Hemis Festival Wallpapers

Hemis Festival is the largest and most famous monastic festival in Ladakh (Union Territory of Ladakh), celebrated at the Hemis Monastery, the largest and wealthiest Buddhist monastery in the region. Held on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar (usually June-July), it commemorates the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, who is credited with spreading Tantric Buddhism across the Himalayas. The two-day festival features mesmerizing Cham dances performed by monks wearing elaborate brocade robes and colorful masks representing various deities and demons. The dances depict the victory of good over evil and are accompanied by traditional music played on cymbals, drums, and long horns. Every twelve years, a giant thangka (embroidered silk painting) of Padmasambhava is unfurled. The festival attracts tourists from around the world and provides a window into the living Buddhist monastic traditions of the Trans-Himalayan region.