Showcase of ladakhi culture


Ladakh festival is a major event organized every year by the j tourism department, in collaboration with the local communities and the district administrations of leh and kargil from 1st to 15th september for last 23 years stating from 1985.Its main objective is to revive and promote the richness, depth and pageantry of ladakh's centuries old culture, traditions and folk heritage for world wide appreciation and enjoyment.

The inaugural function is held on grand scale at leh with a spectacular procession in which various cultural troupes and village contingents participate in full ceremonial costumes, singing songs and performing various types of dances to the tune of the traditional orchestra.At the polo ground, where the procession terminates, the participants break into a variety of folk and popular dances, presenting the best samples of the region's performing arts.

Among the regular programmes, the most colourful and interesting are the village archery cheap ralph Lauren polos festivals held in selected suburban villages of leh.Every villager is required to formally participate in these events in accordance with the established social code.

Every male participant is expected to try his skill with the bow and arrow in alternate rounds of archery and dancing while the ladies have to join in as many rounds of the mandatory folk dances.Other programmes of the festival include a series of evening ralph lauren uk stores musical concerts, mask dances by lamas of selected monasteries and mock marriage ceremonies complete with all the associated traditions.

A major polo tournament called the"Ladakh festival cup"Is also held as part of the festival in which polo teams from different parts of the region participate.Visitors to ladakh during this period will have the opportunity of witnessing this ancient sport of the western himalayas being played in its original, wild style with fewer rules and frenzied crowd involvement.Yet another interesting programme is the staging of a typical central asian trade mart in leh bazaar, complete with caravans laden with traders' goods, while skilled artists dressed in period costumes play the role of merchants engaged in trading, bartering and associated activities.

Major events of ladakh festival

Village archery:Archery has been a favorite pastime activity for the people of ladakh.As such it is deeply rooted in ladakh culture.Archery has been mentioned in national epics also.Even today people are rounded by the workmanship of legendary hero darpon chhemo, the great archer of the kesar saga.

In spring time when sowing in the fields is done, the villagers find themselves in a festive mood, and festival is held in a garden or in an open space in the middle of the village.Divided into two groups, each having a captain, the participants in pairs of two enter into a arrow shooting competition, shooting at the 'tsa ga' or the bull's eye.Shooting continues for one to three days and meals/gur gur tea and change(Local brew)Are served to the competitors at intervals.When one hits the bull's eye, his partner offers a 'khatak' or white scarf to him.He has to lead a dance at the end of that round of shooting.Archery becomes an essential means for the performance of cultural, social and traditional activities.One of such archery performance is known as the argon e dartse.The argons are muslims of leh and made archery more interesting by adding the dance like the dragon, the lion, the amban and the boat etc.As some of argons has accompanied european explorers, surveyors and geographers as guides and servant, and has been to china, turkistan, afghanistan and tibetan and had a chance to see such dances in those countries.They introduced such dances in ladakh also.

Polo the royal game

Although its origin is obscure, polo has been for centuries a popular sport in the rugged mountain valleys of karakoram ranges particularly in remote and inaccessible himalayan regions of gilgit, hunza, skardo and khapuloo in baltistan and ladakh in the north and manipur in the east.

According to legends, the game of polo came to central ladakh from neighboring baltistan, where for centuries, it used to be the main sources of amusement.Historians date the introduction of polo in ladakh to king jamyang namgyal's reign in the 15th century who married gyal khatun, a princess from baltistan.Apart from nobility, the game was popular in all the major villages of ladakh, in particular in the chushot village in the vicinity of leh.In fact, all the major villages of ladakh have their own polo ground called"Shagaran".Today in ladakh, polo is more than a game.It is integral part of cultural heritage of ladakh.

Polo is played in baltistan, gilgit, hunza and ladakh differs from the game as played internationally, unlike the system of chakkars short period of six to eight minutes into which the match is divided with a change of mount, here, the game is played furiously and continuously and the ponies run as fast and as strongly as in the beginning of the match until either of the team scores nine goals.This has been amended to twenty minutes halves with ten minutes break in between.

The most unfamiliar feature is that after a goal, both the ends are changed automatically.The scorer gets the privilege to patch up the ball, goes in gallop with the ball and stick until midway point, throws up the ball and shoots toward the goal with clean, straight and perfectly controlled shot.

No polo match in ladakh is complete without its musical accompaniment of surna and daman.It is interesting to note that music varies according to fortune of the game accelerating in tempo and increasing in volume at the scoring of a goal.

The game of polo in ladakh draws huge crowds with people coming out adorning with their traditional colorful costumes.The ladakh polo club consisting of seven different teams, recently having been affiliated with the indian polo association, the promotion and development of polo in ladakh will get further strengthened boost.

Chhams:Spritual mask dance

Chhams, a highly choreographed sacred mask dance drams, is the core event of every monastic festival.A select group of resident lamas, in brightly patterned brocade robes, perform these dances in the courtyard of a particular monastery.All of them wear masks which represent deities various divinities found in the 'gonkhang' the room dedicated to the guardian divinities in every major monastery.

Every dance begin with 'serkyem' an invocation by offerings of scarred water and food to the gods and the guardians of the four quarters to witness the chams.

Double humped camel safari:Ladakh is rich in double humped camels also called bactrian.These animals are left out stock of the caravan on silk route to central asia.Nubra valley has sand dunes and double humped camel safari is a permanent feature of the region that is major tourist attraction.This year ladakh festival would offer double dumped camel safari in leh town.

Handicraft bazar:During ladakh's long winter most of the ladakhi used to be cheap ralph lauren engaged in local handicrafts, scenes of working cum sale of ' handicrafts would be exhibited in the festival.

Ladakhi teapot making(Thawou)The villages of chiling sumda are situated around 50 kms from leh are famous for brass pot making technique.All the villagers were once brass tea pot makers.This tea pot is used in serving gurgur tea(Salted tea).A standard tea pot of chiling should cost from rs.3000/ to Rs.5000/ for a very fine silver art work on it.Earthen pot makking, the likir village is very famous for its earthen pot makers.They make earthen pots and bake it.After baking they use to sell these earthen pots to the suburbs of leh.In ancient times ladakhis use this type of earthen pots for churning of milk(Jopkar)Tea pots(Tibril)And for carrying water.

Pashmina shawls:The world famous pashmina the fine fibre is obtained from pashmina goats of changthang sub division of leh district.After processing this fibre is weaved into a shawl, such shawls would be exhibited in the festival.

Wood curving:Choktse(Ladakhi table)Which has gained importance as a souvenir among the tourist visiting ladakh.This table is decorated with wood curving works.The peculiarity of this table is that it is very easy to carry because you have folding legs and portable.

Ladakh food/(Cuisine/delicacies)Food making would be another event where different cuisine and recipe of ladakh would be on sale and exhibit in the festival.Most remarkable cuisine/recipe of ladakh are mokmok, tsampa, noodles, gurgur tea(Butter tea)And chang(Barley beer).

Mokmok is steam cooked food, it can be both non vegetable and vegetable, since it is steam cooked, a little heavy for those whose stomach are not used to it.The easiest, nutritious and ready made food is(Tsampa)Which is made out of roasted barley.It can be very ideal and time saving food for trekking and expedition etc.The tsampa powder can be mixed with butter tea, sugar tea, soup, Barley beer, curd or water in case of emergency and had as dish, besides ladakh is very famous for noodles and chang(Barley beer).

The tradition of making chang(Barley beer)Is known to every house lady especially those living in rural areas.Chang(Barley ber)Is consumed in large quantity by the farmers while working in fields and on festive occasion.

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