Nanda Devi Mahotsav
religious
When it happens
August
Bhadrapada Shukla Ashtami — the eighth day of the waxing moon in Bhadrapada. A lunar rule, so it moves between late August and late September.
Significance
Kumaon's biggest annual urban festival, running at Almora since the Chand kings built the temple there in the seventeenth century.
Why it's celebrated
Nanda and her sister Sunanda were the tutelary goddesses of the Chand dynasty that ruled Kumaon. The fair marks the annual visit of the daughter-goddess to her natal home.
How it's celebrated
The images of Nanda and Sunanda are carved fresh every year from a living banana trunk. The chosen trees are marked and wrapped in red and white cloth, felled ritually, carried in and sculpted; at the end of the fair the figures are immersed. Around that runs a full town fair of stalls, music and crowds.
Key rituals
Fresh images are carved each year from a banana trunk over the days from Shashthi to Ashtami, worshipped through the fair, and immersed at its close.
Beliefs & spiritual meaning
The goddess is a daughter of the hills returning to her parents' home for a few days each year.
History & origins
The Chand rulers of Kumaon made Nanda their house goddess and built the Almora temple; the fair has been kept there ever since, with Nainital's version organised separately.
Frequently asked
When is Nanda Devi Mahotsav?+
On Bhadrapada Shukla Ashtami, the eighth day of the waxing moon in Bhadrapada, which falls between late August and late September. Because the rule is lunar the date moves each year — check before booking.
What is unusual about the idols?+
They are not permanent. A new pair of images of Nanda and Sunanda is carved each year from a freshly cut banana trunk, worshipped through the fair, and immersed at the end. The object of worship at this festival is only ever a few days old.
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