The disciplinarian with the whip at the Hemis Monastery Festival in Ladakh
Spare the rod and spoil and child. Heard this? Likewise, the lamas (Buddhist monks) seem to believe in the power of the whip to maintain discipline at the monasteries. But it does not come with just the fear factor: it is a way to get a blessing too.
At the annual festival of the Hemis Monastery located near Leh in Ladakh, going back hundreds of years, I was intrigued to see a lama walking around with a whip. And using it on people who were not staying put in their designated spots and disturbing the proceedings. The whip seemed to be just what the doctor would have ordered at the event: it was overflowing with people, more than could be accommodated, and there seemed to be chaos all over. The rain was not helping anyone’s cause either. [continue reading…]
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