Traveller’s Diary

Hemis festival in Leh, Ladakh

When: July 7 & 8, 2014

Where: Hemis Monastery, Leh, Ladakh

The famous festival of Hemis Tse Chu is a major attraction with tourists. Every year, two days in the month of June, the courtyard of the largest and richest monastery of Ladakh .

Hemis gets jam-packed with the Ladakhis and curious tourists to watch and celebrate the birthday of the founder of the Tibetan Buddhism, Guru Padmasambhava.

The lamas attired in colourful bright brocades and elaborate headgears perform the masked dances (Chamms) with egood (Gods) defeating the evil (Demons)f being the underlying theme. The Buddhist festival of Hemis Tse Chu in Ladakh is a must-see for everyone who aspires to understand Ladakhi culture.

Ocho Rios Jazz Festival
When: June 8-15, 2014

Where: Jamaica

Jamaicafs eVillage of eight riversf sways to the sounds of cool jazz by top local stars and internationally renowned artists at the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival every year. Jamaicafs Ocho Rios Jazz Festival will take place between 8th to 15th June this year. It will be celebrating its 24th anniversary with exciting days filled with events of great music and superb entertainment. The festival showcases international as well as Jamaican and Caribbean Jazz musicians and artists. All set to hum along?

Rath Yatra

When: June 29, 2014

Where: Puri, Odisha

Rath Yatra 2014, the most famous Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath, is held annually in Puri, Odisha. On the first day, the temple images are carried through the street in three huge thundering chariots which have made this event internationally known. Nine days later, the journey is repeated in the opposite direction. To witness Rath Yatra in Puri is an experience of a lifetime, but ensure to book rooms and make all other arrangements well in advance.

In the Puri Rath Yatra held each year in mid-summer, the proxy images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, - the deities enshrined in the Jagannath Temple, the most famous among the Temples in Puri are carried in colourful processions every evening for 21 days to the Narendra Tank where they cruise in a bright decorated boat. The chariots are made anew every year in accordance with strict and ancient specifications and are pulled by several thousand devotees at a time. In terms of splendour and fervent devotion, the Rath Yatra in Puri is one of the worlds most incredible spectacles.