Maha Mastakabhisheka Sharavana Belogola is a tiny town of Karnataka. It is often crowded with visitors. Every 12th year it becomes a major pilgrimage centre for Jain pilgrims. Jain pilgrims from all over India and abroad come to Sharavana Belogola to celebrate the Mastakabhisheka – the magnificent anointment or sacred head-anointing ceremony. The ceremony is organised at the 57-foot high statue of the Jain sage Lord Bahubali, also known as Gomateshvara....

Lohri Festival Lohri is a festival of harvest. This seasonal celebration falls on the thirteenth day of January in North India. The states of Punjab and Haryana generally observe the festival. Almost all communities of these states hold festivities with much fun and feasting. It is an evening festival. After the sunset a huge bonfire is collected and lit. People of all ages gather around the bonfire in gay clothes arid...

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...