Merrymaking in the Mountains

Come September and Leh opens its gates to a rollicking Ladakh Festival, which takes center stage. This is an effort to revive and showcase the richness of Ladakh's centuries old culture. The festival begins with a pageantry in which various cultural troops and village contingents participate in ceremonial regalia, singing, and dancing. Some of the regular programs during this festival are Lama dances, mock marriages, re-living the silk route, archery, and polo events.

During this festival students dress in ceremonial costumes and sings and performs various types of dances to the tune of the traditional orchestra. Long processions are organized where locals and tourists line up the route of the procession, adding to the carnival atmosphere. The most striking feature here, I thought, was the headgear of the Drokpa tribe, which is a silver and beaded woolen cap set with a bouquet of flowers. This tribe is considered to be one of the purest Aryan races of Ladakh.

A colorful dance form known as Mentoz Stanmo, popularly known as the flower dance reflects seasonal glamour and is a delight to watch. This form is more seen in Wakha, Mulbek, and Nubra valley. What one gets to see is a group of men and women dressed in ceremonial robes and holding a bunch of flowers and dancing to greet the flowering season. The Ladakhi women attires a turquoise studded head gear called 'perak' made of black lamb skin and silver gold jewelry and is one of its kind. The highlight of this festival, I guess, is the colorful euphoria that it radiates through the valley.

Don't ever miss the archery session. Drumbeats and flowing music in the background liven up the spirit of the event. Talking about sports, you'd find it refreshing to witness a polo match. Played in the lap of mud mountains, it is an exciting part of the Ladakh festival. The match is held between Ladakh scouts and Karakoram scouts

The best time to visit this place is of course March to October. This festival is held from 1st to 15th September. You can always fly down to Leh as regular flights operate from Delhi to Leh. However, the closest railhead is Jammu, which is well connected on the national railway grid. Reaching there one can find lodging in one of the many guesthouses, a less formal accommodation, offering rooms in a part of a residence. Here the guest can share the family kitchen and living room for meals. Otherwise, one has to book early, especially during the peak season i.e., early June to mid September.

So don't just wait, hurry and book your cheap flight tickets NOW!