Leh Ladakh - Sindhu Darshan Leh

The Sindhu Darshan Festival is an extraordinary pageantry that takes place in Jammu and is one of the most colorful and attractive fiestas held in North India. Reputed for its vibrancy and splendor, the Sindhu Darshan Festival is the pride of Kashmir. It is held in the Ladakh region amidst extensive pomp and gaiety.

Leh is the locale for the celebration of the Sindhu Darshan Festival and this is a carnival for paying homage to the River Indus, whose local name is Sindhu. The belief that India derived its name from this particular River is justifiable. The term Sindhu Darshan in Hindi means the Witnessing of the River Sindhu.

The Leh Festival has been renamed by the present government which will now be known as the Ladakh Singhey Khabab Spring Festival with the intention to ensure greater participation by the local people. The festival was launched in the year 2001 with a view to promote tourism in the region of Leh - Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of this festival is to project the Indus river as the symbol of India's unity and communal harmony.

The Leh Festival celebrates the River Sindhu which is also called Indus which in turn is the origin of the name of the country India. The troupes that come here to participate bring with them the water of the rivers that flow through their home states and the pots in the river Sindhu here. It is organized annually at Leh wherein the participants travel for a Darshan and Puja of the River Sindhu. The river's significance is enhanced from the fact that it originates at Mansarovar in Tibet.

The river Sindhu flows across the cold desert of Ladakh almost in a straight line. It passes through the Leh valley and goes into Pakistan. The word Sindhu is a Sanskrit word which means a large water body. The name later came to signify the people that lived beyond it and thus it became the origin of the name of our country India.

The festival is organized at Sindhu ghat, near Shey village, which is at the distance of about 10 kms from Leh.

It is an annual three day long festival which takes place in the month of June.

You can notice several Buddhist stupas on the banks of the river Indus. It is believed that Lord Buddha passed from here with his followers. This fact reinforces the belief that the river signifies the diversity of India.

Though the festival aims at promoting tourism in the region of Leh Ladakh, it has religious significance as well.

The Leh festival begins with a cultural programme at the Sindhu Ghat in which local as well as artists from other states of India also participate. A ritual prayer is performed by 50 senior lamas on the banks of River Sindhu. After the cultural programmes, the participants are offered lunch before the programme ends. The participants are taken on a sightseeing trip later in the day and the day ends in the night with a camp fire as well as a get together. The Sindhu Pujan takes place on the third day after which cultural and sightseeing programmes are conducted. The river Indus is a symbol of the strength of the Indian civilization.