THE SACRED MASK DANCE OF LADAKH: HEMIS FESTIVAL

Ladakh is a favourite destination of all passionate travellers, wanderers, bikers, photographers and tourists from all over the world because of the mesmerising and eternal beauty of gigantesque snow clapped mountains, rugged landscape and many centuries old monasteries. Me and my husband visited this beautiful land in June 2015 and the experience that we gathered can never be expressed in words or pictures. One have to visit Ladakh to experience Ladakh. In this blog I want to share my one single day’s experience from our whole tour of total 9 days which has left an ever lasting impact on me regarding Ladakhi culture and their extravaganza of masked dance, the ‘Hemis Festival’.

While planning our tour, we came to know about this festival from google search and instantly decided to be part of this colourful festival celebration. So we requested Mr. Sonam Wangru, a wonderful person and owner of the hotel ‘Ladakh Himalayan Retreat’ to arrange two balcony tickets for Hemis festival well in advance because we did not want to miss it. Reaching Leh from Delhi by flight we stayed in this hotel with very comfortable and nice arrangement. Leh has an altitude of 11500 ft so proper acclimatisation is a must. We took acetazolamide tablet from 2 days before reaching Leh and continued till we stayed there to prevent high altitude sickness. We travelled to world’s highest motorable road at an altitude of 18380 ft ‘Khandungla Pass’ and proudly conquering the famous pass by car of course, we moved forward to reach Numbra valley where we enjoyed riding a very rare and special double humped camel found exclusively in Ladakh. The whole journey was quite rough and tough but never stopped amusing us by its beauty. In the lap of the Great Himalayan and Karakoram range we completely lost ourselves surrendering to its endless vastness. Anyways let’s again concentrate to Hemis festival.

Hemis festival:

It was 26th June 2015, the very first day of the two day long festival. We started early morning after breakfast from our hotel wearing heavy woollens with camera ready and reached Hemis monastery after 1 hour ride which is approximately 42 kms away from Leh. It is the largest and richest monastery of Ladakh at an altitude of 12000 ft jutting out of the mountain top. We entered the main door around 8:30 am 2 hours early. After choosing our balcony seat in first floor of the gallery with best possible view, very patiently we observed monks or lamas preparing the ground stage of the courtyard. They placed a Tibetan wooden engraved table with ceremonial items of cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter, incence sticks placed beside a tall sacred pole at the center of the courtyard. Slowly people were gathering encircling the courtyard including local people, tourists, many foreigners and the whole gallery became full to watch this event unfold. A brief history is essential here.

Essence of Hemis festival:

Hemis festival “ Thseshu” is a great annual festival of Ladakh held in the courtyard of 350 years old Hemis monastery every summer. Though Hemis monastery is more than 1000 years old and existed before 11th century but it was re-established around 1672 by the then Ladakhi king Senge Nampar Gyalva. The festival celebrates the birthday of Guru Padmasambhava, the 8th century extraordinary teacher from India, also called Guru Rinpoche meaning extraordinary teacher. He is the founder of Lama tradition and Tibetan Tantrayana Buddhism, who is believed to have descended as incarnation of Lord Buddha also known as second Buddha to bestow grace and improve spiritual conditions of all. His birth on a lotus is celebrated on 10th day of 5th month of Tibetan lunar calendar every year and monkey year that comes every 12 years is considered as most auspicious. Hemis festival accolades the great deeds of Guru Padmasambhava and celebrates victory of good over evil, as He is believed to conquer every evil forces to bring peace in the valley in 8th century. Monks donning colourful silk brocade costumes and brightly painted masks of 17th century, dance to the cacophony of musical instruments like cymbals, longhorns and drums in the courtyard of Hemis monastery around the sacred pole called Chams dance, a mask dance of Tantric tradition following the Tantric Vajrayana Buddhism. The whole dance performance in an orderly rhythmic slow and solemn movements of legs and hands to the special Tibetan ritual music is a treat for both eyes and ears. The origin of the Cham dance is dated back to 811 AD performed by Guru Padmasambhava himself as Black Hat Chams to banish evil spirits. People across the world gather here to witness an ancient tradition, flawless, strictly adhering to the ancient script, completely unadulterated that is running for 1000 years and observance of such sacred festival is believed to bring spirituality and good health within us fighting every evil. Though the festival is 1000 years old tradition in the valley, but from 1730 this festival is recorded properly year after year.

26th June 2015:

The event started around 10:30 am by blowing long horns breaching the silence by the Lamas, followed by drums and cymbals. Unfurling of a huge Thanka painting of Guru Padmasambhava sitting on lotus from the second floor of the monastery was a jaw dropping beauty. Soon the masked lamas appeared and dance of thirteen Black Hat dancers started.

Dance of the Black Hat Dancers: Tsamchot Dance:

Thirteen dancers wearing large black hats with wide rim and colourful ribbons flowing, entered and danced wearing heavy silk gowns with a neckpiece having a large locket of human skull emblem that reminds us of our short life on this earth. Thirteen numbers represents 13 yugas of the Cosmos and purpose of this Tsamchot dance is to drive away the evil forces.

Dance of the compassionate Dakinis:

After the black hat dancers leave, sixteen lamas dressed as compassionate Dakinis with metal masks holding a damaru and a bell entered and danced with the chants of the mantra of Padmasambhava: Om Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum centering the sacred pole at center. Their mantras along with the melodious music of the cymbal and drums purified the whole space and every objects living and non-living in the courtyard.

Dance of eight aspects of Padmasambhava:

After they disappeared, eight lamas dressed in Guru Padmasambhava in His different personifications made a dramatic entry. Padmasambhava wearing a golden mask with a calm face like Buddha along with His seven other incarnations entered in a row led by masked musicians and surrounded by lamas as His disciples. This was the most interesting part of the whole festival. The golden masked Guru Padmasambhava is one and a half times taller than His other incarnations. Each aspects of Padmasambhava wore different coloured masks with specific attributes in their hands like damaru, bell, vajra, skull, incense, sun symbol, trident, bowl and mudras depending on the avatars and their different roles on earth. After their entry they took their seats in a row in decorated cushioned chairs to receive worship by 16 worshippers sitting on opposite side.

Four masked heroes first danced before them praising Padmasambhava, followed by dance of five Skandhas meaning five senses, five elements and five Buddhist categories praising their Guru.

Then each incarnation of Padmasambhava wearing different coloured masks danced to display their great deeds as different avatars and how they protected and blessed humankind by their beautiful gestures with the ritual music. On one hand Guru Padmasambhava beautifully displayed that He is a great teacher, preacher, showed miracles, received teachings of Mahayoga Tantra by His four calm avatars wearing white, flesh coloured, ochre and yellow coloured masks while on other hand by His other three angry avatars wearing blue, bluish-black and brown masks displayed how He moved the wheel of Dharma, subjugated evils, caused destruction of the unorthodox to improve spiritual living among all. The whole play made several thousands of spectators just speechless in the gallery.

Then comes a short break…..

Second phase of the play began with dance of the Protectors of Dharma:

Twelve Dharmapalas dance in joy who protect the teachings of Lord Buddha from all evil forces.

Dance of Turdag: Masters of the Graveyard:

Four lamas wearing white skeleton masks and gowns with fanged teeth representing graveyard ghouls and the masters of graveyard entered and danced to locate the evils in form of effigy made of dough and carry those evils to higher deities who have the power to destroy them.

Dance of the Herukas:

Four Herukas or wrathful form of Buddhas dance to put an end to all evils and transform all negative energy into positive form of enlightenment.

Dance of Tsoglen Na:

They are five dancer deities with red, white, yellow, green and brown masks who danced with vigour with the sounds of the drums and cut the effigy made of dough into two pieces and finally puts an end to all the evil spirit. Finally five heroes from earth and from heaven appeared with masks and danced with the drum beats to celebrate their victory of good over evil. The whole gallery was enthralled with the momentum created by the climax scene of the sacred play and we clapped and rejoiced and every single person present in the gallery celebrated this victory that day…. one memorable experience that makes me feel good even today after 5 years.

Though this festival had another great day displaying another sacred ritual dances offering worship to Rgyalpo Pehar, the protector deity of Hemis monastery and the dance of Bison/ Buffalow masked deity but we did not have the chance to witness this second day as we went to Pangong lake that day and stayed overnight there in a tent beside the chilling lake yet another great experience to share.

Be it Durga puja or Dussehra or Theshu Hemis festival, evil forces in different forms of Mahishashura or Ravana or this evil effigy will be finally destroyed by the Protector deities and this victory of good is being celebrated for years after years by all common people who come together to see and cherish the end of all the evils, to bring joy and fill their heart with rays of hope that ‘good always triumphs over evil’

Thank you

** all pictures are original. PC: Bipasa Chakraborty and Sudipta Ghosh

** collected and compiled from literatures obtained from official websites related to Hemis festival by google search and from my own experience as a witness on this auspicious day.