{"id":3279,"date":"2016-10-13T22:06:01","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T22:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/?p=3279"},"modified":"2019-12-05T18:52:37","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T18:52:37","slug":"naropa-festival-kumbh-mela-of-the-himalaya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/naropa-festival-kumbh-mela-of-the-himalaya\/","title":{"rendered":"NAROPA FESTIVAL – KUMBH MELA OF THE HIMALAYA!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A woman from Dha Hanu Village. They are billed as the last Aryans in the valley and are called Drokpa or Brokpa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Music of cymbals, drums and trumpets waft in the air dramatically, spiritual chants adding to the aura of the place. Thousands of Ladakhis drop their conversation unceremoniously and glue their eyes on the elaborate ceremony.  His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa,  spiritual head of the 1000 year old Drukpa Order, revered as Naropa\u2019s reincarnation, dons the Six Bone Ornaments. There is a strange meditative stillness in the air. Many people had gathered here, struggling under the scorching sun, only to witness this historical event. What made it extra special is the fact that Naropa Festival commemorates the millennial birth anniversary of Naropa.<\/p>\n

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The crowd at the Naropa Festival never failed to swell!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was my first time in Ladakh and the occasion could have not been any better. It is not every day that you are invited for an exclusive Press Trip to witness the Kumbh Mela of The Himalayas \u2013 The Naropa Festival. As I arrived at the festival venue near Hemis Monastary of Drukpa Lineage, from a distance, I saw a \u2018well disciplined\u2019 mob of thousands dotting the landscape. Soon, I passed audience, many of whom braved the sun with their colorful umbrellas, nuns sitting with patience and waiting for the action to begin, families camping in the hills nearby, often seen praying, chatting and passing on \u2018tsampa\u2019, a local dish to each other.<\/p>\n

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The stage was set. The background was grand Naropa Palace, huge artificial lotus and dragons flanking on its stairway. Brown barren mountains filled up the canvas, sometimes revealing the snow stained mountains behind. For 7 days, this place was where all roads of Ladakh led to, what with Ladakhis from far away regions filling every inch of the campus.<\/p>\n

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Local Ladakhi women wearing a Perak head dress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though Ladakh hosts many festivals round the year, but Naropa festival, celebrated every 12 years, is the most important and holds a sacred status. Once the ceremony got over, the six bone ornament was put on display under tight security. Thousands lined up everyday for that one glimpse. It is the physical legacy of Saint Naropa\u2013 left behind after his liberation.<\/p>\n

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Ladakhi Musicians performing. Naropa Palace in the background!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saint Naropa (1016 \u2013 1100 CE). He introduced a rich alternative tradition in Buddhism.  Much of his teachings are still followed across Ladakh and has helped shape the values, culture and identity of an entire race. Six yogas of Naropa, one of the fundamental pillars of Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, is his legacy. He was also the Chacellor of nalanda University in Bihar. Being a fan of the ruins of Nalanda, it was interesting for me to learn this. The Dakinis (sky dancer) offered Naropa, upon enlightment, the six bone ornaments and flew into the sky. It is now donned by His Holiness, every 12 years in front of a race who adore him.<\/p>\n

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With great power comes great responsibility. His Holiness, Gyalwang Drukpa has millions of followers worldwide, many of whom had come to Naropa Festival to see him live. Men, women and kids hold hands and bow every time he passes through. It is a healthy mix of veneration and love of his followers for him. Over one week, I could see the camaraderie, mutual faith and good humour he shares with his \u2018fans\u2019. He would rejoice, clap excitedly at live Bollywood performance and local performances alike and then he would use the platform for conveying social messages.<\/p>\n

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His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa with His Eminence N.N. Vohra, governor of J & K launching a religious book.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the last day of the festival, as I arrived from an hour long walk from Hemis Monastary, just in the nick of time, I caught him addressing his people live. He spoke passionately about gender equality, animal welfare, environment, education, cleanliness<\/strong> and the need to rise above religious boundaries. I have not seen a spiritual leader talk like these ever. In a previous address, the chief guest His Eminence N.N. Vohra, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir divulged details of his recent long cycling expedition to an attentive audience of thousands. \u201cDo you know, that His Holiness has arrived at Hemis Monastary for this festival not on plane, nor in car, but after a grueling cycling expedition of 2500 kilometres with 200 \u2018Kung Fu\u2019 Nuns over the period of 2 months! The purpose of the expedition which began in Kathmandu on 3rd<\/sup> July was to instill in people the values and raise awareness on gender equality, peace, cleanliness and environment.\u201d He said with pride as the audience thundered with claps.<\/p>\n

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He has taken upon himself to promote universal harmony and inner peace by integrating the spiritual tenets of love and appreciation into daily life. A secular global NGO founded by him \u2013 Live to Love (www.livetolove.org<\/a>) helps him achieve the humanitarian goals. I was so impressed after visiting the charitable Dog shelter and the \u20183 Idiots\u2019 School that I have decided to pen a separate blog on these. And oh, there is also a place I visited which is known for the holding the place in the Guinness Book of World Record for \u2018most Trees planted\u2019  It was a part of his \u2018one million trees\u2019 campaign. His Holiness ended his sppech with an announcement of a 10 day long Eco Pad Yatra (Eco walk) in the remote regions of Ladakh. This spiritual leader bilives in actions and not mere words. He sets an example everytime he picks up a plastic bottle from the road in front of his followers. Many have been embarrassed, emotional and many even shed tears when they see their spiritual guru doing that. I have always believed that if one has the power to engage with a large number of followers, one should indulge in socially relevant and beneficial causes. They have dubbed him a \u2018Rock Star Monk\u2019 not for nothing!<\/p>\n

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Entertainment goes hand in hand<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Naropa festival was not always about spiritual activities. Many local and Bollywood artists enthralled the audience from morning to evening. Plays, Cham dances, folk songs, Bollywood and international music concerts, laser light show, regional dances, musical jugalbandis etc kept the audience engaged. For me many of the dances were exotic as I had seen them for the first timite. My favourite was a Nepali song and dance, A Ladakhi song and dance, an Australian duo and a Ladakhi instrumental session.<\/p>\n

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Shreya Ghoshal enthralling the audience!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the Bollywood performances, shows by singer Shreya Ghoshal, musician Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was my favourite. Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh talked passionately about her association with Live to Love.<\/p>\n

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Michelle Yeoh talking about her association with Live to Love!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 7 days spent in Naropa festival will stay with me for a lifetime. I am back in Delhi, but the music of cymbals, drums and trumpets still resonate in my ears! I am planning to visit Ladakh again with parents. With parents I want a hassle free trip, so I I will book Ladakh Tour Packages<\/a>. It helps me concentrate on travel and not bother with the logistics.<\/p>\n

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Shankar Mahadevan and Loy had the audience in splits. It is not easy to breathe at such high altitude, Shankar still did what he does best – sing the song BREATHLESS to an amazed audience!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Grand Naropa Palace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music of cymbals, drums and trumpets waft in the air dramatically, spiritual chants adding to the aura of the place. Thousands of Ladakhis drop their conversation unceremoniously and glue their eyes on the elaborate ceremony.  His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa,  spiritual head of the 1000 year old Drukpa Order, revered as Naropa\u2019s reincarnation, dons the …<\/p>\n

NAROPA FESTIVAL – KUMBH MELA OF THE HIMALAYA!<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3064,47],"tags":[588,832,833,867,1073,1106,1525,1540,1541,1573,1595,1774,1924,2058,2341,2453,2485,2885],"modified_by":"asoulwindow","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",1152,768,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",150,100,false],"medium":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",300,200,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",768,512,false],"large":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",1024,683,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",1152,768,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/img_1565.jpg",1152,768,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"asoulwindow","author_link":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/author\/abhinav2111\/"},"uagb_comment_info":38,"uagb_excerpt":"Music of cymbals, drums and trumpets waft in the air dramatically, spiritual chants adding to the aura of the place. Thousands of Ladakhis drop their conversation unceremoniously and glue their eyes on the elaborate ceremony.  His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa,  spiritual head of the 1000 year old Drukpa Order, revered as Naropa\u2019s reincarnation, dons the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3279"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14633,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3279\/revisions\/14633"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}