FESTIVAL IN LADAKH – GALDANNAMCHOT FESTIVAL

Though multiple sects of Buddhism prevail in Ladakh, somewhere they are all bonded by a single piece of string; and the GaldanNamchot Festival is a livelier example to cite this! Celebrated in all the monasteries in Ladakh, this sacred celebration marks the birth anniversary of Buddhahood of Tsangkhapa, a Tibetan scholar who is touted as the founder of Gelukpa School of Tibet in the 14th century.

Celebrated mostly in the month of December, GaldanNamchot Festival specifies the beginning of a year and continues till the Dosmoche Festival in Ladakh. During the one day of celebration, the locals lit up their houses along with the monasteries and feast on theirtraditional dishes like thukpa, vegetable noodles, and others.

Spirituality of the GaldanNamchot Festival reaches the supreme point with the head monk of the monastery performing all the rituals while the other monks surround him. Festivity during the festival reaches the zenith point as the locals meet and greet their relatives and close ones.