the brevity of life. The dance is performed in a clockwise fashion. The number thirteen is identified with the thirteen yugas and the dance movements signify dispelling of evil forces. Another one is The Dance of Tsoglen Na that is supposed to put an end to evil. Five dancers stand for deities in red, green, yellow, white and brown masks with the lead dancer wearing a devil mask with curled tongue and tusks. A dough effigy is made and the leader of the dance with the devil mask cuts the effigy into two. This demonstrates complete destruction of the enemy.
Handicraft and sports
During the festival, there is a wonderful display of local artworks, gemstones, jewellery, wicker baskets and carpets by the natives for the tourists to enjoy. Some stalls even showcase intricate paintings and other indigenous works. Traditional local liquor called ‘Chaang’ is consumed widely during the festivities which is a must have during this time! Archery and Polo competitions are also held along with exhibitions of local handicrafts.