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Tour highlights |
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Our tours
offer the experience of one or both of Ladakh's most impressive festivals, as well as visits to the monasteries of Matho,
Thikse, Shey, Likir and Alchi. Any tour can be customized to include Nubra
Valley, Zanskar or any other destination in Ladakh.
The focal point of
most tours is the Tse-Chu festival at Hemis monastery:
Hemis Tse Chu, a two-day festival, is the biggest and most famous of the monastic festivals. It is
dedicated to Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism and the one who
brought Buddhism from India to Tibet. The taming, conversion and eventual
integration of the pre-Buddhist Bon-po gods and demons into the Buddhist
pantheon as guardian divinities are reverently attributed to him. Tse-chu refers
to the 10th day of every Tibetan lunar month and Tse-chu of the fifth month and
the tenth month are celebrated as the birth anniversary of Padmasambhava. The
Hemis dance-drama depicts the magical feats of Padmasmbhava, also known as Guru
Rimpoche, in his eight different manifestations to vanquish the enemies of
Buddhism and for its propagation.
The festival takes an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan Year of the
Monkey, when the two-storey high 'Thankga' depicting Padmasambhava is displayed.
This famous Thankga, richly embroidered with pearls and and semi-precious
stones, is due to be displayed next in AD 2004.
Lamayuru Yuru Kab-gyat festival, the second festival that is part of this
tour, takes place at the Lamayuru monastery,
considered to be the oldest monastery in Ladakh and thus a major religious
landmark. The two-day festival of sacred dances and other rituals is performed
by the resident lamas wearing masks representing guardian divinities from the
Dri-gung-pa monastic order pantheon and concludes as most monastic dances with
the destruction of the sacrificial offerings. The festival is an unforgettable
event no less for its own unique character than for the spectacular, picturesque
moon-land surroundings of the remote village high above which the Lamayuru Gompa
is mounted precariously atop a steep hill. |
Sample Ladakh itinerary
with Hemis festival
& visit to Nubra
Day
1:
Fly to LEH
Arrive
in Leh, transfer to hotel and rest to acclimatize.
Day
2:
Morning sightseeing - Shanti
Stupa, Sangkar and Tsemo Gompas; afternoon at
your own leisure around Leh. Overnight in Leh.
Day
3:
Sightseeing in LEH VALLEY: visit
Thiksey and Shey monasteries. Overnight in
Leh.
Day
4:
Sightseeing in LEH VALLEY: visit
Spituk
and
Phyang
monasteries. Overnight in Leh.
Day
5:
Drive toward LAMAYURU, sightseeing
at Likir and Alchi monasteries. Overnight
in Uletokpo or Alchi approx half way to Lamayuru.
Day
6:
Full day around Alchi, nice
area to hike, very pleasant environment to spend a day.
Day
7:
Morning drive to Lamayuru, stops on
the way, for example visit Ritzong. Overnight in
Lamayuru.
Day
8:
Lamayuru. Day at Lamayuru –
sightseeing the monastery and village; lots of nice
hikes around, spectacular site.
Overnight in Lamayuru.
Day
9:
Morning return drive back to
Leh, on the way sightseeing at Bazgo Fort.
Overnight in Leh.
Day
10:
Morning drive to NUBRA Valley
-- drive over the incredible Khardung-la Pass, 18,380
feet, marvel at peaks and ridges of the Zanskar, Ladakh
and Karakoram Ranges, to Nubra, once the staging ground
for the major caravan route that connected Ladakh with
Chinese Turkistan. Overnight in Deskit or Hunder, guest
house or permanent camp.
Day
11:
Sightseeing around Deskit and Nubra,
visit Diskit Gompa, now a major branch of Thiksey
Gompa. Overnight in Nubra.
Day
12:
Morning visit Samstaling Gompa,
another impressive monastery in Nubra, then drive back
to Leh. Overnight in Leh.
Day
13:
Drive to Hemis – Hemis Tse Chu
Festival. Overnight at Hemis or return to Leh for
overnight.
Day
14:
Return to Hemis for the festival; after
closing ceremonies return to Leh.
Day
15:
Day at your own leisure around Leh.
Day
16:
Fly back to DELHI
The itinerary
can be run in reverse, or customized to include both
festivals, Hemis Tsechu festival as well as Lamayuru
Yuru Kabgyat!!
Click
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