Monastic festival Fair & Festival

Many of the annual festivals of the Gompas take place in winter, which is a relatively idle time for majority of the people. These take the form of dance-dramas in the gompa courtyards. Lamas, attired in colourful robes and wearing masks, perform mimes symbolising various aspects of the religion such as the progress of the individual soul and its purification or the triumph of good over evil. Local people flock from near and far to these events. The biggest and most famous of the monastic festivals is that of Hemis, which falls in late June or early July, and is dedicated to Padmasambhava. Every 12 years, the gompa's greatest treasures, a huge Thangka, is ritually exhibited. Its next unveiling is due to take place in A.D 2004. Other monasteries, which have summer festivals, are Lamayuru (early July), Phyang (late July/ early August), Tak-thok (after Phyang) and Karsha in Zanskar (after Phyang). Like Hemis, the Phyang festival too involves the unveiling of a gigantic thangka, though here it is done every third year. Spituk, Stok, Thikse, Chemrey and Matho have their festivals in winter between November and March. Likir and Deskit (Nubra) time their festivals to coincide with Dosmochhe, the festival of the scapegoat, which is celebrated at Leh in late February. Dosmochhe is one of two New Year festivals, the other being Losar, which falls around the time of the winter solstice.
 

MATHO NAGRANG: The festival of the blindfolded acrobatic oracle monks: On the 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month Monastery - the only Saskyapa monastic establishment in Ladakh. During this festival, the two oracles of the monastery make a public appearance in their full spiritual form. These oracles, actually monks of the monastery, mediate in complete isolation for a state of trance and invoking the spirit of the deities. On the day of the festival, they invoke and receive the deities and come into their full spiritual trance. They run over the high rise ramparts of the monastery, jump from one balcony to another and execute a number of acrobatic feats, all while blindfolded! People from far and wide come to hear the oracles predict key future events an to seek answers about their own future.

DAY BY DAY ITINARARY:

Day 01 Arrival Leh transfer to hotel (full day rest) for acclimatization at hotel.

Day 02 Visit to Sankar and Leh palace by walking. O/N hotel.

Day 03 Drive to Stok Monastery to witness 1st day of the festival. O/N Hotel.

Day 04 2nd day of the festival at Stok. O/N Hotel.

Day 05 Drive to Lamayuru, Alchi and Likir Gompas. Back to Leh. O/N Hotel.

Day 06 Drive to Hemis , Thiksay and Shey . This day you will witness the puja at Thiksay Gompa. O/N Hotel.

Day 07 Drive to Daktok, Chamray and Stkna Gompas. O/N Hotel.

Day 08 Drive to Matho Gonpa to witness the 1st day of their festival. O/n hotel.

Day 09 2nd day of festival at Matho. O/N Hotel.

Day 10 Drive to Spituk and Phyang Gompas with half-day sightseeing.

Day 11 Transfer to Leh airport and fly back to Delhi.

The Oracle festival program can be modified to fit in visit Agra ( Taj Mahal & Rajesthan tour for 5-7 days).

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