LHABAB DHEUCHEN

God : Lord Buddha Symbolises : Descent of Lord Buddha from the heaven Religion : Buddhism

This festival symbolises the descent of Lord Buddha from the heaven. Lha - means "Heaven" Bab - means "Descent"

According to legend, Queen Maha Maya, the mother of Lord Buddha, did not live long, took rebirth in Trayastrimsa or the heaven of the thirty Gods. After attaining Enlightenment, Lord Buddha through spiritual powers came to know about the whereabouts of his mother and at the age of forty one ascended to heavens alongwith thousands of his followers. Lord Buddha stayed in heaven for three months during which he devered sermons to his mother and other celestial beings. Lord Buddha had left behind on earth one of his disciples, Maugalyayana, as his representative. This disciple and other devotees of the Lord could not bear the long separation and longed to hear his preachins. Maugalyayana, who possessed miraculous powers, was exhorted to go up to the heaven to request the Lord to return back to the earth. The gods were not willing to let Lord Buddha return to earth but Maugalyanana suggested that as the earthly beings did not have the powers to visit heaven, the celelstial beings could come to the earth to attend his preachings.Lord Buddha finally relented and descended to the earth at a place called sankasya along a triple ladder that was prepared especially for the occasion by Viswakarma, the God of Machines.