Sindhu Darshan Festival

[1] Lal Krishna Advani and Tarun Vijay, veteran journalists, re-discovered the Sindhu river flowing through Ladakh, when they visited Leh in January 1996.

Since then, the festival has been attracting people from all walks of life, castes, religions and places, especially becoming a pilgrimage for Sindhi Hindus, who in pre-partition days, used to worship the river in their homeland of Sindh, now in Pakistan.

On 7 June 2000, Sindhu Darshan Festival was held with much pomp and show and was inaugurated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then the Prime Minister of India at Shey (15 km away from Leh).The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Sindhu Cultural Center and also inaugurated the new office complex of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

[2] The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said "Some people queried about existence of Sindhu in India as described in our national anthem but little did they know that it flows from our soil in Ladakh."

This reception ceremony is conducted by a joint association of committees of various religious groups ( Buddhist, Shia, Sunni, Christian, Hindu and Sikh ) namely, Ladakh Buddhist Association, Shia Majlis, Sunni Anjuman, Christian Moravian Church, Hindu Trust and Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee, to promote national integrity.

[3][4][5][6] The Postal Department of Government of India issued a postage stamp depicting Sindhu Darshan Festival on 28 July 1999.

These aspects are sought to be blended in the design of the First Day Cover which also carries inscription of the hymn 'mantra', chanted by Buddhists in the area, a prayer in praise of God.