Maha Shivratri — February / March

Rooted in ancient Hindu mythology, Maha Shivratri, the Great Night of Shiva, falls on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight in the lunar month of Phalguna. It marks the night Lord Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava, his cosmic dance of creation, preservation, and destruction. Some traditions also celebrate it as the night of Shiva and Parvati’s divine union.

Observed across India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the festival draws its most breathtaking gatherings at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, where sadhus and devotees from across South Asia converge for night-long vigils and ritual bathing in the Bagmati River. Across India, temples from Varanasi to the Jyotirlinga shrines in Andhra Pradesh overflow with worshippers offering milk, bilva leaves, and chanting through the night.

For the spiritually curious traveller, there is nothing quite like witnessing thousands of oil lamps flicker against the dark, while sacred chants fill the air until dawn.

FESTIVAL ARCHIVE

December +-

  • Losar — December to March (date varies by community)
  • Christmas — 25th December
  • Mahindra Kabira Festival — December
  • Jaigarh Heritage Festival — December
  • Jodhpur RIFF — October
  • Konark Dance Festival — 1–5 December
  • Hornbill Festival — 1–10 December

    • November +-

  • Sonepur Cattle Fair — November
  • Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival — November
  • Black-Necked Crane Festival — 11th November
  • Pushkar Camel Fair — October / November
  • Rann Utsav — November to February
  • Guru Nanak Jayanti — November

    • October +-

  • Royal Highland Festival — 23 – 24 October 2026
  • Bhai Dooj / Bhai Tika — October / November
  • Diwali — October / November
  • Jomolhari Mountain Festival — October
  • Dussehra — October
  • Jambay Lhakhang Drup — October / November

    • September +-

  • Durga Puja — September / October
  • Thimphu Tshechu — September / October
  • Ziro Festival of Music — September
  • Ganesh Chaturthi — August / September
  • Onam — August / September
  • Wangdue Phodrang Tshechu — September / October

    • August +-

  • Raksha Bandhan — August
  • Pulikali, Thrissur — August / September
  • Aranmula Boat Race — August / September
  • Nehru Trophy Boat Race — August / September
  • Independence Day — 15th August
  • Janmashtami — August / September

    • July +-

  • Teej — July / September
  • Hemis Festival — June / July

    • June +-

  • Rath Yatra, Puri — June / July
  • Eid al-Adha — Late May / June (date shifts annually)

    • May +-

  • Buddha Purnima — May
  • Thrissur Pooram — April / May

    • April +-

  • Haa Spring Festival — April
  • Easter — March / April
  • Baisakhi — 13/14th April
  • Mahavir Jayanti — March / April
  • Apricot Blossom Festival, Ladakh — April
  • Ura Yakchoe — April / May

    • March +-

  • Eid ul Fitr — Late February / March (date shifts annually)
  • Paro Tshechu — March / April
  • International Yoga Festival, Rishikesh — March
  • Holi — March
  • Gangaur — March / April

    • February +-

  • Maha Shivratri — February / March
  • Taj Mahotsav — 18–27 February
  • Punakha Tshechu — February / March
  • Punakha Drubchen — February / March

    • January +-

  • Hampi Utsav — January / February
  • Republic Day
  • International Kite Festival, Gujarat — 14th January
  • Makar Sankranti — 14th January
  • Kumbh Mela — Dates vary by city and cycle
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