The Galdan Namchot festival of Ladakh marks the birth anniversary of which Buddhist saint?

Galdan Namchot is a Buddhist festival of Ladakh that celebrates the birth anniversary and the enlightenment of Je Tsongkhapa, the great Tibetan scholar and saint who founded the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the tenth month of the Tibetan calendar, usually in December.

Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) was born in the Amdo region of Tibet. He was a great teacher, philosopher and reformer, who emphasised strict monastic discipline, the careful study of Buddhist philosophy and the practice of meditation. He wrote many important works, such as the "Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment" (Lamrim Chenmo). In 1409, he founded the Ganden Monastery near Lhasa, which became the main seat of the Gelugpa school. The Gelugpa school later became the dominant school of Tibetan Buddhism, and the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas belong to it.

On Galdan Namchot, the monasteries, homes, public buildings and streets of Ladakh are illuminated with thousands of butter lamps and electric lights, making it a festival of lights similar to Diwali. People visit monasteries to offer prayers, light lamps and give offerings. Special foods, such as thukpa (noodle soup) and other traditional dishes, are prepared. The festival also marks the beginning of the celebrations of the Ladakhi New Year (Losar), which follows soon after.

Other important festivals of Ladakh include the Hemis Tsechu (birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava), Losar, the Sindhu Darshan (on the banks of the Indus) and the masked dance festivals of monasteries such as Thiksey, Spituk and Likir.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Guru Padmasambhava: his birth anniversary is celebrated at the Hemis festival.
• ✗Naropa was an Indian Buddhist master of the 11th century, honoured in the Naropa festival.
• ✗Atisha was an Indian Buddhist master who taught in Tibet in the 11th century.