Introduction
The Leh Festival has been renamed by the present government which
will now be known as the Ladakh Singhey Khabab Spring Festival with the
intention to ensure greater participation by the local people. The festival
was launched in the year 2001 with a view to promote tourism in the region
of Leh - Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of this festival
is to project the Indus river as the symbol of India's unity and communal
harmony.
The Leh Festival celebrates the River Sindhu which is also
called Indus which in turn is the origin of the name of the country India.
The troupes that come here to participate bring with them the water of the
rivers that flow through their home states and the pots in the river Sindhu
here. It is organized annually at Leh wherein the participants travel for a
Darshan and Puja of the River Sindhu. The river's significance is enhanced
from the fact that it originates at Mansarovar in Tibet.
The river Sindhu flows across the cold desert of Ladakh almost in a
straight line. It passes through the Leh valley and goes into Pakistan. The
word Sindhu is a Sanskrit word which means a large water body. The name
later came to signify the people that lived beyond it and thus it became the
origin of the name of our country India.
Venue
The festival is organized at Sindhu ghat, near Shey village, which is at
the distance of about 10 kms from Leh.
Time
It is an annual three day long festival which takes place in the month of
June.
History
You can notice several Buddhist stupas on the banks of the river Indus. It
is believed that Lord Buddha passed from here with his followers. This fact
reinforces the belief that the river signifies the diversity of India.
Though the festival aims at promoting tourism in the region of Leh Ladakh,
it has religious significance as well. The river Sindhu is a symbol of
peaceful coexistence and communal harmony. The festival gives us an
opportunity to the people to visit the far flung areas of Leh Ladakh.
Celebration
The Leh festival begins with a cultural programme at the Sindhu
Ghat in which local as well as artists from other states of India also
participate. A ritual prayer is performed by 50 senior lamas on the banks of
River Sindhu. After the cultural programmes, the participants are offered
lunch before the programme ends. The participants are taken on a sightseeing
trip later in the day and the day ends in the night with a camp fire as well
as a get together. The Sindhu Pujan takes place on the third day after which
cultural and sightseeing programmes are conducted. The river Indus is a
symbol of the strength of the Indian civilization.
Those interested in river rafting may also get some time out from the
festival and indulge in river rafting in the exciting waters of River
Sindhu.
