Dosmoche
Buddhist festival celebrated in Ladakh, India
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Through The Buddha and Gregorian calendar
History
Dosmoche was started by the rulers of Ladakh. The festival was started during kingdom of King Lhachen Gongdup/ Lha-chen-Dnos-grub (1295–1320). He fought two battles with invaders from Nyungti (Kullu of Himachal Pradesh) to inhibit the exterminatory forces of the battles. Sacred mask dances, known as Cham dance, are carried out in the courtyard of the old chapel, below the gates of the Leh Palace. Lamas are drawn from different monasteries from across Ladakh on a rotation basis for this festival.
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Celebrations
High pitched sound of gyaling with the periodic sound of the cymbals echoed off the bare rocky slopes with the rhythmic beats of the drum. Monks look attractive in multicoloured robes and various masks, representing various forms of deities including Buddha. They danced to the beats with colorful fluttering surge to ward off evil and welcome universal peace and happiness. Mask dances are an essential part of Tantric tradition of Mahayana Buddhism.
At a one-kilometre stretch from Moti-Market to the other end of Leh Bazaar, thousands of stalls are also famous for a two-day long festival. Thousands of people in colourful dresses converge at Leh bazaar for games like tambola, lotteries and shopping.
Schedule
Since Ladakh follows the Tibetan lunar calendar and Dosmoche festival comes on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month of the Tibetan calendar, every year the festival falls on a different date of the Gregorian calendar.