Sacred Festivals

Kamakhya Temple, Nilachal Hills, Guwahati, Assam

Ambubachi Mela

The Unakoti rock-cut site in Unakoti district, north Tripura, about 8 km east of Kailashahar.

Ashokastami Mela at Unakoti

Gurdwaras across the city rather than one venue, including Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Sector 46-D.

Baisakhi in Chandigarh

Dharmaraya Swamy Temple, Pete vistar, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Bangalore Karaga

Pan-India, with extraordinary cultural density in West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab.

Basant Panchami

Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and surrounding districts of Telangana

Bonalu

Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Sikkim, Ladakh, and globally across Buddhist nations.

Buddha Purnima (Vesak)

Tashiding Monastery in Gyalshing district, West Sikkim — a Nyingma monastery founded in 1641.

Bumchu

Jowai, West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, with Seiñ Raij chapters elsewhere holding their own.

Chad Sukra

The Saraswati Tirtha ghats at Pehowa town, Kurukshetra district, Haryana.

Chaitra Chaudas Mela, Pehowa

Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and by migrant communities.

Chhath Puja

Devaki Krishna Temple yard, Marcel (Mashel) village, Ponda, Goa.

Chikhal Kalo

Iconic in Goa, Kerala, Northeast India, and major metropolitan cities.

Christmas

Every locality and village in Mizoram, through the church rather than the street. Aizawl has the largest concentration.

Christmas in Mizoram

Exclusively on a grand scale in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Dev Diwali, Varanasi

The Hazratbal shrine on the western shore of Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.

Display of the Moi-e-Muqaddas at Hazratbal

Nationwide across India, particularly iconic in Ayodhya, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Diwali (Deepavali)

The historic courtyards of the Leh Palace, Diskit Monastery in the Nubra Valley, and Likir Monastery in Ladakh.

Dosmoche

Throughout Sikkim, with core monastic prayers at Deer Park in Gangtok, Muguthang in North Sikkim, and various major monasteries.

Drupka Tseshi

Preeminent in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and among the Bengali diaspora.

Durga Puja

Celebrated pan-India; most famous in Mysore (Karnataka), Kullu Valley (Himachal Pradesh), Bastar (Chhattisgarh), West Bengal (as Durga Puja's end), and northern Ramlila venues.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami)

Observed by Muslim communities nationwide, with particularly historic and grand gatherings in Jammu & Kashmir, Old Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kerala, and West Bengal.

Eid ul-Adha (Bakrid)

All ten inhabited islands, but observed under two names: Bakrid on the nine northern islands, Bodu Eid on Minicoy.

Eid ul-Adha in Lakshadweep

Celebrated by Muslims across India; major historic centers include Delhi (Jama Masjid), Hyderabad (Charminar), Lucknow, Srinagar (Hazratbal), and Mumbai (Mohammad Ali Road).

Eid ul-Fitr

All ten inhabited islands — Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra and Minicoy.

Eid ul-Fitr in Lakshadweep

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa (Velha Goa), Goa.

Feast of St. Francis Xavier

Throughout Ladakh, across all households and major Gelugpa monasteries such as Thiksey, Likir, and Spituk.

Galdan Namchot

Celebrated with unparalleled grandeur in Maharashtra (especially Mumbai and Pune), Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Observed along the sacred banks of the Ganges, primarily in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Garhmukteshwar, and Patna.

Ganga Dussehra

Across the state of Tripura, observed with immense religious devotion inside both rural tribal hamlets and urban administrative quarters.

Garia Puja

Jagdalpur, Bastar district — the Jagannath temple and the ground beside the Jagdalpur Palace.

Goncha

Celebrated with immense devotion in Punjab (especially at the Golden Temple in Amritsar), Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and globally by the Sikh diaspora.

Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab)

Celebrated pan-India; particularly popular in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Hanuman Jayanti

The moat at Sagolband Bijoy Govinda Leikai, Imphal West district.

Heikru Hidongba

Celebrated at the Hemis Monastery, located 45 km southeast of Leh, Ladakh (high-altitude region in Northern India).

Hemis Festival

North India, primarily the Braj region (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana), Bihar, and widely across the global diaspora.

Holi

Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra, with events also at Sannihit Sarovar and the Theme Park.

International Gita Mahotsav, Kurukshetra

Puri, Odisha is the grand epicenter, though celebrated on smaller scales across India.

Jagannath Rath Yatra

Bihar, Jharkhand and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.

Jitiya Vrat (Jivitputrika)

Heavily centered at the Shree Shree Govindajee Temple complex in Imphal, Manipur, as well as major local community temples across the valley.

Kang Chingba

Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh, heavily observed by the Munda, Oraon, Santhal, and Ho tribes.

Karam Festival

Tiruvannamalai (Arunachaleswarar Temple), Tamil Nadu

Karthigai Deepam

Tripura, centered heavily inside the royal palace compound in Agartala and expanding across designated traditional tribal village blocks.

Ker Puja

The historic Chaturdasha Devata Temple at Old Agartala (Puran Agartala), Tripura.

Kharchi Puja

Sree Kottankulangara Devi Temple, Chavara, Kollam district, Kerala.

Kottankulangara Chamayavilakku

Celebrated throughout India, with its most vibrant spiritual centers in Mathura and Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh), and energetic public displays (Dahi Handi) in Mumbai and across Maharashtra.

Krishna Janmashtami

Rotates between Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain.

Kumbh Mela

At Umang Lai — sacred grove — shrines across the Imphal valley and the surrounding hills.

Lai Haraoba

Mithila region, Bihar state (Darbhanga, Madhubani districts).

Madhushravani

Takes place at the Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Magh Mela (Prayagraj)

Celebrated across India, with iconic events in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), the Isha Yoga Center (Tamil Nadu), Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh).

Maha Shivratri

The sacred Mahamaham Tank in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.

Mahamaham

Gangeshwar Mahadev, a cave shrine among tidal rocks on the Arabian Sea shore at Fudam village, about 3 km from Diu town.

Mahashivratri at Gangeshwar Mahadev, Diu

Celebrated across India, with major historical celebrations in Pawapuri and Kundalpur (Bihar), the Dilwara Temples near Mount Abu (Rajasthan), and Palitana (Gujarat).

Mahavir Jayanti

Celebrated nationwide across India, with major cultural and kite-flying spectacles in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and holy river dips in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Makar Sankranti

Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.

Makaravilakku

Karaikal town — the Karaikal Ammaiyar temple and the streets immediately around it. Karaikal is the Puducherry enclave on the Tamil Nadu coast.

Mangani Thiruvizha

The Puducherry seafront — chiefly the beach at Vaithikuppam at the north end of the promenade, and the beach at Veerampattinam to the south.

Masi Magam

Matho Monastery, located approximately 26 km southeast of Leh, Ladakh.

Matho Nagrang

Across Assam wherever Tai-Ahom communities live, concentrated in Upper Assam — Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Golaghat.

Me-Dam-Me-Phi

The Ragnya Devi temple at Tulmulla, Ganderbal district, Jammu & Kashmir, about 25 km from Srinagar.

Mela Kheer Bhawani

Across all ten inhabited islands, centred on the island mosques. Kavaratti's Jamath, Mohidden and Ujra mosques are the principal ones.

Milad-un-Nabi and the Moulood

Almora, at the seventeenth-century Nanda Devi temple in the Mall area, and Nainital at Mallital Flats beside the Naina Devi temple.

Nanda Devi Mahotsav

Chamoli district, Garhwal. It sets out from Nauti village near Karnaprayag and from Kansuwa in Chandpur; the two processions join at Nandkeshar and walk to Homkund.

Nanda Devi Raj Jat

Coastal Maharashtra, the Konkan belt, Mumbai, and Goa, heavily centered in historic fishing villages (Koliwadas).

Narali Purnima

Celebrated nationwide across India, with iconic Garba and Dandiya dances in Gujarat, and massive public celebrations across Mumbai and Delhi.

Navratri

Across Sikkim, with the absolute cultural and ritual centerpiece performed at the Tsuklakhang Royal Palace Monastery courtyard in Gangtok.

Pang Lhabsol

Pan-India as Raksha Bandhan; celebrated with distinct cattle-centric and temple traditions as Gamha Purnima in Odisha.

Rakhi Purnima (Gamha Purnima)

Celebrated extensively across Northern, Western, and Central India, as well as by Hindu communities worldwide.

Raksha Bandhan

Celebrated throughout India, with deep spiritual centers in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), and Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu).

Ram Navami

Throughout the state of Sikkim, heavily centered at the Tsuklakhang Palace Monastery and Rumtek Monastery in Gangtok, as well as Buddhist pockets in Ladakh and West Bengal.

Saga Dawa

Medaram village, situated deep inside the dense Tadvai forest zone, Mulugu district, Telangana.

Sammakka Saralamma Jatara

Kohima district and Dimapur district, prominent across ancestral Angami villages like Touphema, Khonoma, and Kisama in Nagaland.

Sekrenyi

Palani Murugan Temple, Vadapalani, and across major Murugan shrines in Tamil Nadu.

Thaipusam

St Paul's Church, Diu town. Diu's other Portuguese-built churches — St Thomas (1598) and the Church of St Francis of Assisi — stand nearby.

The Feasts of St Paul's Church, Diu

Tirthamukh at the Dumbur reservoir, Gandacherra sub-division, Dhalai district — where the Raima and Sarma meet.

Tirthamukh Mela

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati Brahmotsavam

The grand stone courtyard of the historic Tawang Monastery (Gaden Namgyal Lhatse), Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh.

Torgya Festival

Urs Ajmer Sharif

The Ujra Mosque on Kavaratti. Note that travel writing frequently places this mosque on Andrott; it is on Kavaratti.

Urs at the Ujra Mosque, Kavaratti

Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and major Vaishnavite shrines across India.

Vaikuntha Ekadashi

Sri Sengazhuneer Amman Temple, Veerampattinam — a fishing village on the coast about 8 km south of Puducherry town.

Veerampattinam Car Festival

Yanam, the Puducherry enclave on the Godavari delta in coastal Andhra Pradesh, roughly 800 km from Puducherry town.

Yanam Venkanna Babu Kalyanotsavam