Fast Facts :

Situated : Hemis Monastery, Ladakh(Jammu and Kashmir)

Other Name : Tse-chu

This festival is one of the largest Hemis Festival observed in Ladakh.It is celebrated to mark the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, who according to mythology fought with the demons to spare the people of this place. This festival marks its beginning on the 10th day of the Tibetan Lunar month, which is also known to be the day of the birth of Padmasambhavana(Guru Rimpoche) the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. This is a two-day festival at the Hemis Monastery.

The Monks of the Hemis Monastery performs a masked dance, which is considered to be sacred. The masks that are worn by the monks represents different guardian divinities of the (Dugpa order).The leading establishment of this is considered to the Hemis all over Ladakh. The Tradition of this festival is about two hundred years old and was introduced by a member of the royal family who transmigrated in the (18th century) as the monasteries head monk, Sras Rimpoche.The Hemis dancers are said to be revered and contributes to the service of Padmasambhavana.The guru is said to have seemed in 8 different manifestations.

The Hemis Festival imbues every twelve years in the Tibetan Year of the Monkey, when thankga which is a 2 storeyed idol depicting Padmasambhava is shown.This popular Thankgpa is heavily embroidered with semi precious stones and pearls and is also very brightly colored and will be displayed in the year 2016.

This festival is held during the summers , this festival clings on many visitors from Ladakh and outside the province.