Durga Puja — September / October

Rooted in ancient myth, Durga Puja commemorates the ten-armed Goddess Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, a story of feminine power prevailing where all else had failed. The festival spans ten days during the Hindu month of Ashwin, opening with Mahalaya, when the dawn recitation of the Chandi Path is said to invoke the goddess and begin her journey to earth.

Its heart beats loudest in West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, and among Bengali communities across India. Elaborate pandals, temporary structures crafted by skilled artisans, rise overnight, each housing a sculpted idol of Durga flanked by her children. The thunder of dhak drums fills the sacred days of Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami, as devotees offer flowers at dawn and the air thickens with incense and prayer. On Vijayadashami, women celebrate Sindoor Khela, smearing vermilion on each other in a tender farewell before the goddess is carried to the river, her immersion both an ending and a promise of return.

For visitors, no festival quite matches the scale of emotion, artistry, and devotion that Durga Puja holds within a single week.

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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