Raksha Bandhan Essay No. 1 Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrating the bond of love between a brother and sister. It falls during the month of `Sharavan’ on the day of the full moon. On this day sisters tie rakhis made of threads on the wrists of their brothers for their long and happy life and the brothers vow to take care and protect their sisters. According to legend, the festival...

Pushkar Fair Pushkar is the mellow, quiet and interesting little town of Rajasthan. In the Hindu month of Kartik this town and its environs come alive as the much anticipated annual cattle fair begins. At this time, the town is thronged with tribal people from all over Rajasthan, pilgrims from all over India and filmmakers and tourists from all over the world. Tents and campsites suddenly spring up to accommodate the...

Purim and Pesah Purim is a Jewish festival and it is celebrated in the month of March. It is also called the ‘festival of lots’. During Purim, prayer, gifts, feast and giving alms are the main activities of Jews. Jews celebrate this festival to rejoice the escape of the Jews from the stronghold of the Persian king. According to the mythology, the king of Persia was bent upon killing all the...

Pongal Pongal is a famous festival of South India, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a three-day long harvest festival, celebrated in honour of the Rain God India as well as the Sun God and the holy cow. In the period of the `Makar Rasi’, when the sun travels from Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, the festival of Pongal occurs. Lord Indra is worshipped on...

Pitra Paksh Pitra Paksh is a Hindu festival. It is observed in the month of Asvina. The period of the festival extends over the dark fortnight of the month. People celebrate the festival with religious fervour. It is celebrated to pacify the souls of the deceased ancestors. On each day of the festival, the eldest son of a family performs certain ceremonies. He offers oblations (pinda-rice balls, etc.) and water for...

Phoolwalon Ki Sair Phoolwalon Ki Sair is the festival of flower sellers. It is a three-day festival celebrated by people of Mehrauli, New Delhi. It is also observed at the dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki and at the ancient shrine of Devi Jog Maya. Led by Shehnai players and dancers, people offer floral tributes at both places. This is a unique festival as both Hindus and Muslims take part in it...

Pattadackal Dance Festival The village of Pattadackal, 20 km. from Badami in Karnataka, is situated on the left bank of the Malaprabha river. A world heritage centre and the second capital of the Chalukyan kings, Pattadackal has ten major temples representing both North and South Indian architectural traditions. Most of the temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva. The largest among them are Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna. All these temples are architecturally splendid...

Pateti The most important festival of the Zoroastrians is the Pateti. It marks the beginning of the New Year for them and they celebrate Jashan’ on this day. Zoroastrianism was founded by Zarathusastra in ancient Persia. In Zoroastrianism, fire is worshiped as the son of Ahura Mazda, who is known to be the representative of God. Parsis believe that the sacred fire was brought from the heaven by Zoroaster to earth....