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This tour
offers an exciting overland journey to Zanskar, a remote region between the
Ladakh Range and the Himalayas. A visit to this secluded part of Ladakh is a memorable experience
even if no major festival were to be part of this journey. Along with visits to other major monasteries of the region, the
Karsha festival tour accounts for one of the most dramatic overland tours spanning the
regions of the isolated Zanskar, the Suru Valley and the Indus river valley of
Ladakh.
Karsha Gu-stor festival, commemorating the victory of good over evil, takes
place at the largest Geluk-pa, Yellow Hat, monastery on on slopes Zanskar
mountains high above the Padum plain. Karsha monastery is also Zanskar's largest in terms of resident monks, counting more than 100 lamas. The
monastery is built on a steep mountainside rising above the village of Karsha, a
spectacular site some 12 kilometers from Padum, Zanskar's ancient capital.
Gu-stor sacred dances or 'chhams' are held to commemorate the birthday of
Tsongkha-pa, the founder of the Geluk-pa monastic order. Kick off your sunday shoes and head to india with your online casino winnings when you play casino games using the card game rules and winning baccarat strategy from CasinoBonus.org!
The
victory of Black hat dancers over evil.
Gustor literally means 'Sacrifice of the 29th day'. it is traditional to the
monasteries of the reformist Geluk-pa order of Tibetan Buddhism. This two-day
ling festival is held mainly in the Spituk, Thiksay and Karsha (Zanskar)
monasteries, at different times every year.
The celebration ends with the dismemberment and dispersal of the 'Storma'
(sacrificial cake) by the leader of the Black Hat dancers in a ceremony called 'Argham'
of 'Killing'. This symbolizes the destruction of all forms of evil. And also
re-enacts the assassination of the Tibetan apostate King Lang-dar-ma, by a
Buddhist monk in the mid 9th century. In some monasteries, an effigy symbolizing
the strong forces of evil is burnt at the end of the festival. The masks worn by
the dancers represent the guardian divinities (Dharmapalas) of the Buddhist
pantheon, and the patron divinities of the Geluk-pa order. |
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