“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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You will soon get soaked in luxury amidst sands of Jaisalmer in the Indian state of Rajasthan. You will also be traveling along a heritage circuit in North India on wheels of luxury. The Ministry of India Tourism is going to launch two trains for affordable luxury travel in India this winter.

There are super luxury trains in India – Palace on Wheels, the Golden Chariot, the Deccan Odyssey, and Maharajas Express – offering the hospitality of bygone royal eras. With affordable packages, the new trains will add to the bliss of luxury train travel in India by enabling tourists to bask in the beauty of sprawling deserts and timeless heritage of India.

Unlike super luxury trains, the new semi-luxury trains can be afforded by many tourists. Both trains – Desert Circuit and Heritage Circuit – will depart from New Delhi for a five-day odyssey along the routes meandering through the desert of Rajasthan and crisscrossing three heritage cities. Tourists on board will be pampered over a host of deluxe services during the journey. You can enjoy sightseeing not only through window glasses of train coaches but also getting down at major sites where the trains will halt.

“Heritage Circuit” will be running through Agra, Varanasi and Khajuraho, three of the most popular heritage sites in India. What Agra is famous for is known to tourists from across the globe. The Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, is a must see in Agra. The yesteryear kingdom of the Mughal emperors has many stories to tell, including how Emperor Akbar got the recipe of Petha, a most famous delicacy of Agra, during construction of the Taj Mahal.

Varanasi is the oldest and holiest city of India, where you can take boat rides on the River Ganga and glimpses of the spectacular Ganga aarti. Don’t forget to explore the stories of Varanasi during your luxury train travel in India. Banarasi silk cloth, a traditional handicraft of this holy city, is a must buy.

The travel on “Heritage Circuit” will culminate at Khajuraho, a UNESCO world heritage site. Unlike the temples of Varanasi, Khajuraho temples are famous for erotic sculpture displaying human sexuality in multiple different forms from liberal perspectives. The legends of Khajuraho’s erotic art will take you back to the times when eroticism was an art in India.

The ‘heritage’ part of the travel by two new luxury trains in India promises to be a life-enriching experience. The Taj Mahal of Agra will tell you an immortal love story, Varanasi will immerse you in spirituality, and Khajuraho will overwhelm you with stories of passion. – Indian Eagle

“Desert Circuit” will take you on a ride across sand dunes in Jaisalmer and on a tour of Jaipur in Rajasthan. Among the things to do in Jaisalmer are listening to the music of sand dunes, shopping for handcrafted silver jewellery,  and visit to historic Jaisalmer Fort.  Jaisalmer Desert Festival in February is one of the popular winter events in India.

This luxury train travel in India by “Desert Circuit” will end in Jaipur, a yesteryear princely province of Rajput kings. Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, City Palace, Amer Palace and Nahargarh Fort are among the must-see tourist attractions of Jaipur. A tour of Jaipur will introduce you to the luxury and bravery of Rajputs.

Other Details of New Luxury Trains in India

“Heritage Circuit” will be operating from December 20 till April 24, 2016. The luxury travel by “Desert Circuit” will commence on December 20 and continue till April 21, 2016. Each of the two new luxury trains in India will make eight trips from December to April, which is the best time to visit India. Travel on these trains is a complete luxury package including 3-star hotel accommodation and exclusive dining apart from travel insurance, complimentary Wi-Fi, and English and Hindi speaking guide service. A trip by “Desert Circuit” will cost between 20K to 37K INR, and “Heritage Circuit” will charge from 18K to 36K for a trip depending on travel classes.

Luxury train travel in India is synonymous with the maxim, “Let the Train take the Strain.” Travel on these luxury trains of India will surely rejuvenate you with fresh moments, enrich you with knowledge, enchant you with offbeat stories and spellbind you with scenic sights which you will cherish forever.

Major international airlines operate flights to New Delhi from USA and Canada. We at Indian Eagle issue cheapest tickets for New Delhi flights from all American cities.

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Like every month in the calendar of India, February has got a few festivals which may not be as grand as Holi festival but add to the socio-cultural diversity of the country. These festivals make India a destination to be visited by tourists and travelers in the month of February. Ladakh in the Himalayan region, Khajuraho in central India, Jaisalmer in the sands of Rajasthan, Goa on the Arabian shore, and Allahabad on the confluence of three holy rivers are the festive destinations to be explored, rediscovered and enjoyed in February. Go through the rest to find how irresistible the fairs and festivals of India in February are.

Losar Festival in Ladakh

The white beauty of Ladakh wears a colorful look during Losar Festival in February. The festival marks the beginning of the New Year in this Himalayan region of India. The celebration is accompanied by mask dance performances, age-old rituals, and folk music unique to the culture of Ladakh. Dramatic depictions of fight between good and evil add to the significance of Losar Festival. Gompas or domestic shrines are colorfully decorated on the eve of the celebration.

CLICK to Read more Monasteries of Ladakh

Losar Festival is scheduled to be held on February 18 and 19 this year.

Goa Carnival 

There is no other street music & dance festival than Goa Carnival in India. The celebration is driven by lots of enthusiasm, cheerfulness, joy and love for life. Unlike conventional festivals in the rest of India, Goa Carnival brims with the frenzy of the locals and tourists who hit streets in glittering pageants. Unique to the be-happy-and-make-happy culture of Goa, this festival puts roses to every pair of cheeks. Goa celebrates the carnival like a dance of joy!

Goa Carnival is scheduled to be held from February 14 to 17 this year. 

World Sacred Spirit Festival 

World Sacred Spirit Festival is one of the few festivals of India dedicated to the celebration of folk music. It is a soul-stirring musical extravaganza for those who love drinking to music at historic settings like Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur and Ahhichatragarh Fort in Nagpur. The peaceful ambience of these forts adds to the beauty of the performances by famous artists who take the audience on an unforgettable musical ride.

World Sacred Spirit Festival is scheduled to be held from February 9 to 11 in Nagpur and from February 13 to 15 in Jodhpur this year. 

Khajuraho Dance Festival

Khajuraho Dance Festival is held to celebrate the culture and heritage of Madhya Pradesh in India. Classical dance performances are staged in the Khajuraho Temple complex, a most popular tourist destination in Central India. The Chitragupta and Vishwanatha Temples, brightly lit to beat enveloping darkness of the evening sky, serve as venue of this week-long cultural festival. The dance festival in the backdrop of the legendary Khajuraho is a feast for the mind.

Khajuraho Dance Festival is scheduled to be held from February 20 to 26 this year.

Desert Festival of Jaisalmer

The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is a call to visit the golden sands of Rajasthan in February. This unusual festival is agog with amazing activities such as camel polo, long moustache display and turban-tying competition. The desert breeze blowing over sand dunes adds rhyme to musical entertainment under the moonlit sky. The symphony of traditional music not only stirs the soul but also shakes the being of the desert. Puppetry and folk dance are other attractions of the Desert Festival of Jaisalmer.

CLICK to Read Travel Guide on Jaisalmer Sightseeing

Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is scheduled to be held on 

Magh Mela 

Magh Mela is all about the sacred ritual of bathing at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Sarawati River in Allahabad. The mythology of India refers to the origin of Magh Mela as the beginning of the universe. Magh Mela is much smaller than the world-famous Kumbh Mela in the number of visitors and the volume of crowds. It is an annual festival, whereas Kumbh Mela is held once in every three years.

Magh Mela started on January 5 and will continue till February 17.

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Khajuraho temples are the only monuments in India which are famous for erotic sculptures, not for architecture unlike other monuments. The Khajuraho complex of temples is a UNESCO recognized world heritage site, one of the popular tourist attractions in the Madhya Pradesh travel guide. A pillar of Madhya Pradesh tourism, Khajuraho speaks of society’s liberal view of human sexuality in the bygone era. It symbolizes human passion, while the Taj Mahal stands for love. IndianEagle takes on the world famous Khajuraho sculpture in a different way. 

Khajuraho Temples stand for human passion  

Apart from the Khajuraho history, there is a legend. The curiosity about the origin of Khajuraho temples runs high until the legend is explored. According to the legend, the creators of Khajuraho were descendants of the moon god in Indian mythology. It begins with the story of Hemavati, daughter of a Brahmin priest. Attracted to her maiden beauty, the moon god descended on earth and seduced her when she was bathing, on one evening. It was the intense passion that made her give in to his advances. He could not resist the spell of her maiden charm. Their union gave birth to a son, Chandravarman.

The then society did not welcome the apparently unusual union of a god and a mortal as it was not solemnized as per traditions and through rituals. Being unwed mother of a son, Hemavati suffered harassment in society. Stung by unkind words, she retreated to the dense forest of present Madhya Pradesh in Central India. She brought up the child in the wilderness. When the boy grew up, he became founder of the Chandela dynasty.

After he became a powerful ruler, his mother visited him in dream and requested him to build temples that would concretize human passions in form of art. She told him that passion is nothing but an overwhelming human desire for love. Touched by the emptiness of his mother’s life, Chandravarman commissioned the construction of the first group of Khajuraho temples. The other temples in Khajuraho Town were built by his successors. If the legend is believed, the temples stand for love in Khajuraho.

Khajuraho sculpture was a study of eroticism

The erotic art of Khajuraho Temples has been interpreted in different ways in different times. The most popular theory refers to an important purpose of erotic sculpture on the outer surface of the temples in Khajuraho. The purpose was to teach boys the art of eroticism and its significance in human life once they attained manhood after the Brahmacharya phase of life in hermitage. The study of human passion depicted by Khajuraho sculptures was part of their preparation for the worldly role of householder.

Another popular theory of the erotic art refers to the then belief in the power of Tantrism, in the Chandela era between 950 and 1150. The ardent followers of Tantrism believed that the infinite could be achieved through the fulfillment of earthly desires. As the Chandelas were diehard believers of Tantrism, they patronized the study of eroticism in form of sculpture.

Misconceptions about Khajuraho temple sculptures

According to historians and archaeologists, only 10% of the sculptural carvings on the outer surface of the walls of Khajuraho architecture depict eroticism as an art. The rest of the carvings depict day-to-day life of different people such as farmers, potters, musicians and carpenters from different walks of society. The erotic sculpture depicting sexual indulgence of humans of opposite genders is often wrongly referred to as Kamasutra. The Khajuraho sculpture is an aesthetic art depicting eroticism without rawness and vulgarity. It neither titillates the senses nor excites basic instincts. Many fail to perceive the purity and aestheticism of Khajuraho art.

Khajuraho is accessible from Delhi, Agra and Varanasi by air. You can catch Khajuraho flights at the domestic terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. You can travel by train from Khajuraho to Orcha and Jhansi, two historic destinations in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.

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Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh is in the focus of Indian tourism because of Gulabi Gang, a group of underprivileged, deprived women at the lowest rung of the social ladder. Also known as the Pink sari brigade, Gulabi Gang is a collective voice of women is support of their rights and in protest against social injustices to them. Sampat Pal, the leader of the gang, is a torchbearer of education, emancipation and empowerment for women in Bundelkhand. Recently, she has been in news for the story of Gulabi Gang and her life has been adapted into a Bollywood movie titled Gulaab Gang which is to be released on March 7, on the eve of Women’s Day in India. Let’s have an introduction with the tourist destinations and attractions in Bundelkhand region which has drawn lavish attention in a few international film festivals.

Jhansi

The gateway to Bundelkhand, Jhansi is a historic place cum tourist destination in Uttar Pradesh. The history of Jhansi spans from the regime of the Chandela Kings before the 12th century till the British Raj in India. With the downfall of the Chandela dynasty, Jhansi was lost in the wilderness. Its resurrection happened under the sovereignty of Bir Singh Ju Deo, the King of Orchha, in the 17th century.

However, Jhansi is known worldwide for Rani Laxmi Bai and the stories of her bravery in rebellion against the British. The Rani Mahal or the Palace of Rani Laxmi Bai, now a museum, preserves historic exhibits and archaeological evidences. The Darbar Hall in the Palace is decorated with beautiful paintings of flamboyant colors. The British damaged a major percentage of the palace during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. The Jhansi Fort, part of Bundelkhand history, is located on a hilltop which commands a panoramic view of the city. The museum exhibiting the artifacts of the bygone historic era, is a must see in the Jhansi Fort.

Orchha

Orchha, once the capital of Bundela Rajputs, is a beautiful small town in Bundelkhand. Founded by King Rudra Pratap Singh on the Betwa River in Madhya Pradesh, Orchha means “hidden” in the language of Bundelkhand. The town was named so because it was hidden in forests before it became a habitat. Orchhat is known for its regal splendor which, though, has faded to some extent over the years. The town tells the stories of historic battles and the mythical legends of Lord Rama. Tughlaqs and Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had invaded it.

Orchha is the place where Lord Rama is worshipped as a king. The Raj Mahal, one of the tourist attractions of Orchha, was once the seat of the monarchs in the Orchha Fort. The Ram Raj Temple is an exceptional temple built in form of fort architecture. The simple façade of the Raj Mahal is in contrast to the interior adorned with splendid paintings. The motifs, curved on the ceiling and walls, are influenced by the Mughal interior design. Sheesh Mahal in Orchha Fort is a heritage hotel now.

Chanderi

Located between Malwa and Bundelkhand, Chanderi is full of history. Because of its strategic location amidst Gujarat, Malwa, Mewar and Deccan, Chanderi has always been an attraction to tourists and traders. It had captured the imagination of the rulers, kings and emperors of several dynasties. It used to be a prosperous and culturally active zone during the imperial era of Bundelkhand. Apart from the beautiful hilly landscape, Chanderi is known for the magnificent monuments built by the Sultans of Malwa and Bundela Rajputs.

Looming large in the skyline of this historic town is a Mughal Fort. Built in the Mughal period, the fort boasts a height of 200 meters. “Khooni Darwaza” is its main gate. Koshak Mahal in Chanderi is older than the Mughal history of India. It is said to be built by Mahmud Khilji of Malwa in 1445 AD. The Archaeological Museum of Chanderi is a must visit for its impressive collection of sculptures from the different eras of Bundelkhand.

Khajuraho

Another popular tourist destination that Bundelkhand is proud of is Khajeraho or Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Khajuraho is famous for its temples with rare sculptural work which invokes wonder among visitors. The art and architecture of the temples are rare gifts to the Indian civilization. The temples were constructed in the regime of Chandela Kings who patronized craftsmanship and artistry in their kingdom. The construction of the Khajuraho temples took 100 years from 950 to 1050 A.D.

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