In India, harvest festivals are celebrated to please the god and goddess of agriculture, seek divine blessings for agricultural prosperity, and pray for household opulence. The festival is called different names in different states of India – Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Nabanna in Bengal, Bihu in Assam, Lohri & Baisakhi in Punjab and Onam in Kerala. The harvest festival is a religious cum cultural cum culinary celebration in the agrarian society of India.

Onam festival of Kerala is scheduled to be celebrated from August 20 till August 31 this year. The ‘Malay’ people of Kerala are busy preparing for the celebration. Fly to Kerala and you will surely feel the aura of this upcoming festival in the air all over. The state, as popularly known as God’s Own Country, showcases its cultural best on 10 days of the festivity. Some NRIs born and brought up in the US and Canada are not familiar with the ways of Onam festival celebration in Kerala.

Some legends – historical and mythological – are associated with the origin of Onam harvest festival. So, the festivity is a celebration of the Malay community’s faith in the legends, and their unique cultural identity too. Indian Eagle shares some interesting details and visuals of Onam Festival in Kerala.

Pookalam

Pookalam or flower mat is a gripping visual of Onam Festival celebration in the households across the state. It is a beautiful collage made with flowers of different colors in courtyards or on the floor of large rooms. Pookalam is the very first emblem of festivity to greet your eyes once you step into a household. It is no less than an artwork for its flowery beauty. Fresh flowers are arranged to make Pookalam in the morning, on each day of the celebration. Pookalam is a subject of competition among households in some parts of the state. As per the legends of Kerala, the flower mat is believed to welcome King Mahabali on the festive days of Onam.

Also Read – Indian American Girl is Named Kerala after a Trip to Kerala

Onam Sadya

Onam Sadya, the culinary flavor of Kerala, is the blend of the state’s culinary culture and festive celebrations. This festival menu of Onam is a delectable spread of rice and various vegetable delicacies, cooked in the same traditional way as in the regular kitchens of Kerala. Guests are served Onam Sadya on plantain or banana leaves. The festival menu includes 11 – 13 dishes, of which Payasam (a sweet dish) marks the end of the feast. The locals relish Pasyasam with special fondness.

Also Read – Legends and Cultural Facets of Onam Sadya 

Thiruvathira Kali

With Thiruvathira Kali, a kind of folk dance in Kerala, Onam festival is a cultural celebration too. Women, clad in the traditional attire that is mainly kasavu saree with golden red or green border, perform the Onam dance around a lamp or Pookalam on the floor. Women make a circle around the lamp or flower decoration and move at a slow pace to the tune of some folk music. Kumattikali, Pullikali, Kaikotikali and Thumbi Thullal are the folk dance forms that the women of Kerala perform gracefully.

READ MORE Music & Dance Festivals of India

Kathakali & Pullikali

Among the performing arts of Kerala, Kathakali & Pullikali are part of the Indian cultural heritage. Professional dancers perform these dance forms in different parts of the state on the days of Onam celebration. The popularity of Kathakali is at its zenith not only in Kerala but also all over the country. With international level performers, it has gone global too. Pullikali is a masked dance performance in which dancers dress like tigers. The end of the celebration is marked with Pullikali.

READ MORE Classical Dance, an Indian Cultural Heritage

Vallamkali

It is a boat race, locally known as Vallamkali, which makes Onam festival celebration a cultural extravaganza. Driven by hundreds of oarsmen, the boats compete with each other and run at a break-neck speed on the backwaters. The snake boat race on the Pampa River makes a marvelous spectacle with gripping visuals hanging all over the river. The people of other religions and cultures fly to Kerala in order to witness the grandness of snake boat races during Onam festival celebrations.

Kerala’s Onam celebration is a homecoming occasion for the overseas Malayali community. They can book cheap flight tickets to Kochi from USA on IndianEagle.com, a most trusted travel-booking partner of Indians in America for more than 15 years. 

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Worship of the Almighty as Divine Mother is an age-old tradition in India and a refined part of Indian culture. It has been in existence since prehistoric times, but geographically it is limited to Asian countries in general and India in particular, in the current century. The history of ancient civilizations of Indus, Greece, Rome, Babylon and Egypt bears evidences to the worship of Divine Mother in different forms – nature, art, learning, culture and enlightenment. But Mother Worship has evolved from a tradition into a living religion for Indians. In Bengal, it has reached the highest level of devotion and faith in feminine manifestation of the Divine.   

Kumari Puja at Belur Math in West Bengal, India

In Bengal, Durga Puja or worship of Goddess Durga, an incarnation of Shakti, is the most pious and popular form of Mother Worship. In the Bengali community, the elderly people address young girls as Ma out of affection. “To look upon God as Mother is the purest and the highest form of Sadhana,” said Sri Ramakrishna, who is believed to have worshiped his wife as Divine Mother. Mother is all-in-all for a child.

Kumari Puja, a special attraction of Durga Puja festival in Bengal, is held to celebrate this faith through ceremonious worship of young girls in sense of Divine Mother. Kumari Puja is called Kanya Pujan in North India. Bengal celebrates it on Maha Ashtami, the eighth day of Durga Puja, while it is held on the ninth day or the last day of Navaratri in other states of India. The place to be for Kumari Puja in Bengal is Belur Math, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission ashrams across the globe.

Kumari Puja is held wherever Ramakrishna Math & Mission is in the world. But, it is a cultural refinement, grand ceremony and spectacular ritual at Belur Math on the Hooghly River flowing between Howrah and Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda, the founder of Belur Math, had initiated Kumari Puja in appreciation of Sri Ramakrishna’s devotion to Divine Mother and faith in Mother Worship.

The saffron-clad monks of the Ramakrishna Order at Belur Math look upon a young girl as mother and worship her as a goddess, on Maha Ashtami. According to Sri Ramakrishna, little girls at the tender age when they are away from negative forces of the materialistic world are manifestations of the Divine Mother. A little girl at the pre-puberty phase of her growth is bathed in the holy Ganga water, dressed in a crimson red or fiery yellow sari with golden border, and adorned with jewelry.

Also Check: What Makes Durga Puja Grand Celebration for Global Bengalis

The same rituals are performed to worship the Kumari (young unmarried girl) and the same offerings are made to her as those during the worship of Goddess Durga. She is purified and sanctified through chanting of holy mantras. A spectacular arati is performed. Monks and devotees offer flowers at her obedience. The devoted hearts invoke her blessings through prayers. Kumari Puja at Belur Math fetches in a huge gathering of devotees, every year. Even, the whole ceremony is live telecast all over West Bengal.

To say in other words, Kumari Puja at Belur Math is a sacred celebration of the celestial bonding between the Divine and the human. Needless to say, the Kumari Puja ceremony is worth booking last-minute flights to Kolkata during the Durga Puja festival.

About Travel Beats

Travel Beats is an Indian Diaspora news portal by Indian Eagle, a leading travel organization for overseas Indians having a proven record of booking last minute flights to India. We at Travel Beats connect Indians abroad, including Indian Americans with their cultural heritage roots through our stories and features. 

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Durga Puja, the grandest and most spectacular festival of India, is in full swing now.  This festivity is so divine, joyous and fabulous that it never ceases to keep us waiting eagerly for the arrival of the Goddess. Every year, we cover the Durga Puja celebration on Travel Beats in different ways. We have come up with an article on the age-old rituals of Durga Puja to keep some requests from the Indian community in USA so that they can share it with their American friends.     

Dhaak

With the image of dhaak, the face of Goddess Durga surfaces to the mind. A most identifiable icon of the Durga Puja festivity, dhaaks are beaten during the worship of the Goddess, dhunuchi naach, aarti in the mornings and evenings from the beginning to the end of the festival. The beating of dhaak defines the ambience, dominates the mood and fills the air on the festive days.

Dhunuchi Naach

Dhunuchi Naach is an attraction of the Durga Puja celebration on festive evenings. In the Bengali community, boys, girls, men and women perform this traditional dance holding earthen lamps full of burning coconut shell with both hands and facing the Goddess. The rhythmic moves of their dancing feet are accompanied by the beats of dhaaks. The excitement soars and crowd cheers with the fast beating of dhaaks during the performance. It is a most entertaining and crowd-pulling part of the Durga Puja event in Kolkata, the rest of Bengal and other states of India. Women wear dhakai, taant and jamdani saris with golden work in the typical Bengali dressing style, and men wear embroidered kurtas of different colors in combination with white dhotis for this occasion.

READ ALSO Folk Culture of Bengal

Pushpanjali

Source: Flickr.com

A ritualistic part of the Durga Puja celebration, Pushpanjali refers to the offering of flowers with devotion to the holy feet of the Goddess. Each day of the festival starts with this ritual in the morning when Bengalis wearing new traditional clothes utter holy mantras and offer the Pushpanjali. However, the Pushpanjali on Maha Ashtami has lots of significance. Almost everyone fasts till this ritual is performed. Once it is over, the devotees are given prasad.

Kumari Puja

Kumari Puja on Maha Ashtami, the 8th day of the festival, is one of the traditional ceremonies interwoven with the way Durga Puja is celebrated in Bengal. A five or six year old girl child is worshipped as a human incarnation of the Goddess. Worshipping of the girl child or kumari with lamps, incense sticks, flowers and other holy essentials is worth watching every year. She is offered sweets too. The people present on the puja spot offer their devotion to the tender feet of the child and receive her blessings. However, the Kumari Puja initiated by Swami Vivekananda at Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, is a grand spectacle.

READ ALSO Significance of Kumari Puja at Belur Math

Sandhi Puja

The most spectacular part of Durga Puja celebration, Sandhi Puja is performed at the moment when Maha Ashtami ends and Maha Navami begins. This ritualistic ceremony holds special significance because it is believed that the Goddess kills the buffalo demon at this time. Sandhi Puja marks triumph of the good and defeat of the evil. Worshipping of the Goddess in this part of the festivity requires a grand arrangement that entails 108 lotus flowers, 108 lamps, platefuls of sweets, a large pot full of rice grains, clothes, hibiscus garlands, wood apple leaves, vermillion, etc. The Sandhi Puja aarti is the most wonderful spectacle to behold with devotion.

Sindur Khela

The color of vermillion eclipses the glow of other colors on Dashami, the 10th day of Durga Puja, when married women of the Bengali community indulge in sindur khela. It is an age-old customary ritual for them to exchange good wishes and festive greetings by smearing each other’s face with vermillion. The married Bengali women of all age-groups including the newly wed and the old, deck themselves in white saris with deep red border, and gold ornaments for this occasion as you might have seen in the climax of Bollywood movie Kahani starring Vidya Balan. They offer flowers with vermilion to the obedience of Maa Durga before bidding adieu to the Goddess.

Immersion

Immersion of the idols of the Goddess and her family members – Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik – is the culminating ceremony of the Durga Puja festival that leaves Bengalis with tears in the eyes. Bengalis across the country tearfully bid adieu to the Divine Mother on Maha Dashami, the 10th or last day of the festival. The immersion is preceded by spectacular processions in which traditionally dressed men and women dance in rhythm with the beats of dhaak, all the way to the river bank. Hundreds of devotees join the procession and catch the last glimpse of the Goddess during immersion.

Travel Beats is an Indian Diaspora portal by Indian Eagle, a leading travel organization for overseas Indians having a proven record of booking cheapest air tickets to India. We at Travel Beats connect Indians abroad, including Indian Americans with their cultural heritage roots through our stories and features.   

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The holy month of Ramadan is in full swing. The Eid festival is being awaited with bated breath. Preparations for the celebration, including shopping, are going on at a fast pace across India. Of the Indian capital cities, Hyderabad is overwhelmed with festive fervor right from the beginning of Ramadan.

The festive mood of the city is distinctly felt in the area around Charminar in Old City, the hub of shoppers and foodies during Ramzan. This part of the city has late nights because of a special night bazaar (market) that continues to throb till the wee hours of the morning. The bazaar comes alive with the glitters of bangles, the smell of Haleem, the flavor of Irani chai, the sheen of mehendi, the calls of vendors and the frenzy of shoppers.

Lets have a walk through the night bazaar around Charminar and explore its Ramzan special attractions. Lets start from Charminar to Madina Building.

Lad Bazaar famous for bangles is a favorite haunt of women shoppers during Ramzan. The bangle sellers sit with their merchandise in a row. The glitters of bangles of different colors and designs steal the show with each pair of eyes. If you move a little ahead in Lad Bazaar, the shops selling imitation jewellery will greet you. When Eid is around the corner, Hyderabadis hit the market in the evenings to buy bangles and imitation jewellery for gifting.

Glitters of bangles in Lad Bazaar near Charminar

In a corner of the market, you will be welcomed by mehendiwalis. It is a tradition to beautify the hands with mehendi designs on festive days in India. With Muslim women, the tradition is customary on the occasion of Eid. If you happen to visit Charminar during Ramzan, make sure to get your hands beautified with henna, another name of mehendi.

Besides bangles, jewellery and mehendi, there are many other things on sale that vendors will be inviting you to have a look at. Most of the items are suitable for women’s beauty kits.

Hands beautified with mehendi during Ramzan

Now, lets move closer to Madina Building in Patthar Gatti. Patther Gatti is a shopper’s paradise where you will get apparels for the newborn, children and adults. All sorts of apparels – ethnic, casual, regular and party wear – are available here. Shopping for beautiful crockeries is a pleasure here. Many locales buy new sets of crockeries to serve dishes to guests on festive days.

A festive delicacy to taste on Ramzan nights near Charminar

Hours of walking and shopping from Lad Bazaar to Patther Gatti will surely leave you hungry. With Charminar being cornerstone of Ramzan food culture in the city of Nizams, you will feel spoilt for choice over availability of varied delicacies. A single glimpse of Haleem and Dahi Wada (commonly known as Dahi Bade) – Hyderabad’s most popular Ramzan special delicacies – will make your tongue crave for bites. I am sure; one plateful of delicacies may not satisfy your taste buds.

READ MORE Life around Charminar on Ramzan Days

Ramzan shopping is incomplete without a purchase of Attar. Your olfactory sense will surely catch the fragrance of Attar (perfume) in the air. Popular attars like Jannat-ul-Firdous, Kashish, and Anam etc. are the most sought after perfumes. Attars with genuine essence can be found only in this part of the city.

Genuine attars on sale near Charminar

Hey, the walk around Charminar has not come to a circle yet. From Lad Bazaar to Patther Gatti, and from Patther Gatti to Chatta Bazaar, you have seen bangles, jewelry, clothes, crockery, attar and tasted Haleem as well as Dahi Wada. What is left on the list? Seewaiyyan…

ALSO CHECK Things to Do around Charminar

Let’s step farther from Chatta Bazaar, people sitting with baskets full of Seewaiyyan will be seen. Seewaiyyan is used in cooking the most delicious dessert, Sheer-Qorma, a must taste during Ramzan. Guests are served platefuls of Sheer-Qorma in Muslim households, on the occasion of Eid.

Sheer-Qorma, a delicious dessert to taste during Ramzan

Hope, you enjoyed this exploration drive with Indian Eagle. If you visit Hyderabad at other times of the year, the ambiance of Ramzan nights will be missing from the area around Charminar. However, you will surely feel the typical Hyderabadi essence there. So, when are you booking your flight to Hyderabad?

The post A Walk around Charminar on Ramzan Nights in Hyderabad can be a Lifetime Experience appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Gangaur is one of the few Rajasthani festivals which are celebrated as colorfully as Holi. Gangaur is not just a festival but a celebration of women’s immovable faith in the Divine for their husbands’ wellbeing and the household welfare. The women of Rajasthan worship Gauri, the goddess of power, abundance and marital bliss on the occasion of Gangaur, a most splendid spring festival in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Unrestrained fervor of menfolk and boundless devotion of womenfolk make Gangaur festivity a must-see cultural ceremony. Here are some interesting tidbits to share with you.

Worship of Deities

The Gangaur Festival centers on the worship of the deities – Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri or Parvati. The small effigies of the deities are made of clay or wood. The clay images are immersed into a water body on the last day of the festivity, while the wooden idols are preserved and worshiped every year. The wooden ones are meticulously painted afresh before the ceremony begins. The Gangaur idols are beautifully dressed and worshiped with roli, kumkum, mehendi, haldi, etc.

Rituals for Women

The Gangaur festivity spans for 18 days. The ceremony begins on the next day of Holi festival. The newly married girls are obliged to worship the deities for 18 days and keep fasting for half of the day till the festival is over, in the first year of their marriage. The rituals are the same for unmarried girls and would-be married girls who wish to observe the ceremonies. The other married women worship the deities only on the third day of the festival. They wear red saris or ghagras with golden zari boder along with gold & silver jewellery. They flaunt borla in the parting line of the hair and kumkum on the forehead.

Also Check: Rajasthan’s Gypsy Tribe – Kalbeliya Music and Dance

Departure of Deities

The Gangaur festival ends with the departure of the deities, a grand ceremony which is observed through a spectacular procession. It is the most colorful, joyful and magnificent ceremony to behold. The ethnically dressed married women walk down the street, carrying the deities on their heads during the procession to a garden with a pond or well. Some other women sing folk songs and perform folk dance moves adding to the grandeur of the procession.

Gangaur Festival Sweets

Kheer, choorma, halwa and puri are some of the traditional delicacies on the Gangaur festival menu in Rajasthan. Ghevar, an essential culinary part of the festivity, is one of the most famous Rajasthani sweets. It is made in households and sold in markets during the festivity. It is customary for the people to sweeten the mouths of relatives and friends with slices of ghevar.

Also Check: Rajasthan’s Gogamedi Fair – An Offbeat Celebration in Incredible India 

Mehendi on Hands

Mehendi is one of the traditional rituals of the Gangaur Festival. It is a custom for both married women and unmarried girls to beautify their hands with Mehendi designs. Mehendi signifies good luck and bliss to the married women of Rajasthan. They worship the goddess Gauri with their colorful hands and seek blessings for the wellbeing of their husbands. Even young girls decorate their little hands with Mehendi on this occasion.

Travel Beats is an overseas Indian community portal on culture, travel, and community news by Indian Eagle, a leading international travel organization making air travel to India cheaper and better. Indian Eagle issues cheap flight tickets to Jaipur and other cities for overseas Indians, in order to help them connect with their roots.

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Ugadi is a festival of the Telugu-speaking populace in the states of South India. Ugadi is celebrated to welcome the Telugu New Year which ushers in a season of freshness and brightness before the colors of Holi entirely fade away. Nature brims with sprightliness when red flowers blossom and mango buds bloom heralding the arrival of New Year for South Indians. The festive ceremonies of Ugadi are observed in harmony with the joy and beauty of nature to mark the beginning of growth, affluence and prosperity for everyone.

Legendary beliefs

Apart from its harmony with the changing face of nature, Ugadi has an age-old association with mythology and history in reference to Hinduism. It is mythically believed that the day when Lord Brahma, the Supreme Creator of the universe, stared creation of life is the first day of a new year or the Ugadi Day. If the cosmic calculations made by Bhaskaracharya, a noted Indian mathematician, are to be believed, the first day of the first month of a new year begins with the Ugadi festivity. The controversy of these beliefs apart, the fields with vibrancy of life, the meadows with colorful blossoms, the mango trees with green foliage and the households with the glow of rangoli refer to a new beginning, a new journey, a new life…

Culinary tidbits

Ugadi comes with the fresh aroma of raw mangoes in the air. It defines the mood and color of the environment, which in turn impacts the festivity and celebration. Raw mango slices are among the ingredients of Ugadi Pachadi, a must-taste festive dish that is unique to the culinary culture of the Telugu people. The women in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh get busy making several different mango preparations including pickle as raw mangoes are available in plenty for two months – April and June. Atukulu Payasam, Boorelu, Bellam Garelu, Semiya Payasam, Rava pulihora, Pappu Pulusu, Vankaya batani, etc. are some of the most popular Ugadi festival dishes, unique to the culinary culture of the Telugu people.

Philosophy of life

Ugadi Pachadi is not just an overtone of the festive celebration but also an integral part of the cultural tradition and a reference to the philosophy of life in the Telugu community. It is a dish of six different tastes and flavors – jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, neem flowers, salt and green chilli – that range from sweet to bitter. The ingredients of the dish symbolize the different phases and experiences of life that everyone undergoes during the journey from cradle to grave. Human life is a harmonious mix of verities including joy and sorrow just Ugadi Pachadi, a mix of different flavors. Ugadi Pachadi is known as Bevu Bella in Karnataka.

Traditional rituals

The people wake up before sunrise. They start the Ugadi day with a holy oil bath early in the morning and wear new clothes. The women draw beautiful rangoli in form of floral designs, as an auspicious mark of the festivity, on the space just outside their homes. The main entrance, doors and windows of houses as well as shops are decorated with strings of fresh green mango leaves called thorana. According to a mythical legend stating that Lord Ganesh, god of wealth and prosperity, is fond of mango leaves, this tradition signifies good harvest and good health. The people visit temples to seek divine blessings for health, wealth, success and prosperity in the New Year.

Travel Beats is an overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle Travel. It publishes latest visa, immigration and travel news, inspiring features and interesting community stories. 

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“In India, the calendar of every state is full of only religious events and festivals.” If you think so, you are not absolutely right. Indian states boast of culturally rich dance and music festivals, held in different times of the year. The most celebrated music and dance festivals of India are held at seaside temples, historical sites of architecture ruins and shrines in the cave. The interface between art and history, these festivals are cultural celebrations, ceremonious galas and spectacular events, in the open air atmosphere. Indian Eagle offers an ode to the most famous dance festivals of India.

Soorya Dance Festival, Kerala

Interwoven with the cultural fabric of Kerala, the Soorya Classical Dance Festival is held in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, for 10 days every year. The festival is accompanied by some other cultural programs including theatre, photography, painting and seminars. Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathakali, Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi are some of the celebrated forms of Indian classical dance which are staged by eminent artists, during the festival. Organized by Soorya Stage and Film Society, this dance festival of India continues from October 1 to 10.

Elephanta Dane Festival, Maharashtra

Among the dance and music festivals of India, Elephanta Festival is a cultural pride of Maharashtra. The festival is held in the cave shrine of Lord Shiva on Elephanta Island, a 10 km boat drive from the Gateway of India in Mumbai Harbor. Illumined with the interplay of various lights, the Lord Shiva temple in the caves of Elephanta Island comes alive as a seat of art and culture, in the month of March every year. Since its inception in 1989 by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, Elephanta Dance Festival celebrates the folk dance form of each Indian state.

Khajuraho Dance Festival, Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho, situated in Madhya Pradesh, holds the cultural traditions of Central India. A small village in Bundalkhand, Khajuraho is famous for its legendary temples where the dance festival is held ceremoniously, in the month of February every year. The festival is a gripping celebration of Indian classical dances, performed in the backdrop of flamboyantly illumined temples – the Chitragupta Temple and the Vishwanatha Temple under the evening sky. Once upon a time the capital of the Chandela Dynasty, Khajuraho is a dedicated chapter in the thousands-year old Indian history.

Konark Dance Festival, Orissa

One of the most spectacular dance and music festivals of India, Konark Dance Festival is held at an open air auditorium in the backdrop of the Sun Temple which is also known as the Black Pagoda. The marvelous architecture of the Konark Sun Temple is shaped like a chariot with wheels drawn by seven horses. On the Chandrabhaga beach of Konark, near the holy city of Puri, the Konark Temple offers a wonderful ambience when lit colorfully during the festival in the month of December. Odissi Dance, an age-old cultural identity of Orissa, is an exclusive highlight of the festival. Other dance performances such as Chau dance, Manipuri, Kathak and Bharathnatyam make it a lavish feast for the eyes.

READ MORE Interesting Facts of Konark Sun Temple

Ellora Ajanta Dance Festival, Maharashtra

Held in the month of January, Ellora Ajanta Dance Festival is an interface between culture and history of India. The historic Ajanta and Ellora caves of Aurangabad are in the spotlight during the festival. Organized by Aurangabad Festival Committee in collaboration with Maharashtra Tourism Development at Soneri Mahal, the festival presents the best of classical and folk dance forms in a blend. The glittering beauty of the festival and the splendid architecture of Soneri Mahal make a rare spectacle to behold with wonder. The regional art and craft of Maharashtra is also exhibited at the festival site.

Mamallapuram Dance Festival, Tamil Nadu

Mamallapuram, a seaside temple town in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, prides itself on the popularity of the dance festival. The most important port in the Pallava Dynasty of the 7th and 8th centuries, Mamallapuram is a tourist destination known for its stone temples and monolithic rock sculptures. Arjuna’s Penance, a mammoth architecture with finely carved rock sculptures, serves as venue of the Mamallapuram Dance Festival, in the backdrop of the Bay of Bengal. Lulled by gentle breezes blowing over the sea, the atmosphere of the town is suitable for the festive mood. The festival begins in the last week of December and continues for three weeks in January every year.

Modhera Dance Festival, Gujarat

Gujarat does not lag behind other states of India when it comes to claiming fame for art, culture and history. Modhera Dance Festival, an annual cultural phenomenon in Mehsana district of the state, is held at the Sun Temple, an architectural excellence that belongs to the regime of the Solanki King Bhimdev I. Though lying in ruins, the temple exudes its historical charms when the surrounding is illumined for the festival. Dance and music performances by traditionally clad artists add to the spell of the atmosphere. Modhera Dance Festival is held in the month of January.

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Among the festivals of India, Holi is the only festival which celebrates love and harmony, friendship and brotherhood with various colors. The celebration of Holi is a common thread of unity in the socio-cultural diversity of India. The festival of colors is celebrated in different ways but with equal enthusiasm across the country, which will leave you surprised. Somewhere it is traditional, while somewhere it is trendy. Somewhere it is a color chaos, while somewhere it is a colorful extravaganza. Somewhere Holi is a genuine celebration of age-old folk cultures, whereas somewhere it is a sinful frenzy of urbanites. You can soak in flamboyance of colors, no matter which part of India you visit this time.

We at Indian Eagle handpicked five places from across India and explored what makes them the best destinations for fun-filled, spectacular Holi celebrations.

Shantiniketan

Holi is a cultural festival celebrated with an aura of sophistication in Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan, an international seat of learning and literature in Bengal. Though Holi is known as Dol Yatra all over the state, the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore introduced it as Vasanta Utsav attributing a cultural dimension to it. Dressed in shades of yellow, orange and green, boys and girls choreograph the celebration in rhythmic fashions – singing and dancing. In Shantiniketan, the atmosphere of the day is a miasma of colorfulness and literary fervor as the students of Vishva Bharati University celebrate the festival through the poems and songs, composed by the Bard of Bengal himself.

Shantiniketan, which is also famous for its age-old Pous Mela, is a nearly 4-hour train journey or road trip from Kolkata. Know how to save big on flights to Kolkata, India.  

Delhi

In Delhi, the cosmopolitan ways of Holi celebration are unique to the capital’s multicultural milieu. Holi celebration is not less musical and crazy than a DJ party with foot-tapping numbers from Bollywood movies. The Delhites who are Page 3 celebrities throw parties in resorts and farm houses. The temperature of the atmosphere soars so high that they cool off themselves with sips of bhang lassi and thandai. Delhi is also famous for the Holi Cow Festival, an organized event of music and madness. Do watch the video of the song, “Balam pitchkari jo tune mujhe mari” from the music album of the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani to get a hang of how madly Delhites celebrate the festival of colors.

Delhi has global air connectivity. Especially, Air India operates several nonstop flights to Delhi IGI Airport from USA, UK and other parts of the world.  

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the best place to celebrate this spring festival in Gujarat. Be the festival Holi or Navratri, Gujarati celebrates it traditionally. Holi is a cultural extravaganza in the capital of Gujarat. The celebration begins with the breaking of earthen pots of buttermilk hung from a rope in the streets after the joyous procession of menfolk through lanes and alleys comes to an end. This ceremony is observed in honor of Lord Krishna who used to steal the pots of butter and buttermilk from Gopis’ houses. In some parts of the city, Gujarati belles wearing ghagra with mirror work and the men wearing colorful turbans play dandiya to spread euphoria all around. Haryana celebrates Holi in the same fashion.

Ahmedabad, India’s first UNESCO World heritage city is well-connected with the rest of India. Cheap airfare deals for flights to Ahmedabad from USA will leave you amazed. 

Mathura & Vrindavan

Mathura and Vrindavan are the best places to celebrate Holi in North India. These two destinations for pilgrims and tourists are mythically associated with the legends of Krishnaleela or Rasleela. It is said that the zest the Brajwasis (people of Vrindavan) play Holi with is not felt in the rest of India during the festival. Their festive spirit is so high that the celebration begins 40 days prior to the day of Holi. Boys are dressed like Krishna, and girls dress themselves like Gopis (female admirers of Krishna). The Lathmar Holi of Barsana, the village of Sri Radha, is the main attraction. The boys of Vrindavan play colors with the girls of Barsana in a flirtatious manner. They drench each other with colored water and sprinkle gulal in the air.

You can reach Mathura and Vrindavan by road from New Delhi Airport in nearly 3 hours. Check the interesting facts of the world’s tallest temple, Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir which is currently under construction in Mathura for a whopping cost of INR 700 crores (USD 102 million).  

Manipur

The way Manipur celebrates the Holi Festival is culturally unique, Northeast India. The festivity begins on the Full Moon day of Phalguna and spans for six days. The age-old Yaosang Festival of the state was merged with Holi celebration during the rise of Vaishnavism. The tradition of celebrating Holi through cultural performances including folk dance forms and songs has been replaced with the trend – music band culture. Setting fire to a thatched hut of hay and twigs marks the beginning of the festivity. The boys and girls play gulal, the following day. The sight of devotees wearing white & yellow turbans, dancing in front of the Krishna temple and offering gulal to the obedience of the Lord is a wonderful spectacle to witness. The celebration ends with a religious procession to the capital city, Imphal.

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No doubt, India is full of incredible sights, stories and spots from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. But, what is the most incredible about India? The Kumbh Mela – the confluence of religious faith, cosmic energy, ethereal power and divine love on earth. Also known as Magh Mela, this religious festival of India is believed to be as old as the universe itself. A whopping 15 million visitors are expected to turn up at the ongoing Kumbh Mela 2019 at Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh.

Kumbh Mela 2019: Budget, Revenues, Facilities and Other Amazing Facts

The state government of Uttar Pradesh allocated INR 4200 crore for Kumbh Mela 2019, which is over thrice the budget for the Maha Kumbh 2013. It is expected that the economic activities to be taking place over the 50 days will generate a whopping revenues of INR 1.2 lakh crore and create employment for over 6 lakh workers in various sectors. The budget of Kumbh 2019 is six times more than the Rs. 720cr Isha Ambani wedding in December 2018.

Maha Kumbh Mela 2019 at Prayagraj sprawls over 3,200 hectares, twice the size of the area allocated to the previous Kumbh events. Allahabad City has undergone a massive infrastructure overhaul, which includes the upgrading of nine railways stations and the construction of a new airport terminal. More than 4,200 premium tents have been setup across the fairground, and 40,000 street lights have been installed across the city. The state government has installed 1, 22,000 eco-friendly toilets for the convenience of millions of pilgrims. A new 100-bed central hospital has been set up to attend to emergency medical needs of devotees.

The hospitality sector is reported to have employed 2, 50,000 people, including 150,000 jobs in aviation. 45,000 jobs have been generated for tour operations. The number of employment opportunities in eco-tourism and medical tourism is nearly 85,000. In addition, another 55,000 new jobs have been created in the unorganized sector for tour guides, taxi drivers, interpreters, volunteers, etc. to make a living during Maha Kumbh 2019. The festival will have created 600,000 jobs until a few weeks following March 4, according to Fortune India. 

Evidently, it is not just difficult but impossible to imagine the gigantic proportions of Maha Kumbh 2019 unless you travel on cheap last minute flights to India and visit the event in person. There are many interesting things to know about Kumbh Mela, beyond the budget of Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj this year. We at Travel Beats, an overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle Travel, mined some amazing and lesser-known facts about Kumbh Mela from 640 AD to the present.

The streets of Prayagraj are transformed into a work of art with 300 resplendent murals. Important episodes of the Hindu mythology like Kshirasagara Manthana were recreated on the parapets of Prayagraj. #KumbhMela2019 #StunningMurals #ExploreIndia #Exclusive pic.twitter.com/6Bqqutpt3t

— Indian Eagle (@indianeagle) January 10, 2019

Awesome, Interesting, Lesser-known Facts about Kumbh Mela

The origin of Kumbh is associated with the mythical story of Samudra Manthan, a massive sea exploration on earth by the Devas and the Asuras in the divine era of India. A pitcher filled with amrita, the elixir of immortality, came out of the core of the sea during the exploration. When the Devas and the Asuras, driven by a desire to be blessed with immortality, got into a clash over the pitcher, four drops of amrita fell at Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik which became the venues of Kumbh Mela.

The most spectacular ceremony to behold during the festival is ritual bathing on the banks of the holy rivers – the Ganga in Haridwar, the Kshipra in Ujjain, the Godavari in Nashik, and the Sangam where the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati get merged in Allahabad. It is believed that each of these rivers turns into a pitcher of amrita (nectar) on different days of the festival – Makar Sankranti, Paush Purnima, Basant Panchami, Rath Saptami, Mauni Amavasy, and Bhisma Ekadeshi.

This religious fair is held over a sprawling area of 50.83 square kilometers. The premise of the Kumbh Mela is 200 times larger than the Vatican City of Rome, the smallest country in the world.

Such a large number of sadhus (hermits) visit Kumbh Mela 2019 that it won’t be unjust to call it the fair of sadhus. Several groups of sadhus from every nook and corner of India travel all the distance to take a holy dip into the sacred rivers during the festival. The Nagas who stay naked from head to toe, the Parivrajakas who do not speak a single word to pursue absolute silence, the Kalpavasis who take bath at three different times of the day, the Urdhwavahurs who believe in severe austerity, and the Shirshasins who meditate for long hours while standing on their heads.

If the clock is set back, we find a reference to the number of devotees at Prayag Kumbh Mela, in the writings of Hiuen Tsang, a historic traveler from China, who visited India during the regime of Harshavardhana in 640 AD. Hiuen Tsang mentioned in his chronicle that the Kumbh Festival had fetched 5 million footfalls to Prayag in 640AD when Indian population was around 6 crore.

Impressed with the colossal dimensions of the Kumbh Mela 2019, Harvard University is looking to take on it as a case study. The researchers at Harvard University are interested in studying the economics behind the festival and analyzing the statistics of its evolution.

Mark Twin, a famous American writer, visited India during the Kumbh Mela in 1895. He was so overwhelmed to see the practice of austerity by millions of Indians including the young and the old, the strong and the frail, the rich and the poor traveling from remote corners of the country that he called it the wonderful power of a faith beyond imagination.

There is a great demand for mud and cow dung among the devotees during the festival. The sale of these natural commodities goes up with the festival reaching its peak. It is a golden opportunity for money-making individuals to make a quick buck by selling mud and cow dung at unreasonable prices. Kumbh Mela has got many nicknames for its fame spread far and wide across the world. The most popular are the largest pilgrimage on earth, the world’s biggest fair, and the greatest show on earth.

So huge is the rush of people traveling to Allahabad for the Prayagraj Kumbh 2019 is that Indian Railways extended the window for buying unreserved train tickets up to 15 days. Hundreds of special trains are running to and from Allahabad. Even, thousands of tickets have been booked for last minute air travel to India from USA, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. “We have been receiving an influx of calls with booking queries for cheap flights tickets to India for Kumbh 2019. It’s overwhelming!” exclaimed the chief travel economist of Indian Eagle.

The post INR 4200 Crore for 50-day Kumbh Mela 2019 to Generate INR 1200 Billion and 6 lakh Jobs in India appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Cold is nipped in the air; bonfires are warming up the ambience; camps are illuminated in the dark; revelers are spending out nights under the starry sky; tribal folks are dressed in colorful motley attires; men are playing folk music joyously; women are madly dancing on the sand; camels are sitting peacefully in rows; the spectators are all smiles.

Which Indian festival comes to your mind the moment you meditate on this picture? Of course, it is the Rann Utsav or the Kutch Festival of Gujarat. The Rann of Kutch is a vast stretch of salty sands in the Thar Desert running through the Kutch district of Gujarat and the Sindh Province of Pakistan. Most of the area is desolate though there is a small habitation of the Kutchi tribes.

The Rann of Kutch seems as dull as dodo in other times of the year except the month of December. It springs into life and becomes a land of beauty during the Rann Utsav in December. Dhordo Village in the Kutch district is the venue of the Gujarat festival which spans as many as 45 days. How colorful and beautiful a look the desert wears during the festivity can be experienced only in person.

The Utsav of Rann is not just a wonderful picture but a cultural affair that never ceases to spellbind the senses of visitors from the world over. It is a manifestation of Gujarat’s creative and cultural best. Over 400 tents of varying sizes and colors make a kaleidoscopic picture in the backdrop of the sandy white landscape that runs into the horizon. Spending nights in the tents under the moonlit sky is a thrill that words fall short of describing.

You might have read or heard the phrase “Rangeelo Gujarat”. The Kutch festival is the occasion to see the embodiments of spectacular hues which the local craftsmen concretize and capture in embroidered textiles through the magic of their needle work and mirror work. Gujarat prides itself on the beauty and creativity of the Kutch embroidery. The waves of colors run in parallel with the waves of sand dunes on the Rann during the festivity.

With folk music and dance performances on the balmy sand, the Rann Mahotsav is a pool of joy to plunge into. The local artistes fill the air with rhythms of their folk arts – music and dance – on the festive evenings. The traditional dance of the ethnically dressed Gujarati belles is more wonderful than a beautiful dream. You may find it difficult to resist your taping feet from matching with theirs.

Tourist Places to Visit near the Venue of Rann Utsav

Besides splendors of the sand and sights of Gujarat’s ethnicity, Kutch offers tours into the wilderness where Indian wild ass and desert birds are seen. At a short drive from the venue of the Rann Utsav is Mandvi Beach where sunrise and sunset are ethereal manifestations of nature. The Palace of Mandvi is another marvelous catch there. Visit Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar and Dholavira while in Kutch during the Rann festival.

The Rann Utsav of Gujarat has already commenced, and it will continue until February 20, 2019. You may get to know Gujarati life and culture from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movies – Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and Ram-Leela. Watching it live while sitting on the sand is a much more pleasurable experience than watching it on the television screen while relaxing on the couch in a corner of home.

Ahmedabad International Airport (AMD) is the nearest airport to reach the Great Rann of Kutch from. The Rann Utsav location is a 400-km drive from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmadabad. You can book even last-minute flights to Ahmedabad for the cheapest airfare at IndianEagle.com.

The post Kutch Rann Utsav: All You Need to Know about Festival of Folk Music and Dance in the Desert of Gujarat appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.