The lesser known festivals of India
India is a land with a large population who belong to varied religions and cultures. Many important festivals like Holi, Diwali, Navaratri are celebrated here with great pomp and enthusiasm. There also exists numerous festivals which are celebrated with devotion and passion, but are not known to all. Let us explore some of them.
Tepam, floating festival:
Madurai Float Festival (also known as Teppam) is a spectacular festival and a treat for the eyes. The festival's origins date back to 17th century when King Thirumalai Nayak would take the divine idols of the Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwarar for a boat ride around the lake on his birthday. Even today, at the break of dawn, the sacred deities are placed in golden palanquins and escorted to the lake from the main temple by musicians and devotees who sing songs all the way.
On the bank of the lake, the deities are taken to a Mandapam which is a make shift temple raft decorated with colourful flowers, silken buntings and papers. After taking couple of tours around the lake, the raft is moored to the central island. It is kept there throughout the day and thousands of devotees throng the island to offer their prayer
The evenings are a spectacular sight to beholds the lake water is filled with thousands of floating oil lamps that mirrors the stars in the sky. The festival is wound up with a grand display of fireworks.
The Jaiselmer Desert Festival:
This exuberant festival of Jaisalmer is a three day celebration that glorifies the the rich culture of the region. It was initiated in order to attract foreign tourists, who always look forward to explore more and more facets of Rajasthan. It is held in the sand dunes of Sam, which is 42km away from Jaisalmer.
The Desert Festival is all about camel races, polo matches, puppeteers, snake charmers, jugglers, men with long mustache, turban tying competitions, locals dressed in colorful traditional dresses and many more fun events. The main attraction is the variety of Rajasthani folk songs and dance that are performed to promote Jaiselmer culture and traditions.
Jaisalmer Fort is selected as the backdrop of the fest. After three days of fun and entertainment the festival closes with an enchanting music and light show in the moonlit night amid sand dunes.
The Natyanjali dance Festival:
The Natyanjali Dance festival is held in the beautiful land of Chidambaram, which is about 75 km from Pondicherry. It is well known not only as a tourist’s paradise for the beautiful beaches or magnificent temples, but also for the reputed Natyanjali Dance Festivals. Dedicated to the Cosmic Dancer, Lord Nataraja, the Natyanjali Dance Festival is a tribute to the Lord of Dance.
The Natyanjali Dance Festival aims to spread the message of ‘unity in diversity’ as internationally reputed classical dancers as well as for amateur dancers get a platform to perform and showcase their culture.
Performed at the ‘prakara’ of the temple in Chidambaram, this is a five day celebration of the forms of Indian classical dance under the temple's golden roof. The 108 poses of Bharatnatyam is the major attraction of the Natyanjali Dance Festivals, Tamil Nadu.
The Spring festival of Kashmir:
The paradise on earth, Kashmir bursts into a riot of colours in spring when the flowers of the region are in full bloom. This is the time when the Spring festival is held. It is also called Bahar-e-Kashmir (spring in Kashmir) or the Tulip Festival as a wide variety of tulip flowers are on display and they make the landscape so beautiful!
In fact, the Tulip Garden of Kashmir is the largest one in Asia. It has been named as Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in memory of the late Prime Minister. Located in the Sirag Bagh Chesmahsahi in the capital city of Srinagar, the Tulip Garden is spread over 12 hectares that have been situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range.
Every year a large number of tourists are drawn to the Kashmir Valley which is filled with a blanket of Tulips during the spring season, that add charm to the beauty of the Valley . The 15 days long Kashmir Tulip Festival in Srinagar includes the display of about 60 varieties of tulips, exhibition of handicrafts, cultural programmes and traditional Kashmiri food. Thus this amazing festival not only is a visual delight, but also gives us an insight of the Kashmiri culture.
The Hemis Festival, Leh:
The Hemis festival is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) who is believed to be a reincarnation of Buddha. The mission of his life was to uplift the the spiritual condition of all living beings. And so on this day, which comes once in a cycle of 12 years, the Hemis monastry observes a major festival in his memory. Conducting this festival is believed to give spiritual strength and good health.
The Hemis festival takes place in the rectangular courtyard in front of the main door of the monastery. The space is wide and open save two raised square platforms, three feet high with a sacred pole in the center. A raised dais with a richly cushioned seat with a finely painted small Tibetan table is placed with the ceremonial items - cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter and incense sticks. A number of musicians play the traditional music with four pairs of cymbals, large-pan drums, small trumpets and large size wind instruments. Next to them, a small space is assigned for the lamas to sit.
The ceremonies begin with an early morning ritual atop the Gompa where, to the beat of drums and the resounding clash of cymbals and the spiritual wail of pipes, the portrait of "Dadmokarpo" or "Rygyalsras Rinpoche" is then ceremoniously put on display for all to admire and worship.
