*MITRA*: June is a good month to visit Ladakh.

Overview & Best Season of Ladakh

In Ladakh, the summers (March to May) are hot and the mercury level rises up to 40°C. But the winters (November to February) are chilly cold and the mercury level comes down to very well below 0°C and the whole area will be covered with snow during winters. Monsoons offer less rainfall.

Hemis festival in the month of June and Losar festival are major celebration in Leh. Tourists throng to this place during the festival seasons. Best time to pay a visit in Ladakh is June to September; keep off heavy snow falling days during December and January.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

- Lord Buddha

Ladakh festival

Festivals in Ladakh are celebrated as the occasions for merry-making. These festivals provide people with various opportunities to interact with each other, form new ties and renew the old ones. Many of the annual festivals of the Gompas in Ladakh take place in winter, which is a relatively idle time for majority of the people. It is time when the whole village gathers together. Stalls are erected and goods of daily need and enjoyment are sold. Eatables are brought along and families and relatives would enjoy the meals together. The whole activity takes place around the gompas. In the courtyards of the Gompas, colourful masked dances and dance-dramas are performed. Lamas, dressed in colorful robes and wearing startlingly frightful masks, perform mimes symbolizing various aspects of the religion such as the progress of the individual soul and its purification or the triumph of good over evil. Local people flock from near and far to these events and the spiritual benefits they get are no doubt heightened by their enjoyment of the party atmosphere. This is also an occasion to demonstrate the cultural heritage as well as the wealth of that particular monastery. Big and rare musical instruments, old weapons and religious objects including Thangkas are brought out during the performances. The first ceremony of any festival is very interesting as the male Lama is accompanied by the monks. Musicians, dancers and singers in an harmony create for visitors an unforgettable experience. Some of the popular themes includes the victory of good over evil or some special stories related to great Lamas where their supernatural power is demonstrated or the stories related to Guru Padmasambhava. Their dances are also very colourful. A clown plays an important role so that the villagers do not get disinterested by an overdose of religion or history so that atmosphere is joyful. Spituk, Stok, Thikse, Chemrey and Matho have their festivals in winter, between November and March. There are some festivals Festival (April or May), Phyang Festival, Thikse Festival (July or August).

Some other festivals celebrated in Ladakh are as follows: