f you are only expecting snow capped mountains in Ladakh during your visit then you must be surprised to watch some colourful festivals. Along with these mountains Ladakh also hosts different types of festivals. These festivals take place throughout the year and you can participate in these festivals during your visit. Yuru Kabgyat is one such renowned festivals of Ladakh that involves the involvement of all the people of Ladakh.

This festival takes place in Lamayuru which is 125 km away from Leh. Yuru Kabgyat festival of Ladakh continues for two days. People from all over the world come to take part in this festival. Budhhists monks come from different countries like China, Japan and many other countries to witness this festival. It is also known as the most energetic festival of Ladakh. Everyone dresses in bright coloured clothes and participate in the dance and dramas.

The most important part of this festival is the masked dance. This masked dance started as the Mahayana tradition and at the present day it continues as the Buddhist tradition. In the 8th century the Chaam Dance was performed according to the Tibetan scripts. These masked dances are the descendents of this chaam dance. The main reason behind performing this masked dance is to please the deity. It is a common belief that if the deity is pleased then She will save all her disciples from any sort of evil. It is also a belief that if the deity is pleased then the region is free of any sort of natural calamities. These supernatural beliefs are continuing since ages.

The unique feature of this festival is the dance. The masked dance or the chaam dance is the most popular item. This dance is performed by all the Lamas in circles. These Lamas cover their faces with large colourful masks. These masks are made up of paper and then local people make an effort to colour them using plaster. Along with dance music is also another interesting feature of this festival. Songs related to this festival is played and performed by the local people along with drum beats. An enlarged idol of Lord Buddha is kept in the centre and worships and prayers are offered to this idol. The locals belief that during this time Lord Buddha resides inside that idol and hence the main aim of the people shouldbe pleasing Lord.

As known all festivals have some fixed time for their celebration. The Yuru Kabgyat Festival takes place for two long days and they take place in the months of July-August. Since all Buddhist festivals take place according to the Tibetan Calendar hence their dates are not fixed. In 2014, this festival took place in 24th of June.

Once you visit Ladakh during the months of June to August you can surely witness this festival and enjoy the true spirit of festivity. Witnessing this festival will also give you an opportunity to learn about the different aspects of Buddhist culture and tradition. We hope that after finishing reading this article you will definitely end up planning a trip to Ladakh during these months to enjoy this festival.