Partnered byWorld Fellowship of Buddhists held in
Sri Lanka in 1950. Today, the festival is
celebrated across different countries
in different ways and under different
names; while Tibetans and Sikkimese
call it as Saga Dawa, many South
East Asian countries like Singapore,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka
celebrate it under the name of Vesak
Day. And all across India except North
Eastern regions, the festival is commonly
known as Buddha Purnima.
Highlights and Important
Rituals of the Festival
One of the biggest highlights of
the festival is the lightening of butter
lamps in monasteries by the Mahayana
Buddhists, indicating their obeisance to
Lord Buddha who is believed to have
well educated their paths in life. After
the occasion, a grand parade start out
from monastery, lead by monks carrying
holy scriptures and portraits of Lord
Buddha, Buddhist hymns and chants on
the streets of Gangtok, simply provides
for a mesmerising spectacle to all the
spectator. Needless to say, it’s the best
period to plan a trip to Sikkim in order to
get a closer spot with Buddhist culture
and traditions.Duration of the Festival
The magnifi cent festival Saga Dawa
is celebrated every year on the full moon
of the 4th month according Buddhist
lunar calendar, which according to
English calendar the festivals falls during
end of May and early June. Various
religious rituals, including reading of holy
book called “Kajur Texts” and lighting
of butter lamps take place during thewhole month. Devotees assemble in
great numbers on the streets of Gangtok
on the day of fi nal procession to obtain
blessings and pay their appreciation to
the lord. Giving donation is also quite
common as these acts of kindness done
during this holy month are said to bear
ripe fruits in future.Experience shooting the
Festival
The festival is held during the
month of June and since June month
calls for rains, it was bit challenging
to shoot the festival. The festival is
celebrated in major monasteries like
Tsuk-La-Lang and Rumtek Monastery.
The Festivals includes many otherExif Info:
Camera: Canon EOS RP
Shutter Speed: 1/500 sec
Aperture value: f/4.0
ISO: 640
Focal Length: 24.0 mm