Please click on any state to access the unique festivals of that state. The icons above and below the map will take you to festivals of the respective religion. Along the left and right margins are the most important festivals for the indicated state.
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Festivals of India
by Dr. Venugopal Menon
The British historian Michael Woods, in the introduction to his BBC special, “Story of India”, described India this way: “India is the oldest, the most colorful and the most influential civilization in the world”. It is also probably the most multi-racial, multi-cultural, multilingual, and multi-religious country in the world. It is thus not surprising that many a colorful festival also sprang up in India. In this essay, the author Dr.Venugopal Menon has tried to group the festivals according to their importance to the various religious groups, as well as those celebrations that are of particular importance to the states and regions of India. We have provided an interactive map of India, with the intent of taking a visitor through a virtual tour of India to experience the various festivals of the different regions and states. Just come with us by clicking on a state and enjoy learning about India’s colorful festivals! We, the editorial staff of indiancentury.com truly appreciate the Herculean efforts of Dr.Venugopal in constructing this pearl for our website.
Editor’s note
Considering the enormity of the information of relevance to this manuscript, it is felt prudent to first consider the more significant and popular festivals that are celebrated by many parts of the country throughout the year, some being regional to selected states or religious denominations and others justifying national appeal and observance.
Acknowledgement
The above article on ‘The Festivals of India’, is my humble attempt to assemble information on the topic for inclusion in www.indiancentury.com, a website created to offer ‘an adequate understanding about India and the enormous contributions ancient Indians had made to world culture’. The concept of such a website is the brainchild of Dr. P. K. Raghuprasad, a physician with a vast array of interests and phenomenal understanding in a variety of fields. It is as per the instructions of Dr. Raghu, my friend, that I have ventured into gathering information on the subject, the festivals of India. I soon realized that I have undertaken a task way beyond my expertise and more elaborate than my anticipated assumptions. Easily the most ‘elaborate and diverse’ country on our planet earth, India should be a most mesmerizing experience to anyone who is genuinely interested in understanding it. As extravagant as it is in every aspect of its existence, its festivals are numerous, equally kaleidoscopic and representative of its underlying ethos.
The information that I have attempted to collate in this narrative is collected from numerous resources published by extensive research by qualified individuals. As much as I have tried to acknowledge my gratitude to each of them by including the sources as references, any omissions are deeply regretted. As I offer my humble gratitude to each of them who have provided the information, I hope that the readers would benefit from their efforts and enjoy their findings.
(Courtesy: World religions, India Tourism, India-tours, Tour my India, Travel Triangle, Hello travel, Incredible India, Times of India, India Today, Deccan Herald, Deccan Chronicle, Dreamtimes, The Hans India, Destimap, Steam it, Cadburygifting.in, Wikipedia, Seniority Live Evergreen, Meruka India Tourism, Sadguru’s lectures, Encyclopedia Britannica, BBC Bitesize, All About Sikhs – your Gateway to Sikhism, Sikhiwiki, Jainworld, Jainism world resource center, The Buddhist Society, Buddhanet, Hindu Website/Zoroastrianism, Gradeup, Byjus, TravelTriangle, Ideal Leisure Holidays, State of Kerala.in, Adotrip, Everybody Wiki, Taj Mahotsav org, Varanasi.org, Desicomments.com, Navrang India, Tour My India, Pinterest, Tusharupsc, Holidify.com, wikiwand, Heritage institute, All India Roundup, Blazonsart.
Courtesy: Pixabay.com, istock photos, Shutterfly- for the pictures)
Dr. Venugopal K. Menon July 1, 2021