Explore India  Fairs & Festival of India

Durga Puja is one of the largest and most splendid festivals in the country.
Community pujas (prayer service) in Bengal are organized in every locality. Families visit each other and spread the communal goodwill. On Bijoya Day, idols of Durga are taken in elaborate processions and immersed in the river or sea.

A traditional fair that has remained pristine in its charm through the ages. Legend has it that two brothers, devotees of Lord Vishnu, one wily and the other honest, cast a spell upon each other. As a result of this, one became an elephant and the other a crocodile. On a Kartik Purnima day, the honest elephant went to the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Gandak to bathe and was attacked by the wily crocodile. Lord Vishnu himself intervened and delivered good from evil. The central draw of the fair is cattle trade. All species of birds, poultry, bovines and beats of burden, especially elephants, have a market here. The fair entertains visitors with nautankis – typical musical drama performances. Other attractions are the circus, fortune-telling parrots and peddlers of fancy goods.

The festival ushers in the New Year, with dancing, music and feasting. There are three such festivals in Assam in the months of Bohang (April), Maagh (January), and Kaati (Kartik or October). Each Bihu coincides with a distinctive phase in the farming calendar. The Bohang or the Festival of Merriment. True to its name, it ushers in the period of greatest enjoyment and marks the arrival of spring.
The festival lasts for several days during “the young people in the village may be seen moving about in groups, gaily dressed or forming circles in the midst of which the prettiest girls dance.” (The History of Human Marriage, by Edward Western-March).
In towns and cities, there are well-organised Bihu fairs, where professional or amateur troupes perform songs on stage, with accompanying dancing. Bihu Kunwori (The Princess of the Bihu) contests are also held. Young women compete in dancing to the tune of Bihu songs. The best dancer is given the title of Bihu Kunwor.

The Konark Dance Festival brings to fore India’s eminent classical dancers, who perform against the backdropof the floodlit Sun Temple. The temple has been described as a poem in stone and is one of India’s greatest architectural sights.
During the festival, the building reverberates with the beats Raga and Tala, as the performers present their interpretations of various classical dance forms, including Odissi, Bharat Natyam, Manipuri Kathak and Chhau Dance.

The Teesta Tea Festival commences in Darjeeling and Sikkim and ends in Dooars. The Dooars area, which is the gateway to Bhutan, is an enchanting land encompassing historic plains, tea gardens, rolling hills and close forests.
The Teesta Festival includes a variety of cultural programmes. One can enjoy a pleasant ride through beautiful landscapes, in the toy train at Darjeeling, recognized as a World Heritage. The Teesta Festival includes a variety of cultural programmes. One can enjoy a pleasant ride through beautiful landscapes, in the toy train at Darjeeling recognized as a World Heritage. The Siliguri-Alipur Dooars Intercity Express runs through tea gardens and lush forests. It is a delight for photographers and tourist alike, to click wildlife and exotic birds as the train chugs along the meandering track.

This festival is celebrated on the day of Makar Sankranti at Ganga Sagar Island in the Ganges delta. People convene to take a holy dip at the confluence of the sea and the river Ganga. A large fair is held for three days during this period.

The largest Indian classical musical event inn Kolkata, the Dover Lane Music Conference has been taking place for the last 25 years. The festival is presented annually at Nazrul Mancha.

This is one of the largest theatre festivals of the country, with troupes participating from several neighbouring countries.

The festival showcases Nagaland’s heritage in all its diversity and grandeur. It is a tribute to the Hornbill the most revered bird of the Naga tribes.