MAJOR FAIRS AND FESTIVALS OF INDIA — RELIGION, CULTURE AND REGIONAL IDENTITY

PRERNA FOR IAS

         Mehnat Aapki, Guidance Humari

         Roz ki Prelims Practice — Experts ke Saath

MAJOR FAIRS AND FESTIVALS OF INDIA — RELIGION, CULTURE AND REGIONAL IDENTITY

1. Introduction

• India’s fairs and festivals reflect its religious diversity, agricultural traditions, regional identities, folk culture and community life.
• They are also important for pilgrimage, tourism, local trade, handicrafts and cultural continuity.
• Several Indian festivals have received international recognition as elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

2. Kumbh Mela

• Kumbh Mela is one of the world’s largest peaceful religious congregations and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. (ICH UNESCO)
• It is associated with Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, where pilgrims take ritual baths in sacred rivers.
• A full Kumbh cycle at a particular site occurs roughly once in 12 years, while Kumbh-related gatherings rotate among the four locations.
• Its significance extends beyond religion to community organisation, pilgrimage traditions and cultural transmission.

3. Pushkar Fair — Rajasthan

• The Pushkar Camel Fair is held annually at Pushkar in Rajasthan, generally during October–November around Kartik Purnima.
• It combines a traditional livestock fair with pilgrimage to Pushkar Lake and the Brahma Temple.
• Camels, horses and cattle trading, folk performances, handicrafts and tourism make it one of Rajasthan’s best-known cultural fairs. (Incredible India)

4. Dussehra and Ramlila

• Dussehra or Vijayadashami symbolises the victory of good over evil and is associated with Rama’s victory over Ravana.
• In many regions, Ramlila performances narrate episodes from the Ramayana through song, dialogue and dramatic enactment.
• UNESCO inscribed Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana, on its Representative List in 2008. (ICH UNESCO)
• Major traditions are associated with places such as Ramnagar, Ayodhya, Varanasi and parts of northern India.

5. Deepavali