12 Most Popular Holidays/Festivals in India for July

Visiting India in July—regardless of what area—means you are in the thick of monsoon season. However, July is a great time to visit India if you are willing to brave the unrelenting downpours since travel is less expensive, the scenery is cleaner, and there are plenty of celebrations all around to keep you occupied.

From religious pilgrimages to elephant feeding ceremonies, you should have no trouble locating some sort of celebration to improve your trip to India.

Listed by date, here is the best of what's on in July in India.

Learn more: July 2024 India Calendar: Special Days, Full List of National Holidays and International Events

Most Important Indian Festivals in July 2021. Photo: TripSavvy

Indian Festivals in July

1. Amarnath Yatra (July 1 to August 21)

Photo: DNA India

One of the most well-known caves in India, the famous Amarnath cave temple features an ice-made Shiva lingam, a significant piece of Hindu symbolism. Completing one of the toughest pilgrimages in India, the five-day trip includes extremely high altitudes, bad weather, and slick paths. Before starting this perilous journey, one must finish an online advance health check and register.

Where: About 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Srinagar in Kashmir, the climb negotiates Mount Amarnath. Two paths lead to the shrine: the traditional 45 kilometers (28 miles) Pahalgam track in Anantnag district three to four hours from Srinagar, and sixteen kilometers (10 miles) from Baltal in Ganderbal.

2. Dree Festival (July 4-7)

An agricultural celebration of the Apatani tribe living in Northeast India is the Dree Festival. It is observed with prayers to the gods defending the crops and atificial offerings. The contemporary program now includes also folk songs, traditional dances, and other cultural events. Billed as the best venue for men to display their strength, agility, stamina, and intelligence, there is even a "Mr. Dree" contest.

Where: Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India.

3. Delhi Tourism Mango Festival (July 9–10)

In India, mango season is in effect. Don't miss sampling the 500 varieties of mangoes on show at this well-known, long-running annual three-day festival run by Delhi Tourism to celebrate the much-loved "king of fruits," together with other mango products including mango jam. Contestants in a mango eating competition also have fun trying to consume three kg of mangoes in three minutes.

Where: Dilli Haat in Janakpuri, Delhi. A free shuttle service is provided from Tilak Nagar Metro station to Dilli Haat.

4. Rath Yatra: Indian Festivals 2021 (July 12)

Among India's holiest and oldest celebrations is Rath Yatra, sometimes known as the Chariot festival. The venue is Puri, Odisha. Rath Yatra happens in India and around the globe. It honors Krishna's coming back to Vrindavan accompanied by his brother Balarama and sister Subhadra. Taken out in a procession are Lord Jagannath's idol, Balarama, and Subhadra's It marks Lord Jagannath's nine-day yearly visits to the Gundicha Temple (Aunts Home) near Balagundi Chhaka, Puri.

5. Behdienkhlam (July 11)

Photo: Rgyan

Celebrated after agricultural sowing is over, Behdienkhlam is the most significant festival of the Pnar tribe of Meghalaya. Khlam is plague; beh dien is to leave with sticks. The celebration is therefore meant to eliminate any negative influences on the crop. Over three days, the celebrations culminate with a procession of chariot and ceremonial tree trunks (khnongs) to a holy pool full of water. An other highlight of the event is a local football game. The winner is supposed to have a great crop.

Where: In and around Jowai, Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, in Northeast India.

6. Bonalu - Ashada Jatra Utsavalu (July 11-26)

Celebrated the Mother Goddess and Shakti, or female energy, the over 200-year-old Bonalu festival is Sunday rituals honoring Goddess Mahakali follow the Hindu month of Ashadha. In Telugu, bonalu is feast; it also represents the offerings—rice made in milk and jaggery sugar—made to the goddess in return for vow fulfillment. On their heads, women carry adorned clay pots to the temple.

First held at Mahakali Temple in Golconda Fort, the celebrations Rangam (predicting the future for the next year) and Ghatam (a procession of the goddess) will be the next main celebrations at Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad. On the last Sunday, Simhavahini Sri Mahakali Temple of Lal Darwza in the Old City of Hyderabad hosts the final, and largest, event. Next day is Rangam and Ghatam procession.

Where: Secunderabad and Hyderabad, Telangana, twin cities located in South India.

7. Puri Ratha Yatra (July 12-23)

Along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, Lord Jagannath (a reincarnation of lords Vishnu and Krishna) sets out from their residence in Puri's Jagannath Temple during the exuberant 12-day Ratha Yatra festival. The gods are carried on spectacularly tall chariots that are themselves a monument. The most often celebrated festival in Odisha is hers.

Where: Jagannath Temple, in Puri, Odisha.

8. Vadakkumnathan Aanayoottu - Elephant Feeding Ritual (July 17)

Photo: Medium

Usually seen paraded and ornamented during Kerala's temple celebrations are elephants. Still, they stay unassuming during this elephant feeding ceremony. People who come to honor the elephants are taken inside the temple grounds and fed a mouthwatering feast of sugarcane leaves, coconut, jaggery, Ayurvedic medicines, and other locally grown food. The custom seeks to satisfy Lord Ganesh by removing barriers and so fulfilling wishes. At the event are about sixty elephants from all around Kerala.

Where: Vadakkumnathan temple, Thrissur town, Kerala.

9. Njangattiri Aanayoottu - Elephant Feeding Ritual (July 23)

The Malayalam month of Karkkidakam is regarded as a month of Ayurvedic rejuvenation in Kerala, and it's extended to temple elephants as well. This elephant feeding ritual takes place at a temple in the central part of the state, north of Thrissur.

Where: Njangattiri Bhagavathi temple, Pattambi, Palakkad district, Kerala.

10. Guru Purnima (July 24)

Celebrated in honor of the ancient sage Vyasa, who penned many significant holy Hindu scriptures, this full moon day is Still, the concept behind Guru Purnima transcends that. Today is also a day for thanks to everyone who has imparted spiritual lessons on life. Many people simply spend some time going over all the knowledge they have gained over the past year, and the way it has changed them.

Where: All over India, particularly in spiritual centers such as Rishikesh. One of the largest Guru Purnima festivals is held at Goverdhan, near Mathura.

11. Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey

Photo: India Car News

Riding across some of the toughest courses, the Himalayan Odyssey marks an epic trip across some of the highest mountain passes in India. There are expected to be more than fifty riders from all around the world, including perhaps twenty female riders.

When: To be announced.

Where: The ride stretches from Chandigarh to Ladakh, including the Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake.

12. Malabar River Festival

Beginning in 2013, the Malabar River Festival, the only extreme adventure competition in South India, has attracted fearless kayakers. Presented by Kerala Tourism, Kayak Session Magazine in France has ranked it among the five best whitewater kayak events worldwide. With kayakers from more than 15 countries expected to compete in Extreme Race, Boater Cross, and Giant Slalom categories, it assembles top whitewater athletes from around the globe.

Where: Kayakers navigate the Iruvanjhipuzha and Chalipuzha rivers at Thusharagiri in Kozhikode district, Kerala.

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