Photos of a Buddhist festival show ritual dances in India's Ladakh
That set the stage for the ritual dances to follow at the Hemis Festival–or Hemis Tsechu. Hemis Gompa belongs to the Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and is one of the most important monasteries in Ladakh. Built in the 17th century, it lies at an elevation of about 3,560 meters (12,000 feet) in the northern Indian desert mountainous territory. The festival, believed to have originated in the first half of the 18th century and observed annually ever since, commemorates the birthday of the 8th-century Indian master Padmasambhava, who is credited with having helped establish Buddhism in Tibet. The two-day summer festival falls on the 10th and 11th days of the fifth month in the Tibetan calendar. This year's festival was observed on July 5 and 6.
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