Explore India  Fairs & Festival of India
 

A festival that welcomes cloudy skies and rainy days. Held every year during the Hindu month of Shravan, it celebrates the divine union of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. As the rains pour down, Nature flaunts resplendent colors – like the young girls and new brides who pray to Goddess Parvati for good husbands and conjugal bliss.

Experience one of India’s most fascinating festivals, the annual Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan. Every year, thousands of Rajasthani villagers converge in this picturesque town to buy and sell camels and other cattle. They come for the entertaining camel- races and local circuses. Crowds of village folk also browse the local markets for camel saddles, textiles, glass bangles and silver Jewellery. They wash away the day’s fatigue at the Pushkar Lake (considered sacred by the Hindus). Beyond the bustle of the markets is the sweeping expanse of desert, dotted with thousands of camping families. All around, there is a riot of colour and a throng of warm, joyous faces.

The Gangaur Festival, a spirited celebration, gets underway every year during the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April). It marks the end of winter and heralds the spring.
’Gan’ is a synonym for Lord Shiva and ‘Gaur’ or ‘Gauri’ for Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. The festival celebrates conjugal bliss and marital happiness. During the festival, the ladies decorate their palms and fingers with intricate patterns of mehndi (henna). A traditional procession is headed by a colourful pageantry of elephants, camels, horses, musicians, old palanquins, chariots and bullock carts. People purchase and worship idols of Gauri and Isar. The room where the prayer ceremony is conducted is usually whitewashed.

“Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”, says Mark Twain, of the city where the science of Yoga originated. Yoga Week is dedicated to this practice. And Varanasi is the perfect setting for the festival for it is here, along the banks of some of the most holy rivers, that Yoga can be practised in its purest form. Private hotels, tour operators and renowned Yoga institutes offer packages for 7, 10 and 14 days. The programmes include asana practice, pranayam, meditation and discussions by revered spiritual leaders.

Held in the holy town of Ajmer, in honour of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, the celebration unites people of all faiths. Special prayers are offered at the mosque, and consecrated food is served to one and all, from the large, steaming cauldrons that were a gift from the Mughal Emperor, Akbar.
The festivities continue well into the night, with impassioned qawwali singers fuelling the spirit of devotion and self less love.

The fair begins a few days before Holi and is marked by the congregation of Sikh devotees from all over the state. A large number of langars (community kitchens) offer free food to the poor and the rich alike. The day after Holi, called Hol, is ushered in with the singing of divine hymns in the early morning hours. With the dawning of the day, the Nihangs, called the Guru’s beloved force, together with the colourful sects of the Sikhs, acquire centre-stage. They wear traditional robes of blue and saffron as well as armour of steel.

This is a celebration of Mother Nature’s bounty. Farmers, amidst dancing, singing and revelry, carry a portion of the first harvest of wheat and offer it at a Gurudwara (place of worship, sacred to the Sikhs). Devotees gather from far-flung places and run free kitchens. The next day is heralded by a display of martial arts by the Nihangs.

This festival is held just after Dussehra is celebrated in other parts of the country. Colorful processions of devotees, bearing magnificent images of gods and goddesses, move towards Kullu from all aprts of the valley. Homage is paid to Lord Raghunath on the first day. Rituals, graceful Natti dances and folk songs are performed over the remaining nine days.
As part of the festival, traders from all over the valley set up temporary stalls, where woolen shawls, caps, blankets, pullan (traditional footwear made from plant fibre and goat hair) and other interesting articles are displayed. This is the best time to see the crafts of the Kullu Valley.

This is an impassioned musical festival associated with Hazrat Amir Khusrau – one of the great followers of Hazrat Nizamuddin. Only Sufi music is played.
The festival promotes cross-cultural music collaboration, as performers from all over the world participate. Trance inducing, fervent and joyous, this Sufi music fiesta is an intriguing experience for the discerning listener.

Set amidst the historical background of the Qutub Minar, a number of cultural events are held as a part of the festival. Veterans of India classical music and folk dance give spectacular performances. There are Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, and various classical dance performances by famous artistes from all over the nation. Sarangi and sitar recitals mesmerize the audience, while ghazals and qawwalis mark the end of the festival. Artistes like the illustrious three generations of the Sarabhai family, Mrinalini, Mallika and Anahita Sarabhai, as well as ghazal maestros Ustaad Ahmad Hussain and Ustaad Mohammad Hussein are amongst the many stalwarts who have made the festival a memorable one.
The regional food stalls at the complex add a local flavour to the evening with cuisine from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and The North-Eastern states.

Set amidst the historical background of the Qutub Minar, a number of cultural events are held as a part of the festival. Veterans of India classical music and folk dance give spectacular performances. There are Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, and various classical dance performances by famous artistes from all over the nation. Sarangi and sitar recitals mesmerize the audience, while ghazals and qawwalis mark the end of the festival. Artistes like the illustrious three generations of the Sarabhai family, Mrinalini, Mallika and Anahita Sarabhai, as well as ghazal maestros Ustaad Ahmad Hussain and Ustaad Mohammad Hussein are amongst the many stalwarts who have made the festival a memorable one.
The regional food stalls at the complex add a local flavour to the evening with cuisine from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and The North-Eastern states.

The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every spring in the town of Khajuraho-renowned for its sculptured temples. It celebrates the glory of the temples and the life-like dance forms carved on the stone walls. The festival showcases the finest classical dances in the country.
TAJ MAHOTSAV, Agra (18th-27th February)
The Taj Mahotsav is an apt introduction to the majesty of the country and its cultural variety. The festival is a vibrant mosaic that brings to force the finest of Indian arts, crafts and cultural nuances.

The ‘yoga capital of the wolrd’ is an appropriate setting for an introduction to this ancient practice.
This annual festival attracts great yogic masters from all over the world, who arrive at the banks of the Ganges to demonstrate and explore the major traditions of Yoga (hatha, raja, karma, bhakti, mantra, laya and jnana). The town boasts of numerous Yoga school, as well as plenty of places to visit when your charkas are fully aligned.
Apart from the Yoga schools, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the many ashrams (rest houses) in Rishikesh that offer courses on meditation, Yoga and Hindu philosophy. The Hatha Yoga and Pranayama meditation classes at Sri Ved Niketan Ashram are well known. The Shivananda Ashram, opposite the Shivananda Jhula, is also a favourite.

The festival is a showcase of the performing arts of the region, on the stretches of sand around the desert citadel of Jaisalmer. It is characterized by a number amusing turban tying competitions and camel races.
The region also has its very own Mr. Desert contest. Lively craft bazaars and a sound and light spectacle make it a celebration of life amidst an arid landscape. Folk artistes performing against a backdrop of sand dunes, on a full-moon night, heighten the romantic lure of the desert.

If one were to capture the essence of this festival in a single sentence, it would be – to save the vibrant culture of Jaipur, by stimulating alternative ways of development that are rooted in the unique strengths of the people.

Spread over fourteen days and in locations difficult to find anywhere else in the world, the festival stands out for its superb events. Children’s programmes, sports, exhibitions, crafts bazaars, and a succession of seminars on key issues, make it a rich, dynamic interaction amongst the people of the city.
The Jaipur Heritage International Festival pays homage to the beauty of the old, reflects on the contemporary relevance of past wisdom and leads to a better understanding of the city’s fabulous resources and assets.

The great classical vocalist, Miyan Tansen, was one of the ‘nine jewels’ in Emperor Akbar’s court. His memorial, in Gwalior, is a classic representation of Mughal architecture. It is also the venue of the annual Indian classical festival held in November. Renowned singers of the land regale audiences with five mesmerising sessions of the much-loved classical ragas. An interesting fact is that performers, before the sessions begin, chew the leaves of a tamarind tree by the tomb. This is believed to make the voice better.

The Hemis Festival us dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava, revered as the representative reincarnate of the Buddha. It is believed that the purpose of his life was to improve the spiritual condition of all living beings.
The festival takes place in the rectangular courtyard of the Hemis Monastery. A raised dais, with a richly cushioned seat and finely painted small Tibetan table, is placed with the ceremonial items – cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter, as well as incense sticks.
A number of musicians play traditional music with four pairs of cymbals, pan drums, small trumpets and large wind instruments.

The Sindhu Darshan Festival, as the name suggests, is a celebration of the river Sindhu (also known as the Indus). People travel for a darshan and puja of this river, which originates from the Mansarovar in Tibet. The festival aims at projecting the Sindhu river as a symbol of multi-dimensional cultural identity, communal harmony and peaceful co-existence in India. Whilst promoting tourism in this are, the festival is also a tribute to the brave soldiers of India who have valiantly fought the odds at Siachen, Kargil and other places.

The Surajkund Crafts Mela, organized by Haryana Tourism, celebrates the finest handlooms and handicrafts traditions of country. It is a fortnight-long event, during which master crafts persons display their assortment of wares-mirror-work embroidery, delicate lace work, folk motifs on terracotta forms, metal and cane ware, bangles of all hues, iridescent silks and beautifully-crafted toys. The Mela is more than just a celebration of crafts. At the fan-shaped, open-air theatre, ‘Natyashala’, rich folk dances and musical evenings keep crowds of tourists entertained.