Stok Guru Tsechu

Ladakh’s Stok Guru Tsechu Festival is celebrated in the village of Stok, a short distance from Leh, in the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. The dates vary every year in accordance with Guru Padmasambhava’s birthday. It is believed that seven oracles inhabit Ladakh, two of which manifest themselves through chosen ones in Stok each year. The chosen oracles undergo a severe month-long retreat where they are prohibited from eating meat. On the day of the festival, the oracles go into a trance and dance along the rooftops of the monastery in flowing white costumes. The villagers bow their heads in prayer, offer Chang (locally brewed rice beer) and Tsampa (roasted barley flour), and await the predictions for the year ahead. This is not like most festivals in India, photography is restricted and it is a rare privilege to witness this ancient tradition and learn of the rise of Buddhism through the vanquishing of demons in the Ladakh valley.