Naropa Festival Ladakh – Kumbh Mela Of Himalayas

When The Heavens Celebrated – Naropa Festival

The blowing of conch shells smote the tranquil silence of the land. A land that nestled high in the mountains like a virtual stairway to heaven. This was the land of high passes that is more commonly known as Ladakh, a place that can be called the roof of India. Ladakh is in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The mountain air was filled with the staccato beat of drums and peals of divine laughter of young Buddhist monks gamboling in the cold warmed the cockles of the heart. The Naropa Festival Ladakh 2018 was on and in its wake, the mountains had erupted in a blaze of celebration that reverberated throughout the region.

Naropa Festival – The Genesis and History

We have always evinced a keen interest in Buddhism and in the course of our travels covered many places like Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Sikkim, and others though places like Lumbini in Nepal and Bhutan still await our footfalls. But the mysticism of Tibetan Buddhism has always held us in thrall. The monasteries in the high mountains and the monks who practised an esoteric religion and led a life of austerity and asceticism had always been a source of great fascination for us. We had also heard about the mystical festivals in Ladakh which involved masked dances by monks in ancient monasteries.

So an invitation to experience the Naropa Festival 2018 and spend almost a week at Leh, Ladakh was nothing less than a call of the divine for us. It was an opportunity for us to dive deep into the realms of Tibetan Buddhism and experience first hand the celebration of the life and times of one of its most revered saints and Mahasiddhas, Naropa, who lived in the early 11th century. So we were off to the Naropa Festival 2018 celebrating 1000+ Year’s at Hemis Ladakh.

Who Was Naropa?

Naropa was an India saint and philosopher who practised the Vajrayana stream of Buddhism. He lived between 1016 to 1100 CE and his teachings reverberated through the Himalayan region deeply influencing its people. His main contribution is considered to be what is now known as the Six Dharmas or Six Yogas of Naropa. They are a set of Tantric practices which aid in the attainment of enlightenment. It is believed that the Six Yogas were handed down by the Buddha himself and passed on in an unbroken lineage via Tilopa who was the Guru of Naropa and from there to the present who is the Gyalwang Drupka considered to be an authentic incarnation of Naropa.

The six gems of wisdom given by Tilopa to Naropa
Don’t recall (Don’t dwell in the past)
Don’t imagine (Don’t dwell in the future)
Don’t think (Don’t dwell in the present)
Don’t examine (Don’t try to figure anything out)
Don’t control (Don’t try to make anything happen)
Rest (Relax, right now, and rest in the self-liberating nature of ordinary mind)

It is said that when Naropa achieved enlightenment he was given Six Bone Ornaments by Dakinis who are spirits according to Vajrayana Buddhism. Naropa directed his disciple Marpa to spread his message in the land of Snow. He gave the bone ornaments he was wearing along with a rosary made of rubies as well as other ritual objects to Marpa. The bone ornaments have been passed on from one master to another in an unbroken chain since then and are considered highly sacred and a very important part of Buddhism history of the Himalayas. It is believed that the very sight of the ornaments by the devout results in their salvation.

The sacred ornaments which are housed in the ancient Hemis monastery Leh are worn by the Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpa lineage once in 12 years when the region near the Hemis monastery Ladakh celebrates the Naropa festival which has been dubbed as the Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas. The Gyalwang Drukpa is the spiritual head of Drukpa Lineage and the current one Jigme Pema Wangchen is the 12th in the Drukpa lineage and is a well-known environmentalist and in many ways the voice of the Himalayas.

The Naropa Festival: Kumbh Mela of The Himalayas

The Naropa Ladakh festival is a virtual carnival of spirituality, dance, music, and the celebration of the life and times as well as the teachings of the saint Naropa who makes his presence felt even after more than a 1,000 years after leaving the physical plane. The Naropa festival is held in the hallowed vicinity of the ancient Hemis monastery about 40 kilometers from Leh. The festival is a congregation of the Drukpa masters from across Ladakh, Bhutan, and Nepal. Devotees assemble in hordes to listen to religious discourses and immerse themselves in the festival of music and dance. The festival also attracts many international and national celebrities who have performed at the Naropa festival.

The Naropa Festival has traditionally been held every 12 years with great pomp and piety. The last festival in the 12-year cycle was the Naropa Festival 2016 which also commemorated the 1,000th birth anniversary of Naropa and saw tens of thousands of visitors participating in the festival. The main highlight of the festival is, of course, the unveiling of the sacred bone ornaments of Naropa which are worn by the Gyalwang Drupka who sits on a throne. The ornaments are then put on public display before for the duration of the festival. The revered ornaments are so sacred and considered to be so spiritually powerful that a mere look at them paves the way for enlightenment for the devout.

It was felt that 12 years is a long period for people to wait to have a glimpse of the divine ornaments and be blessed. Hence starting from the year 2018 the Naropa festival has become an annual affair, however not all the ornaments are put on display and also the Gyalwang Drukpa does not wear them. The festivals still have all the elements that have made the Naropa Festival, one of the most eagerly awaited events in the Himalayas.

Our Experiences At The Naropa Festival 2018

We were excited as we took off from Delhi to Leh to attend the 5 days long Naropa Festival 2018. The 45-minute flight would take us from an altitude of 744 feet to an altitude of 10,682 feet. The flight itself was exciting as we approached Leh.

Watch this aerial view video of Ladakh:

The snow clad mountains of the Himalayas stretched below in a spellbinding fashion as we seemed to land in heaven. The Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport at Leh itself is picturesque as it nestles between the high Himalayan peaks, of course, it is a challenging airport for pilots as well as it is unidirectional.

We settled down in our hotel for the day to acclimatize ourselves to the rare oxygen levels at the high altitude. This is absolutely necessary especially if you are arriving by air in Leh as one may be susceptible to AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness).

The Naropa festival 2018 took off officially from the 16th of September as friendly volunteers ushered us to the venue of the festival. A chat with the youngsters revealed that most of them were students who were studying in different parts of India like Delhi and had come back to volunteer for the Naropa festival, the Kumbh of Himalayas.

Watch this video – The procession of the sacred relics at Naropa Festival

The Arrival of the holy relics of Naropa which included the Crown Ornament, one of the six bone ornaments that were given by the Dakhinis was the highlight and the fulcrum of the celebrations.

The sacred relics arrived in a grand procession from the ancient Hemis monastery and were placed in an exclusive room atop a specially designed structure which is a few kilometers before the Hemis monastery after one crosses the mighty Indus river.

The structure itself is beautifully designed and springs like a white pearl harmoniously blending with the stark brown mountains that flank it from all sides. A huge stage by the side of the structure was the place for the cultural programmes and discourses.

The arrival of the sacred relics in procession seemed to electrify the atmosphere as well as the people, the place seemed to be a riot of colors with ochre-clad monks of all shapes and sizes running around briskly, charged with excitement.

A team of drummers launched a beautiful rhapsody that seemed to soar to the heavens as a pair of young monks blew their conches, the sound of which echoed through the Himalayan peaks.

The Naropa festival 2018 fittingly started off with a prayer for the peace and prosperity of all humanity and was led by His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche who is the regent of the Drukpa lineage.

The Naropa Fellowship

The Naropa festival 2018 was also a fitting platform which introduced the inaugural class of the Naropa Fellowship programme. The programme is a one-year residential programme at a special campus near the Hemis monastery.

The programme is targetted towards Post Graduate candidates with an aim to hone their leadership potential and make them future ready.

It is interesting to note here that there is a university in Colorado, the USA, known as Naropa University, named after Naropa who himself had studied at the great Nalanda University.

Musings From The Heart and Rhythm Of The Stars

The Naropa festival was also the stage which saw the release of the book Musings From The Heart written by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, a well known humanitarian, environmentalist and author. Another important event was the release of the music album Rhythm Of The  Stars, which embodies the voice of the land of Ladakh and features young and upcoming talent of the region. It was heartening to note that proceeds of the sale of the albums would be contributed towards the rebuilding of faraway Kerala which had seen huge devastation by rains in August 2018.

The Naropa Festival 2018 – A Cultural Extravaganza

The Naropa festival was not only an occasion to cleanse ones’ soul in the sanctified presence of the sacred relics and the Drukpa masters but also an occasion to immerse oneself in the realm of dance and music. Local dancers and musicians brought alive the culture of the mountain kingdom like never before and their performances touched the core of our hearts. The presence of the big names like Kailash Kher, Sonu Nigam, Akriti Kakar, Aditi Sharma, and Papon added that bit of extra earthy glamour to the proceedings and had the crowds in raptures.

The Drukpa lineage is known for its practical approach to spirituality. It’s masters including His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa and His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche are spiritual pragmatists who bring alive the teachings of Naropa from the realms of dogma to benefit the contemporary world.

A glowing example of this is the order of the Kung-Fu nuns which represents the importance of gender equality as envisaged by the Drukpa lineage. The Kung-Fu nuns set the stage on fire with a vibrant Dharma dance.

A fashion show that presented the best of indigenous Ladakhi designs, an archery event, and a Guinness World record beating dance were some of the other highlights.

Two hundred and ninety-nine Ladakhi women swayed gracefully as they did the School dance to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest Ladakhi dance.

A much-awaited event was also the unveiling of the largest silk embroidery of Buddha Amitabha. The silk Thangka depicts the life of the Buddha in exquisite colours and details and is unfurled daily during the course of the Naropa festival.

This is a breathtaking piece of art that measures a massive seventy feet in length and is a colorful but silent testimony to the skills of the artists. The Buddha Amitabha stood like a colossal and was a colorful visual contrast to the arid background of the rocky mountains.

Meeting With His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche

Some moments in life stay etched in memory for posterity. These are moments that have the power to transform. One such moment awaited us at the Naropa festival. This was a meeting with His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche. The thirty minutes we spent in his august presence was worth its weight in gold. He explained about the vision of the Naropa Fellowship programme and answered and clarified all questions with a divine equanimity. He talked about the efforts the Drukpa lineage was doing for the sustenance of the environment, across India and particularly in Ladakh.

The Drukpa Lineage has also started a secular non-profit organization called Live to Love which is rendering yeoman service in the Himalayan region. Its endeavour is to improve the quality of life of the people and at the same time ensure the sustenance of the environment.

We were really happy to learn about the efforts the organization has put in to create awareness of the harms of usage and indiscriminate disposal of plastic. The cabs and buses in the region have been provided with a bag that hangs behind the driver’s seat and is essentially a place to dispose of plastic and other rubble by tourists to be safely disposed of later.

Watch the video – Talk with his eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche

Water today is more precious than petrol, diesel, or gold. – His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche

As the dust settles on the venue of the Naropa festival and the monks return to their sequestered lives, one cannot help but marvel at what this unique festival has achieved. It has breathed fresh air and vitality in the atmosphere and charged everyone remotely connected with it with optimism and hope. Hope for the future of humanity. Hope for a world filled with peace, love, and music.

Of course, you need not wait for the next Naropa festival to head to Ladakh. Leh and the region of Ladakh has so much to offer and there is so much to explore, you can head there anytime. Here is a guide to Leh that you will find useful.

We were part of the hosted media at Naropa Festival 2018. However, the views and opinions expressed here are our own.

Our related posts on Leh – Ladakh:
Prevent Acute Mountain Sickness – Ladakh AMS

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