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When it happens
March
Three days matching the Gangaur festival in Chaitra (March–April). Region: Udaipur, Rajasthan.
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Welcomes the arrival of spring with traditional Rajasthani folk dances, singing, lake boat pageants, and fireworks.
The festival celebrates the wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and honours Gangaur Mata, with women praying for their husbands' long life and their family's prosperity.
Udaipur is dressed in lights. Women in traditional Rajputi ghaghra-choli adorn the Gangaur idols, which are carried in procession and immersed from boats on Lake Pichola.
The Gangaur idols are carried in a grand procession to Gangaur Ghat on Lake Pichola, placed on royal boats for immersion, and a maha-aarti is performed on the ghat in the evening.
Worshipping Gangaur Mata is believed to bless married women with a happy married life and unmarried girls with a good husband.
The festival has been celebrated at the Mewar court since the era of the Maharanas, and Rajasthan Tourism has since developed it into a major draw for visitors from around the world.
Udaipur's version of Gangaur, in March or April. Women carry dressed images of Isar and Gangaur down to Gangaur Ghat singing, and the images go out onto Lake Pichola by boat before immersion. Fireworks at the end. Stand on the ghat itself rather than at the palace end.
Every year in spring, during the month of Chaitra (March or April).
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Across Mizoram, with the main celebrations held in Aizawl.
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The ancient Pattadakal Temple Complex (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), situated beautifully along the Malaprabha River, Bagalkot district, Karnataka.
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The open-air festival grounds at Weiking Field, Jaiaw, Shillong, East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya.
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Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, located near Kohima, Nagaland.
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Set in Dhordo and across the expansive Great Rann of Kutch salt desert in Gujarat.
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Shey Manla, situated beautifully on the rocky banks of the Indus River, approximately 8 km from Leh, Ladakh.
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Villages of Mokokchung district, Nagaland - the heartland of the Ao Naga tribe.
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Staged in the open-air courtyards adjacent to the Western Group of Temples in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
