Ladakh Festival Beyond the Sylvam valley of Kashmir lays the enigmatic land of Ladakh. Leh a fabled city, looms as a sentinel on the ancient silk route from Sinkiang to West Asia and to the plains of India. In 400 A.D., the great Chinese traveller Fa-Hsien visited the city and was amazed by its natural grandour. Ladakh presents a mesmerizing blend of Buddhist and Muslim cultures. In the month of September,...

Kumbha Mela Kumbha Mela is the most important and biggest mela of India. Kumbha Mela is organised at Prayag in Allahabad where Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet. Although this mela takes place every three years at Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain and Prayag alternately, the ‘Puma Kumbha’ arrives after twelve years. The Mela is attended by hermits and sages from the higher reaches of the Himalayas. Pilgrims, swamis and missionaries from South India...

Kojagari Purnima The full moon day of Ashwin is called the Kojagari Purnima when people stay awake till late at nights by observing fasts. This ceremony owes its origin to the Kojagari Purnima Vrat sacred to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Indra. The ritual is to fast the whole day and after worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Indra at night break their fasts by offering coconut water and flattered rice to the...

Khordad Sal The Khordad Sal is a Parsi festival celebrated on the anniversary of Prophet Zarathusatra’s birth. Generally, the date of birth of Prophet Spitaman Zarathusatra falls on the sixth day of the Parsi month of Farrardin. The exact year of birth is not known, however, it is believed that he lived during 5000 B.C.-2000 B.C. Similarly, the day of his birth is also not precisely known and the fixing of...

Kedu Festival In Orissa, Kedu is the favourite festival of the `Khonds’ of Phulbani region. Besides here, it is also observed in the districts of Ganjam and Koraput. The festival is organized in different villages in different years. The date and place of next year’s festival is decided a year before. The chief festival among the Kondh is the Kedu festival renowned for its ritual of human sacrifice. But the ritual...

Kavadi Festival The Kavadi Festival is celebrated in Tamil Nadu by the devotees of Lord Muruga. Generally, people take a vow to offer the Lord a Kavadi for the sake of tiding over a great calamity. The `Kavadi’ varies in shape and size, consisting of rice, milk and other articles. As the Kavadi bearer observes silence, the bells are the only eloquent signs of a Kavadi procession. The Kavadi bearer travels...

Karva Chauth Karva Chauth is a women-oriented festival. On this day married Hindu women fast and pray for the welfare, prosperity, well-being and longevity of their husbands. In fact, this is done on the fourth day of Kartik month of Hindu year. The day is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the women of North India. Although the fasting observed on this day is very tough because it starts before the sunrise...

Karaga Festival The festival of Karaga is Bangalore’s oldest and most important festival celebrated by the Tigala community. During the Karaga festival one can hear an echo of the famous battle of Mahabharata which was fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas. It lasts for 18 days which depicts all the facets of the battle of Mahabharata. Traditionally, the festivities begin with the recitation of mantras and the hoisting of a ceremonial...