Do you know about the Kumbh Mela of Himalayas?
Q. A festival held once in 12 years is being celebrated in Ladakh since 16th September. What is it called:- Published on 21 Sep 16a. Naropa Festival
b. Kumbh Mela of Himalayas
c. Both of the above
d. Neither of the above
ANSWER: Naropa Festival
A once in 12 years festival of Buddhist culture, tradition and spirituality commenced on 16th September 2016 at the Hemis monastery of Drukpa lineage in Ladakh region, India
- Festival will conclude on 22nd September
- Monks, devotees and tourists reached Ladakh for the Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas, the Naropa Festival
- This drew large number of Buddhists
- Most were from the Drukpa branch practiced in Ladakh and Bhutan
- Dancers in silk costumes and traditional gear performed to drum as well as pipe music as part of the mountain festival to celebrate 1000th birth anniversary of Buddhist saint Naropa.
- A 60 foot tall silk embroidery brocade of Buddha Amitabha was also launched on 19th Sept 2016
- 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, spiritual head of the 1000 year old Drukpa Order based in Himalayan town unfurled the brocade thanks amidst chanting of prayers
- Special stand was erected at Naropa palace to display this thanks, said to be the world’s largest silk embroidered thanka or brocade
- Naropa was an Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha saint and a contemporary of Atisa, a Buddhist Bengali leader and spiritual master
- He was born in a high status Brahman family of Bengal and entered the Buddhist University at Nalanda in his 20s to study Sutra and Tantra
- He was given the title of Guardian of the North Gate and was a disciple of Tilopa; he was also a pupil of Niguma
- Hemis Monastry is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Drukpa Lineage located in Ladakh’s Hemis hamlet
- Monastery has existed since the 11th century and is the abode of Saint Naropa
- Monastery was re-established in 1672 by Ladakh’s King Sengge Namgyal
