Showing posts with label Top Festival and Fairs of India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Festival and Fairs of India. Show all posts

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Ladakh tourism:The Hemis Festival in Leh

Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ladakh (in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir). Located 45 km from Leh, the 300 year old monastery is home to the famous Hemis festival which falls in June or July every year.
Hemis-festival-Leh
Hemis-festival-Leh

History of the festival

The Hemis Festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava who founded Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. Also known as Second Buddha, the festival is of huge importance to those celebrating.

Hemis is celebrated on the 10th day of the Tibetan lunar month in the Hemis Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in Ladakh.
Hemis-festival
Hemis-festival

The ceremonies begin with an early morning ritual atop the Gompa where, to the beat of drums and the resounding clash of cymbals and wail of pipes, the portrait of the sacred Guru Rinpoche (another name for the Guru) is brought forward so that all devotees can take blessings.

The most esoteric of festivities are the mystic mask dances. The Mask Dances of Ladakh are referred collectively as chams Performance.
Hemis-festival-mask
Hemis-festival-mask

At the Festival

A bevy of locals and tourists alike are seen making a beeline in local buses and cabs to the cosy monastery, clearly not equipped to handle the massive surge of humanity. Many travellers also camp outside the night before to get early entry and row side seats to the wonderful traditional dances.
Masks and monks-Hemis-Festival
Masks and monks-Hemis-Festival

Masked lamas perform elaborate dances, special music performances and commentaries in front of a large but intimate crowd. The half day ceremony is watched in awe by thousands. As a spectator try and get a seat as close to the main courtyard. These fill fast, so arrive at the festival as early as 7 in the morning. Tickets are available for Rs 500/- to sit very close to the performance. It is a great experience to sit and watch this marvellous show with the locals. They too, come dressed in their traditional cummerbunds and head gear for this annual ceremony.
Hemis-masks-festival
Hemis-masks-festival

Outside the monastery, the ambience is nothing short of a fair. Local food, artefacts and knick-knacks are on display. This is a good occasion to pick up local handicrafts as all merchants come and display their wares at the festival.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Top Festival and Fairs of India

India is the land of festival and fairs, each day of year is celebrate as a festival at some part of country. To know India and its different culture and traditions explore the sites with us during these major festivals of states. There are so many major festival in India celebrate on the different point of year at different region some of the famous Indian festival and places are Makar Sankranti in Gujarat Krishna Janmashtami in Mathura and Maha Shivaratri in Varanasi and Deoghar Yatra.

Ganesh Festival - Mumbai

The Mumbai Ganesh festival is celebrated on the auspicious Occasion of birth of  the Lord Ganesha. The elephant headed god Ganesha is a Hindu deity of success,remover of Obstacles and intellect and wisdom. Lord Ganesh is the patron deity of Maharashtra but also worshiped all across India. The 11 days Ganesh Festival is celebrated with a huge pomp and show on the streets of Mumbai, Juhu Chowpatty beach is the popular immersion point in Mumbai. Ganesh Chaturthi usually falls between 20 August and 15 September every year.

Ganesh Visharjan @ Juhu - Mumbai
Ganesh Visharjan @ Juhu - Mumbai

Durga Puja/Navratri - Kolkata

Navratri, the festival of nine nights dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Shakti.This festival is known as Durga Puja in Kolkata. Durga Puja is the biggest festival of West Bengal state and celebrated for 10 days across the state as well as in country. Kolkata Durga Puja is very famous as thousand of Durga pandals are set up across the streets and adorned with lights. Festival of Durga Puja falls in the month of September-October every year.
Durga Pooja - Kolkata
Durga Pooja - Kolkata

Kumbh Mela - Allahabad

Kumbh Mela is a the biggest Hindu pilgrimage where Hindus gather from every corner of the world for at the bank of holy rivers Ganges and Godavari for a holy bath for purification from sin.Kumbh Mela is the largest human gathering in the world for a religious purpose. Kumbh Mela is celebrated in every 12 years and attracts around 70 million people around the world, Major attraction of Kumbh Mela is the saints,sadhu,naga sadhus and yogis who live in caves and jungles gather here to bless the people. The Kumbh Mela will start on 27-January-2013 at Allahabad.
Naga baba's at Kuimbh - Allahabad
Naga baba's at Kuimbh - Allahabad

Carnival - Goa

The state of Goa celebrates its one of the biggest festival of the year, the Goan carnival festival. Carnival at Goa is not stop three days and nights festival of fun,entertainment,song,music and colors. Goa Carnival is one of the most awaited festival and attracts many tourists from all over the world. Konkani dance, Street plays and Grand feast are few major attraction of Goa Carnival festival, It will be starting in February 2013,get ready for food,dance,music and fun.
Goa Carnival
Goa Carnival

Braj ki Holi - Barsana

Holi is the most popular festival of colors, celebrate by Hindus across the Indian subcontinent. Its a religious spring festival celebrated for the beginning of the new season and a religious purpose of Holika Dahan and Prahlada. The Braj region of India is famous for its 16 days traditional holi celebration,some time Braj Region of Mathura, celebrate Holi for a month and two. Latthmaar Holi of Barsana is the major attractions of the city where women beat up men with sticks.
Lathmar holi in Braj
Lathmar holi in Braj

Bihu Festival - Assam

Bihu is the biggest festival of Indian state Assam, there are three Bihu festival celebrated at the different point of years Bohaag in the middle of April,Maagh in the middle of January and Kaati in the middle of October. The Bohaag is called as Rongali Bihu is the major Bihu celebrated on the occasion of the Assamese New Year. Bihu dance and Bihu folk songs are the major attraction of the festival along with the tribes of Assam.
Bihu Festival - North East India - Assam
Bihu Festival - North East India - Assam

Dussehra - Bastar

Dusshera or Vijayadashmi is the most popular Indian festival celebrated on the 10th day of Navratri. Vijayadashmi is celebrated on the marks of victory of good over evil,victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura and Lord Rama over Ravana. Bastar is a district of Chhattisgarh, where the Danteshwari Temple is located, one of the 52 Shakti Peethas in India. Every year during the Dusshera all tribes of Dantewada, Bastar region,surrounding villages and jungles gather at Danteshwari Temple to pay homage to the goddess Danteshwari. Bastar Dussehra festival is one of the most popular tourist attraction of the state.
Dusshera - Vijayadashmi - Batsar
Dusshera - Vijayadashmi - Batsar

Chhath Puja - Bihar

Chhath Puja is the oldest Hindu festival dedicated to God Sun or Surya, the god of energy and life.The festival is celebrated mostly in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern region of Uttar Pradesh. Chhath Puja is a four days festival include holy bath,fasting and offering prayer to setting and rising sun. Its unique religious and the most respectable festival in state of Bihar. Chhath Puja will be celebrating on the month of November in 2013.
Chhath Pooja - Bihar
Chhath Pooja - Bihar

Jagannath Rath Yatra - Puri

The Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha, held every year at Puri in the tribal state of Orissa. The 10 day’s ratha yatra is commemorates Lord Jagannath’s, annual visit to Gundicha mata’s temple a short distance away. Thousands of pilgrims come to Puri during the festival with an desire to help pull Lords chariot with ropes. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.
Jagannath Rath Yatra - Puri - Orrisa
Jagannath Rath Yatra - Puri - Orrisa

Sabarimala Temple - Kerala

The Grand festival of Sabarimala Temple is celebrated in honor of Lord Ayyapa, Sabarimala is located in the Pathanamthitta District in Kerala at Western Ghat mountain ranges. Sabarimala Temple Festival is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with 45–50 million devotees per year. The Hindu God Ayyappan worship only during the days of Mandalapooja one of days between November 15 to December 26.
Sabrimala Temple - Kerala
Sabrimala Temple - Kerala