Traditional Ladakhi Dance at Naropa Festival

Traditional Ladakhi Dance during the inauguration ceremony of Naropa 2016 at Hemis, Ladakh. Billed as the “Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas” and “Ladakh’s Largest Buddhist Festival in History”, the Naropa festival takes place once every 12 years. It’s celebrated by the Drukpa Order of Himalayan Buddhism in honour of their 11th century patron saint, Naropa. The festival included performances by prominent Himalayan artists and Bollywood celebrities, as well as an elaborate spiritual ceremony and public display of the holy Six Bone Ornaments that belonged to Saint Naropa. This year the festival was celebrated from 16th to 22nd September. The centre of the festival was the Hemis Monastery near Leh, which is the seat of the Drupka Lineage.This edition of the festival was also special because of the 1000th year of Naropa. See in the video the elaborate costumes of the dancers and their raw skills. The sheer number of the participants in the dance is exciting and also the age, which has no bar!