When is Hemis Gompa

Hemis Gompa is celebrated with great jubilance and splendor in most monasteries throughout the Indian subcontinent. The festival marks the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, the incarnation of Lord Buddha. He is said to be responsible for bringing Buddhism to Nepal. The occasion also celebrates the ancient victory of Lamaism over Shamanism and other religious practices. The major celebrations can be witnessed at the biggest and wealthiest monastery of Ladakh, the Hemis Monastery where this temple bursts into a colorful and vivacious life on this festival. The festival is not celebrated on the same day every year, as the date keeps shifting. Read on further to know the date of Hemis Gompa in 2021.

When Is Hemis Gompa In 2021
The Hemis Gompa festival is celebrated across three days from the 9th to the 11th day during the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar, DawaNapha. The dates usually fall in the month of June. One of the biggest festivals of the Buddhists, it is marked with grand zeal and enthusiasm. Moreover, the largest celebrations can be seen in at the Hemis Gompa, the biggest monastery in Ladakh. This monastery is popularly known as 'Chang Chub Sam Ling', which means 'the lone place of the passionate or the kind person'.

The grand fair held at the festival attracts several devotees and visitors from all parts of India and abroad. The traditional music played using drums, cymbals and long horns welcomes all devotees to the monastery. People show their respect and pay homage to the large sacred portrait of Lord Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche which is rested on a raised dais with a cushioned seat. A finely painted small Tibetan table is also placed which is decorated with ceremonial items, such as cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter and incense sticks.

Different dances are performed by the Lamas clad in rich lobes of china silk and brocade. The dancers don huge mystic masks and show performances known as chams performance. These mark the most esoteric of the festivities of the occasion. The brilliant spectacles of color, song and dances revitalize the spirit of the Buddhist people and the visitors present at the festival.

Hemis Gompa 2021: Sunday Jun 20 ~ Monday, Jun 21, 2021