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The Indian calendar is a long procession of festivals; if you
can find yourself in the right place at the right time, it is possible to go
through your visit with a festival each day. The harvest festivals of the south,
the immersion of Ganesh in Bombay, the car Festival of Puri, snake-boat races in
Kerala, Republic Day in Delhi... every region, every religion has something to
celebrate. Below is a selection of the major ones, but there are countless
others; enquire at local Government of India Tourist Offices for details.
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY |
Sankranti / Pongal: Mainly Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka. 3 days and colourful: Tamil harvest
festival. Republic Day: National: establishment of Republic
1950. 26th January. Grand Military Parade and Procession of dancers etc.
Delhi. Vasant Panchami: National (Mainly in the Eastern
region): Hindu – dedicated to Saraswati the beautiful Goddess of
Learning. Women wear yellow saris. Floating Festival:
Madurai: Birthday of local 17th century ruler; elaborately
illuminated barge carrying decorated temple deities at the Mariamman
Teppakulam Pool amids chanting hymns. |
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FEBRUARY / MARCH |
Shivaratri: National: Solemn worship of
Hindu deity, Lord Shiva. Fasting and chanting. Special celebrations at
Chidambarum, Kalahasti, Khajuraho, Varanasi and Bombay. Holi:
Mainly northern, popularly called the festival of colors. Advent of
Spring. Lively and much throwing of coloured water and powders. Public
Holiday. Mardi Gras: Goa: Mainly three days during lent.
Unique celebrations at this carnival. Ramnavami: National:
Birth of Rama, incarnation of Vishnu. No processions. Plays and folk
theaters. Mahavir Jayanti: National: Jain festival; birth of
Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara. Easter: Good Friday /
Easter Sunday National. |
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MARCH / APRIL |
Kumbh Mela: The oldest and most important of the
Hindu festivals. It takes place every three years, at one of the four
great holy cities; Nasik in Maharashtra, Ujjain (MP), Prayag (Allahabad)
and Hardwar (both in UP). It is attended by millions of pilgrims who take
a holy dip in the sacred Ganges River. |
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APRIL / MAY |
Baisakhi: Northern India, West Bengal
and Tamil Nadu; Hindu Solar New Year. Bhangra dancing. Women wear yellow
saris. Pooram: Trichur: New Moon. Spectactular sight of
large number of elephants carrying ceremonial umbrellas going round
the temple; midnight fireworks display.
Id-Ul-Zuha: (Bakrid): Muslim, National: The
most celebrated Islamic festival in India, commemorating the sacrifice of
Abraham. Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Id): Muslim, National:
Celebration to mark the end of the month of Ramadan. Meenakshi
Kalyanam: Madurai. Marriage of Meenakshi with Lord Shiva. Colourful
temple festival. Deities borne by colossal chariot. Ten day festival.
Fair: Rajasthan: Urs Ajmer Sharif. Ajmer, 6
days. Religious cultural and commercial extravaganza dedicated to the
Sufi. Music; no procession.
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JUNE / JULY |
Rath Yatra: Mainly Orissa. Greatest temple
festival in honour of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe). Three
colossal chariots drawn from Puri temple by thousands of pilgrims. Similar
festivals, on a smaller scale, take place at Ramnagar (near Varanasi),
Serampore (near Calcutta) and Jagannathpur (near Ranchi).
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JULY / AUGUST |
Teej: Rajasthan- Particularly Jaipur:
Procession of the Goddess Parvati to welcome monsoon; elephants, camels,
dancers etc. Women wear green saris. Colourful.
Raksha Bandhan: Northern and Western India. Legendary
reenactment, girls tie rakhis or talismen to men’s wrists. Colourful build
up. Naag Panchami: Mainly Jodphur, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Dedicated to the green thousand-headed mythical serpent called Sesha. The
day is also observed in many other parts of Western and Eastern India.
Amarnath Yatra: Hindu: Lidder Valley, Kashmir at full moon.
Pilgrims visit the place where Lord Shiva explained the secret of
salvation to his consort Parvati.
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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER |
Independence Day: (15th August).
National: Independence Day. Prime Minister delivers address from
Delhi’s Red Fort.
Janmashtami: National, particularly Agra,
Bombay and Mathura; Lord Krishna’s birthday.
Onam: Kerala’s
Harvest Festival; spectacular snake boat races in many parts of Kerala.
Ganesh Chaturthi: Mainly Pune, Orissa, Bombay, Madras,
dedicated to elephant-headed God Ganesh. Giant models of the deity
processed and immersed in water. Colourful, and a particularly worth
visiting on the Day of immersion at Bombay. |
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER |
Dussehra: National: The most popular
festival in the country, celebrated in different ways in different parts
of the country. In the north and particularly in Delhi (where it is known
as Ram Lila), plays and music recall the life of Rama; in Kulu, the
festival is also very colourful celebrated. In Bengal and many parts of
Eastern India it is known as Durga Puja, and in the South as Navaratri.
Fair, Himachal Pradesh: Kulu Valley to coincide with Dussehra
(10 days).
Gandhi Jayanti: National: Mahatma Gandhi’s
birthday. No processions.
Diwali: National: One of the
most lively and colourful festivals in India. In some parts, it marks the
start of the Hindu New Year. In Eastern India, the goddess Kali is
particularly worshipped; elsewhere, it is Lakshmi, the goddess of
prosperity, who is venerated. Everywhere there are magnificent
illuminations and fireworks.
Gurpurab: Mainly in northern
India. Anniversaries of ten gurus, spiritual teachers or preceptors of
Sikhism. No procession. |
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NOVEMBER |
Muharram: Muslim. Commemoration of Imam Hussain’s
martyrdom. Tiger dancers lead processions of colourful replicas of
martyr’s tomb. Colourful, particularly at Lucknow.
Bihar:
Largest cattle fair in the world; 1 month Sonepur, Patna; on banks of the
Ganges.
Pushkar Mela: Pushkar, near Ajmer, Rajasthan. Important
and colourful. Camel and cattle fair, attended by Rajputs from miles
around. Camel races and acrobatics etc. |
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DECEMBER |
Christmas Day: National: Most exuberantly
celebrated in Goa, Bombay and Tamil Nadu. |
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Enchanting India
Delhi – Varanasi – Khajuraho – Bhandhavgarh – Jabalpur – Orcha – Gwalior – Agra – Jaipur – Jodhpur – Bikaner – Mandawa – Delhi
19 Nights – 20 Days
Exotic North India Rajasthan
Delhi – Varanasi – Khajuraho – Agra – Jaipur – Jodhpur – Udaipur – Delhi
11 Nights – 12 Days
Exotic Himachal
Delhi – Shimla – Kullu - Manali – Parwanoo – Delhi
9 Nights – 10 Days
Kerala Beaches and Backwaters
Trivandrum – Kovalam – Alleppey – Kumarakom – Periyar – Munnar – Cochin
8 Nights – 9 Days
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