India is the land of many religions and cultural practices, and this means that Indians have plenty of reasons to celebrate! Festivals and celebrations in India are celebrations in the true sense – where whole communities join in. Colours, decorations, specially prepared sweets; music and dance are standard fare for Indian festivals.
Festival tours of India give you the chance to really celebrate with the people of the land and join in their way of life. It allows you to really experience the euphoria of revelry in true Indian style, unlike anywhere else in the world. The grand scale and care and attention that go into a festival in India are completely unique.
Kamalan Travels provides Indian festival tours for you to really have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of a celebration in India.
HEMIS FESTIVAL, LADAKH (June – July )
The Hemis Festival is held every year in June-July in the Hemis Monastery, the biggest Buddhist monastery of Ladakh on the 10th day of the Tibetan lunar month to celebrate good over evil.
The festival is celebrated in the commemoration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava and takes place in the rectangular courtyard of the Hemis monastery.
Sacred dances, contradictory explanations and special musical performances are considered to be the principal highlights of the Hemis Festival accompanied by the music from drums, cymbals and long horns.
During the festival, lamas and monks gather around the central flagpole in the courtyard of the monastery and perform mask dances and sacred plays.
In Addition to the spectacular celebrations the lamas also come up to explain the significance and the actual meaning of the sacred dance performances.
LADAKH FESTIVAL, LADAKH (First 15 days of September)
Celebrated during September, is another major festival in Ladakh. The festival is organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism in collaboration with the local communities and the district administrations of Leh and Kargil from the 1st to 15th of September which showcases Ladakhi culture representing the best samples of the regions performing arts.
The inaugural function is a mega celebration held at Leh with a spectacular procession in which various cultural troupes and village contingents participate in ceremonial costumes indulged into singing songs and performing various types of dances to the tune of the traditional musical instruments.
Finally at the Polo ground, where the procession terminates, the participants involves into a variety of folk and popular dances, besides this, there are interesting activities like village archery festivals which are held in selected suburban villages of Leh.
NEHRU TROPHY BOAT RACE, ALLEPEY (Second Saturday of August)
Started in 1952 for the welcome of Indias first Prime Minister, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru when he visited Alappuzha, and inaugurated the function in which the gigantic snakeboats with over 100 rowers in each raced one another.
Since then this spectacular boat race takes place on the second Saturday of August every year with long elegant snake
boats, with crews of over hundred men vying to win the coveted trophy.
The celebrations of this annual event includes music and folk dance performances with the principal attraction of the boat race.
Competition is severe as the boatswith over 100 rowers in each, race to finish to the accompaniment of rousing music along with the drum beats and boat songs complement these boat races almost work the spectators and the oarsmen into a frenzy of activity and adds a sense of thrill to the entire boat race.
THRISSUR POORAM, THRISSUR (Mid April)
Thrissur Pooram is considered to be the world-renowned and is the most colorful temple festival of Kerala which takes place in Thrissur at Vadakkumnathan temple in the month of April.
It is a magnificent spectacle with the major attraction of Elephant procession (Kudamattom) which showcases the participation of elephants from various temples of Kerala.
The Cultural fervor of the festival also exhibits spectacular fireworks parasol exchanges, an umbrella showing competition along with the display of pyro-techniques, and drum concerts.
This festival also sets itself apart from other with no distinction between people on the basis of religion or caste.
CHITHIRAI FESTIVAL (12 days between April - May)
Chithirai Festival, celebrated for 12 days during the Tamil month of Chithirai or Chitirai (April – May) to celebrate the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar every year in Madurai during the Chithirai Festival.
Chitrai festival of Madurai is associated with Lord Vishnu of the
Hindu mythology, according to the legend, a procession of Lord Vishnu, locally known as Lord Kallazhagar. The brother of Goddess Meenakshi, Lord Vishnu travels from his abode in Azhagarmalai to get his sister married to Lord Sundareshwarar.
As part of the rituals the celebrations begin with the hoisting of the flag in the temple and a decorated chariot carrying the two idols of the God and the Goddess move out of the temple in procession and passes through the streets accompanied with drum beats, flowers incense sticks and camphor.
A trade exhibition and fairs organized here lend festivity to the occasion.
PUSHKAR FAIR (November)
Pushkar Fair, the worlds largest camel fair held in the holy town of Pushkar in Rajasthan takes place around the months of October and November according to the Gregorian calendar that lasts for twelve days in the month of Kartika.
As it is undoubtedly consideredto be the the worlds renowned camel and cattle fair, around 50,000 decorated camels are
traded off or display their best features.
It is also a complete exhibition of the real culture of Rajasthan under one roof of Pushkar as it also features Camel Beauty Contest, Camel Race and Camel Dance Turban-tying, henna and bridal competitions, folk dance and acrobatic performances, and puppet performances
This also symbolizes the most sacred religious fervor as the thousands of devotees from all faiths assemble to take a dip in the holy lake.
DUSSEHRA IN MYSORE (September –October)
The Dussehra of Mysore or Mysore Dassara, celebrated in the months of September and October each year. According to Hindu mythology the festival celebrates and commemorates the triumph of good over evil.
Though it is celebrated in the whole country with great pomp, but nothing compares to the grandeur of festivities in Mysore
which showcases a unique tradition and religious charm as it is celebrated on a grandiose scale here.
Dussehra, is marked by decorated elephants, grand processions and the most famous – illuminated Mysore palace, along with colorful traditions and sacred rituals,
The principal feature of the festival is the Dasara Procession on the tenth day with highly decorated elephants that carry idol of goddess on a golden throne placed on an elephant seat is taken through the city as hundreds of decorated horses, folk dancers, courtiers, nobles, soldiers, and colorful visitors follow the procession
It is a 10-day celebration and ends on Vijayadashami Dussehra Day.
During the festive season the entire city is decorated and lightened in a most impressive way.
Hornbill Festival
Tour Highlights:
Dates: 1st to 7th of December
Hornbill Festival ( 10 Nights - 11 Days )
Village: Kohima in Nagaland State
Elephant safari in Kaziranga National park
Visit Jorhat, the Tea capital of Assam
Tour Packages