Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Jan 16: Marking the traditional belief that the extreme winter cold begins to ease in Ladakh, the two-day Spituk Gustor, the annual Spituk Monastic Festival, began today at Spituk Gonpa, with monks from Stok, Sankar, Saboo and Spituk performing sacred mask dances and offering prayers for world peace.
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Thousands of devotees accross Ladakh and tourists from different parts of the world thronged Spituk Gonpa to witness the colourful ritual dances performed by the monks wearing masks depicting various religious deities.
During Spituk Gustor, monks from the four monasteries congregate at Spituk Gonpa to pray for peace and prosperity across the world. The ritual mask dances form the core of the festival and conclude with symbolic ceremonies signifying the destruction of all forms of evil.
On the occasion, statues of revered deities including Gonbo Chhaktuk (Six-Armed Mahakala), Palden Lhamo (Sri Devi) and other Dharma protectors were unveiled and kept open for the public to get a glimpse and seek blessings. These sacred statues otherwise remain veiled for the rest of the year. Large queues of devotees were seen from January 10 to January 17 to get a glimpse of the deities as the deities are veiled again at the end of this festival.
The sacred Thangka of Je Tsongkhapa was also displayed today on the first day of the festival.
Spituk Gustor is celebrated every year on the 28th and 29th day of the eleventh month of the Tibetan lunar calendar and holds deep religious and cultural significance for the people of Ladakh. It is believed and also observed that following Spituk Gustor, the region gradually begins to emerge from the harsh winter season, with temperatures slowly rising and weather conditions becoming milder after the festival.
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