Top 15 Most Popular Holidays & Festivals in India for March

Holi Festival in India. Photo: Blog - Compass India Holidays Pvt. Ltd.

Holi

When: March 9th and 10th, 2020

Where: All over India

Holi is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. It starts with lighting a bonfire 'Holika Dahan' to celebrate the victory of good over evil. On the next day, the celebrations involve applying colours to each other. To experience grand Holika Dahan, visit City Palace in Udaipur where the royal family of Udaipur celebrates it with full zest and zeal.

International Yoga Festival

Where: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Date: 7-13 March

This is one of its kind festivals in March 2021 India in Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh. More than 500 yoga enthusiasts, trainers, and orators from 30 countries gather here to attend the yoga sessions and take part in talk shows and discussions. Make sure to visit Uttarakhand in March around the time of this festival. This excursion will prove to be a very relaxing experience.

Key attractions: Discussions by spiritual leaders, cooking classes and global yoga sessions by renowned yoga practitioners like Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerth, Swami M.M. Asanganandji, Swami Avdheshanand Giri, Pranav Pandya.

Jaipur Elephant Festival

Photo: Orient Rail Journeys

When: March 10th, 2020

Where: Jaipur , Rajasthan

For a March, which has elephant festivals marked all over its calendars here is another colourful, grand and glittering one, a day before Holi. This one, however, managed to stumble over multiple animal rights groups and has also been cancelled due to the same in the past. At the same time, while a festival may take place, the elephants may be missing. There isn't much news at the moment, but make sure you check with the proper authorities before planning your trip around this one.

Kurampala Patayani

When: February 23 to March 5, 2021. The festival is held once every five years.

Where: Puthenkavil Bhagavathy Temple, Kurampala, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.

Patayani is a type of ancient theatrical ritual folk art form that is performed to appease goddesses at Bhadrakali temples in central Kerala. It features traditional percussionists, masked dances, and mythological characters. A highlight at this festival is the Chooral Adavi ritualistic dance that represents an old Narabali (human sacrifice) ritual. It takes place on the ninth day of the festival. In the evening, devotees observe penance before the ritual and roll on the ground with thorny canes wrapped around their bodies.

Temple Festivals in Kerala

Photo: Ecstatic India Tours

Dates: From February until May

Where: In the Thrissur and Palakkad districts of central and northern Kerala.

Kerala has many temples that hold annual festivals in honor of the presiding local god or goddess. Each festival has a different set of legends and myths behind it, depending on the temple deity. However, most revolve around the presence of elephants to honor the deity. The large processions of elephants, resplendent in ornaments, are the main attraction at these festivals. The processions are accompanied by colorful floats, drummers and other musicians. Some processions feature towering effigies of horses and bulls.

Parippally Gajamela

Where: Paripally Kodimoottil Bhagavathy Temple, Kollam district, Kerala

Key attractions: Richly decorated elephants’ parade

Date: 4 March

Paripally Gajmela is one of the most incredible temple festivals in Kerala. The 10-day event witnesses parading of up to 50 caparisoned elephants. After that, a host of cultural programmes are organized on the premises of the temple. According to the belief of the locals, an offering made to the elephants satisfies the deity and grants all the wishes of the devotees. This is one of the fascinating festivals in March.

Magh Mela

Photo: NDTV

When: Ongoing until March 11, 2021.

Where: Prayag (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh.

The Magh Mela is promoted as the "Mini Kumbh Mela". It takes place every year at the same place as the Kumbh Mela -- at the confluence of the holy Saraswati, Yamuna and Ganges rivers. Every twelfth year, the festival transforms into the Kumbh Mela there. The Magh Mela is widely believed to be older than the actual Kumbh Mela. Similar to the Kumbh Mela, hordes of pilgrims and sadhus (Hindu holy men) come to bath in the water and cleanse their sins. The most important bathing dates are January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 28 (Poush Purnima), February 11 (Mauni Amavasya), February 16 (Basant Panchami), February 27 (Maghi Purnima), and March 11 (Maha Shivratri).

Chapchar Kut Festival

When: First week of March each year.

Where: Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram in northeast India. Also in Lunglei and Saiha.

Chapchar Kut is a harvest festival named after bamboo that has been cut, and is drying for burning and subsequent cultivation. The traditional bamboo dance performed by women (while men sit on the ground and beat bamboo sticks against each other), called cheraw, is a big part of the festival. Different styles of tribal dance performances take place amidst symbol clashes and beats of drums. There's art, handicrafts, concerts, flower shows, and food as well.

Chettikulangara Bharani

Photo: Hindu Devotional Blog

Where: Alleppey, Kerala

Key attractions: Kettukazhcha- a rally of radiantly decorated structures

Date: March

This is one of the stunning festivals of March in India, celebrated in Chettikulangara temple. The festival is devoted to Goddess Bhagavathy. The celebration also showcases a grand procession around the countryside, and offerings of rice and coconuts made to God, fireworks, music, dance and gala decorations. If you want to learn more about why this festival is celebrated and its cultural significance, head to Kerala and get a firsthand experience.

Brij Festival

Date : 24th – 25th March, 2021

Location: Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Bharatpur becomes more colorful during Brij festival. This festival is associated with color, song and dance. This is the festival of color. Raslila dance is the iconic celebration of this festival. People dress as Lord Krishna and Radha and take part in dance performances. If you visit Banganga River in the morning, you can find many rituals and people taking a holy dip. This festival is also associated with many interesting rituals in temples of Bharatpur.

Eternal Mewar Holika Dahan

Photo: Eternal Mewar

Date: 28th Mar, 2021

Location: City Palace, Udaipur

Holi is among the most celebrated festival in the country. It is a two day celebration where on the first day the triumph of good over evil is celebrated by lighting a bonfire which is called the Holika Dahan. On the second day of celebration powdered color is used to play. Among all the places across India where Holika Dahan is done none is as grand as that of the Udaipur City Palace. The royal family of Udaipur till date has kept the tradition of grandeur alive with a procession that takes place in the city starting from their royal residence.

Basanta Utsav

Date: 29th Mar, 2021

Location: Shantiniketan, West Bengal

The Basanta Utsav is a festival where music and colours are celebrated together in a small town in Eastern part of the country. This day in rest of the country celebrates the festival of Holi, where evil is burnt and good is celebrated with colours.

Shantiniketan is a quiet place in West Bengal which is dedicated to the study of fine arts. This place is famous for Vishwa bharati University which was started by the renowned Rabindranath Tagore. Every year on this day of the festival of Holi the student of the university perform variety cultural programs. The programs reflect on the long standing cultural heritage of the state of Bengal. The performers sing and dance to fuse the best of the past with the most creative of the present.

The entire ambiance of town during the festival is extremely lively. Even the trees around the area bloom with colourful flowers. It is almost as if the entire place starting from students to the animals are rejoicing in the amalgamation of spring and song. Being part of this occasion is exhilarating and will get you in touch with your inner being.

Shigmotsav

Photo: ItsGoa

Where: Goa

Key attractions: Floating parade on the final day

Date: 21 March

In Goa, Shimotsav is celebrated to mark the change of season. Goans bid farewell to winter and welcome the spring season. Around this festival, the whole state gets soaked in merriment with parades, local dances, folk music, flutes, and drum beats. This is one of the most popular festivals in March in 2021. If you want to learn more about the cultural and religious significance of this renowned festival, head to Goa in March. You will not regret this trip.

Myoko

Where: Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh

Key attractions: Folk performances, martial art, fireworks and drums.

Date: 24-26 March

Myoko is one of the most spectacular Indian festivals in March celebrated by the tribes of Ziro. This festival is organized by the Apatani Tribe to honor prosperity, purification, fertility, and sacrifice. Locals in their traditional attire sing and dance in merriment and cook delicious local food. This festival holds a lot of importance for the Indians. Make sure to participate in it, we promise you will have a fun time.

Kodungalloor Bharani

Photo: India Someday

When: March 17-18, 2021.

Where: Kodungalloor Bhagavathy temple, Kodungalloor, Thrissur district, Kerala.

This is a festival you won't forget in a hurry! Thousands of sword-wielding oracles, both male and female, swarm the temple premises. The oracles run in around a trance and proclaim their communion with the Mother Goddess. Meanwhile. devotees strike the temple rafters with sticks​ and hurl offerings over the roof and onto the quadrangle. It's one of the quirkiest festivals in India.

Bhavnath Fair

When: March 11-15, 2021.

Where: Bhavnath Mahadev Temple, base of Mount Girnar, Junagadh district, Gujarat.

This ancient festival, deemed to be a mini Kumbh Mela, begins at midnight on Maha Shivaratri when naga babas (naked Hindu holy men) seated on elephants ride with great fanare in procession to the temple for worship. Lord Shiva is believed to visit the shrine on this occasion, along with the spirits of other important saints and spiritual masters. The sadhus later gather next to the temple and perform a frenzy of devotional dance, music and martial arts. It's intense!

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