Celebration marking the victory of good over evil.

Jammu and Kashmir host one of the major fairs and festivals of the country which is the Spitok Gutor Zanskar. Jammu and Kashmir are popularly also known as Paradise on Earth and are famous for its scenic beauty and splendor among which are the snow-capped mountains, the wildlife, the monuments and also the local handicrafts. All these features can be counted among the various highlights of the state.

The festival of Spitok Gutor Zanskar is counted among the most famous and major fairs and festivals of the country. The festival is celebrated by the people with so much energy and zest across the state. this festival is symbolically celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. The festival is celebrated over a span of two days every year and is held in the month of January. in the core essence, this festival is celebrated and was essentially observed in the reformist Geluk Pa order which is followed by the monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in India. Many other monasteries that celebrate this festival with equal zest and enthusiasm are Spituk, Thiksay and Karsha (Zanskar). However, this festival is celebrated at different times throughout the year by the different monasteries.

The festival of Spitok Gutor Zanskar has a literal translation, which means the Sacrifice of the 29th Day. One of the major highlights of this festival is the dance of the black hat dances which is done to symbolically represent the end of the evil forces and the triumph of good over evil.

In the dance, the dancers try to portray the event which led to the assassination of the famous Tibetan apostate King Lang-dar-ma. The assassination was carried out by a Buddhist monk during the mid-nineteenth century. In addition to that, the dancers also wear masks that are said to symbolize the guardian divinities which is also known as the Dharmapala’s of the Buddhist pantheon. These Dharmapala’s were said to be the patron divinities of the Geluk-Pa order of Tibetan Buddhism.

Finally, the festival comes to an end with the killing of all possible forms of evil known as the Argham. This Argham is done by the leader of the black hat dancers, which marks the conclusion of the two-day-long festival. During the culmination of the festival, a sacrificial cake which is known as the Storma is cut which then marks the end and eradication of evil forces. In some other monasteries in Jammu and Kashmir, this end of evil is marked by burning an effigy which is symbolized as a strong and prominent form of evil. In this way, the festival of Spitok Gutor Zanskar finally comes to an end.