Fairs and Festivals of Ladakh

Ladakh is region that has been located at the statecan also enjoy the polo and archery competition
of Jammu and Kashmir inbetween the Kunlunduring the festival.
mountains in the north and the Great Himalayas in theLosar Festival (January)
south. The major residents of the region areLosar festival in Ladakh is celebrated during the
Indo-Aryan and the ethnic Tibetan and the area iswinter months of the year. The festival takes place
sparsely populated. Ladakh is the region which isin the eleventh month of the Buddhist year, which
known for its mountain ranges and the beauty ofoccurs in the November, December or January. The
mountains.festival has its origin in the 15th century. During the
Visiting Ladakh during the festive season can be thefestival Buddhists make offering to the God.
best planned tour for the travelers. During the festiveDosmoche Festival
season in Ladakh many travelers from around theThe Dosmoche is the festival that is celebrated in
globe visit the place. There are many festivals in theLadakh for the new year. The festival is celebrated in
Leh Ladakh region that are visited by the touriststhe second half of the February in Leh, it is said to
from all around the world.be the festival of scapegoat. The wooden mast has
Hemis Festival (June-July)been set up to adorned with the streamers and the
Hemis Festival is one of the biggest and the mostreligious emblem with the offerings of storma (ritual
important festivals of the Ladakh region. Hemis is thefigures molded out of dough) that have been cast
two-day festival that is celebrated in the Hemisaway into the desert or burnt. These scapegoats
Monastery. The festival is celebrated tocarry away with them the evil spirits of the old year,
commemorate the birth of Guru Padamasambhavaand thus the town is cleansed and made ready to
who is believed to save the local people fromwelcome the new year.
demons. The best time to shop for the handicraftOther Festivals
items is the Hemis festival. The Hemis Festival startsThere are number of other festivals also in Ladakh.
from June-July.Some of the festivals in Ladakh includes Lamayuru
Ladakh Festival (Early September)which takes place in July. Phiyang takes place in July-
The Ladakh Festival is one of the biggest festivals ofAugust, after the 10 days of celebration of Phiyang
the Jammu and Kashmir state. This Ladakh festival isanother festival Tak- Thok is held. The special
organized by the tourism department of the JammuPhiyang festival is exhibiting the thangka, which is
and Kashmir state. The festival showcases thedone every year unlike Hemis, where thangka is
culture and tradition of Ladakh. The highlights of theexhibited once in 12 years.
festival are the folk dance and the music. TravelersHow to Reach Ladakh?