Crouched at the foot of a narrow sinuous ravine, amid a leafy oasis of poplar and willow trees, Hemis stays hidden from view until you are virtually beside it. The only sign of the gompa's existence from the valley are the immense mani walls stretching from the rock outflow above you, pointing like giant arrows to the mouth the gorge The special feature of the Hemis Gompa is the ceremonial Hemis Setchu festival, which is celebrated in late June or early July when the passes are open. This is one of the largest and most spectacular of the gompa festivals. At one point of time it was virtually the only gompa festival that took place during the summer tourist season. The locals dressed in their finest traditional garb celebrate the festival with great pomp and festivity.
Large crowds flock to have a glimpse of the colourful two-day festival.
The vibrant mask and chaam dances, which are performed with great enthusiasm, are special features of delight for the spectators. Accompanied by cymbal crashes, drum rolls and periodic groans from the temple trumpets, the lamas dressed in opulently brocaded silk costumes and ghoulish masks, mime episodes from Buddhist mythology. The show culminates on the second day with a frenzied dismemberment of a dummy, symbolising the destruction of human ego, and thus the triumph of Buddhism over ignorance and evil. The dramas are also a form of popular entertainment eagerly anticipated by the Ladakhi villagers. Once every twelve years, the Hemis festival also hosts the ritual unrolling of a giant thangka, the gompa's prized possession, which covers the entire facade of the building.