Situated
at a distance of around 40 km southeast of Leh, Hemis
is located in the Ladakh division of the Indian state
of Jammu & Kashmir. It takes its name from the world
famous Buddhist Gompa situated here.The Hemis monastery
was established in 1672 AD by the then king Senge Nampar
Gyalva. Across the stillness of the wide expanse, the
Hemis gompa stands upright built in Tibetan style, jutting
out of the mountain top. The practices at the Hemis
monastery are a direct lineal descent of the teachings
expounded in the Mahayoga Tantra school, or the esoteric
school of vajrayana. Hemis Monastery simply conjures
up an image of magnificent snow covered peaks, alpine
green valleys and high altitude passes. It reflects
the Buddhist culture and living life in harmony among
such harsh climatic conditions of Ladakh. There are
a number of shrines around this great courtyard, all
of them of considerable interest. Hemis, however, it
best known to tourists because of its colorful festival
held in July. At this time, monks perform their traditional
dances to celebrate the birth anniversary of the monastery's
founder, Padmasambhava. Its resident Lamas perform sacred
masked dances leading to the destruction of the evil
forces, & sacrificial offerings. The festival takes
an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan year
of the Monkey (2004).
