Fairs, Festivals & Intangible Heritage
Fairs and festivals are the living expression of India's cultural diversity and they form a dependable part of the general knowledge and art and culture syllabus for ADRE, APSC, Assam Police, DHS, SSC and Railway examinations. This topic covers the great pan-Indian festivals, the harvest and new year festivals of the states, the famous fairs and melas, and the elements of Indian culture that UNESCO has inscribed on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Examiners frequently combine a festival with its state, its community, its season and its religious significance, so a candidate must be able to move confidently from one fact to another. Since festivals recur every year and the UNESCO list is updated only occasionally, the core facts remain constant, which makes this a high-retention, high-scoring topic.
The Kumbh Mela and the Great Fairs
The Kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world and is held at four places, Haridwar on the Ganges, Prayagraj formerly Allahabad at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, Nashik on the Godavari and Ujjain on the Shipra. A Maha Kumbh Mela is held once in twelve years at each place, and the Ardha Kumbh takes place in between. The Kumbh Mela was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. Other famous fairs include the Pushkar Mela in Rajasthan, which is a cattle and camel fair, the Sonepur cattle fair in Bihar, the Gangasagar Mela in West Bengal, the Nagaur fair in Rajasthan and the Ambubachi Mela at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam. These fairs are important for question-setters because they combine a place, a community and a season.
Major Pan-Indian Festivals
Diwali or Deepavali is the festival of lights and marks the victory of light over darkness; it is celebrated with lamps, sweets and fireworks, and in Gujarat it is followed by the New Year called Bestu Varas. Holi is the festival of colours, celebrated in March, and it has special forms such as Lathmar Holi in Braj and Basanta Utsav in Shantiniketan. Dussehra or Vijayadashami and Navratri celebrate the victory of good over evil, with Durga Puja in West Bengal and Garba and Dandiya in Gujarat being the most popular observances. Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna, Maha Shivaratri is the great night of Shiva, Ganesh Chaturthi honours Lord Ganesha and is associated with Maharashtra, Raksha Bandhan celebrates the bond between siblings, and Makar Sankranti is the harvest festival of the sun's northward journey celebrated across India under different names.
Harvest and New Year Festivals of the States
India's harvest festivals carry different names in different regions and are frequently asked in state examinations. Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan and Makar Sankranti are celebrated in Gujarat and across the north, Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is the harvest festival of Punjab, Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala celebrating the homecoming of King Mahabali, Nabanna is the harvest festival of West Bengal, and Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu is the harvest festival of Assam. The Bodo community of Assam celebrates Bwisagu as its new year, while the Assamese new year is welcomed with Bohag or Rongali Bihu. The three Bihus together, Bohag, Kati and Magh, are the most important festivals of Assam and are jointly called the Bihu festivals.
Festivals of the North-East
The North-East is famous for its vibrant festivals, and questions from this region are common in APSC and Assam Police papers. Bihu is the principal festival of Assam, celebrated three times a year as Bohag or Rongali Bihu in April, Kati or Kongali Bihu in October and Magh or Bhogali Bihu in January. The Ambubachi Mela is held at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati and marks the annual menstruation of the goddess. The Bodos celebrate Bwisagu, the Rabhas celebrate Baikho, the Mishmis celebrate Donyi Polo and the Karbis celebrate Rongker and Chomangkan. The Hornbill Festival is the festival of festivals of Nagaland and is held every December at Kisama near Kohima. Manipur celebrates Yaoshang and Lai Haraoba, Mizoram celebrates Chapchar Kut, Meghalaya celebrates the Wangala festival of the Garos and the Shad Suk Mynsiem of the Khasis, Sikkim and Ladakh observe Losar, Saga Dawa and Pang Lhabsol, and Tripura observes Kharchi Puja and Garia.
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of India
UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage recognises living traditions rather than monuments, and India has several entries. Kutiyattam, the Sanskrit theatre of Kerala, the Vedic chanting tradition and Ramlila were inscribed in 2008. Ramman, the ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, was added in 2009. The Chhau dance of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal, the Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan and the Mudiyettu ritual theatre of Kerala were added in 2010. The Buddhist chanting of Ladakh was added in 2012 and the Sankirtana of Manipur in 2013. The Thatheras brass and copper craft of Jandiala Guru in Punjab was added in 2014, Yoga in 2016, the Kumbh Mela in 2017, Durga Puja of Kolkata in 2021 and Garba of Gujarat in 2023. Remembering which element was added in which year is a common objective question.
Rituals, Season and Community
Many festival questions test the link between a festival, its community and its season. Bihu is linked to the agricultural calendar of Assam, Baisakhi to the Rabi harvest of Punjab, Pongal to the Tamil harvest, Onam to the Malayali harvest and the legend of Mahabali, and Wangala to the post-harvest thanksgiving of the Garos. The Hornbill Festival showcases the cultural diversity of the Naga tribes, and Lai Haraoba is the ritual festival of the Meitei community of Manipur. Festivals such as Raja Parba in Odisha, Harela in Uttarakhand and Bathukamma in Telangana are regional and are often asked at the state level. Understanding the community behind a festival not only helps objective answers but also improves essay and descriptive responses.
Fairs, Crafts and Cultural Tourism
Fairs are important platforms for traditional crafts and performing arts and are frequently linked with cultural tourism. The Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Haryana, the Tarnetar fair in Gujarat, the Nagaur cattle fair in Rajasthan, the Pushkar fair and the Sonepur fair combine commerce with culture. The Hornbill Festival of Nagaland and the Bihu of Assam are major cultural tourism events. The Government of India promotes these through the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, and many fairs are supported under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes. Questions may ask which fair is associated with which state or craft, so candidates should learn the fair-state pair along with the craft displayed there.
Key Facts at a Glance
- The Kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world.
- The Kumbh Mela is held at Haridwar, Prayagraj, Nashik and Ujjain.
- The Kumbh Mela was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017.
- The Pushkar Mela is a famous camel fair in Rajasthan.
- Diwali is the festival of lights and Bestu Varas is the Gujarati New Year.
- Holi is the festival of colours, celebrated in March.
- Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala and celebrates King Mahabali.
- Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu.
- Baisakhi is the harvest festival of Punjab.
- Bihu is the main festival of Assam, celebrated three times a year.
- The three Bihus are Bohag or Rongali, Kati or Kongali and Magh or Bhogali.
- The Ambubachi Mela is held at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam.
- Bwisagu is the new year festival of the Bodos.
- The Hornbill Festival is the main festival of Nagaland.
- Chapchar Kut is a festival of Mizoram.
- The Wangala festival belongs to the Garo community of Meghalaya.
- Yaoshang and Lai Haraoba are festivals of Manipur.
- Kharchi Puja and Garia are festivals of Tripura.
- Losar is the Tibetan New Year celebrated in Ladakh and Sikkim.
- Garba of Gujarat was inscribed by UNESCO in 2023.
Quick Revision Points
- Group festivals by type: pan-Indian, harvest, new year and tribal.
- Learn the four Kumbh cities and the three Bihus as fixed sets.
- Make a state-wise list of harvest festivals: Pongal, Onam, Baisakhi, Nabanna, Magh Bihu.
- Memorise the UNESCO entries with their years, especially Garba 2023 and Durga Puja 2021.
- Remember that the Hornbill Festival is in Nagaland and the Wangala is of the Garos.
- Link each fair with its state and its speciality.
How to Prepare This Topic
- Prepare a table with columns for festival, state, community and season.
- Separate the North-East festivals into their own revision sheet.
- Write the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list in chronological order.
- Learn the four Kumbh locations and their rivers.
- Revise the harvest festivals together with their states.
- Solve previous-year questions on festivals and note the repeats.
Common Exam Traps
- Confusing Onam with Pongal; Onam is Kerala and Pongal is Tamil Nadu.
- Forgetting that Bihu is celebrated three times and naming only Rongali Bihu.
- Mixing up the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland with the Wangala of Meghalaya.
- Getting the UNESCO year of Garba wrong; it is 2023.
- Attributing the Ambubachi Mela to a place other than the Kamakhya Temple.
- Calling Diwali the harvest festival; it is the festival of lights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Kumbh Mela held and when was it recognised by UNESCO?
The Kumbh Mela is held at four places: Haridwar on the Ganges, Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, Nashik on the Godavari and Ujjain on the Shipra. It is the largest religious gathering in the world and was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017.
What are the three Bihu festivals of Assam?
Bihu is celebrated three times a year. Bohag or Rongali Bihu in April welcomes the Assamese new year, Kati or Kongali Bihu in October is a solemn observance, and Magh or Bhogali Bihu in January is the harvest festival marked by community feasts. Bihu is the principal cultural festival of Assam.
Name the harvest festivals of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal.
Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala, Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is the harvest festival of Punjab, and Nabanna is the harvest festival of West Bengal. In Assam the harvest festival is Magh or Bhogali Bihu.
Which Indian traditions are on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list?
India's entries include Kutiyattam, Vedic chanting and Ramlila (2008), Ramman (2009), Chhau, Kalbelia and Mudiyettu (2010), Buddhist chanting of Ladakh (2012), Sankirtana of Manipur (2013), Thatheras craft (2014), Yoga (2016), Kumbh Mela (2017), Durga Puja of Kolkata (2021) and Garba of Gujarat (2023).
Which festivals belong to Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya?
The Hornbill Festival is the main festival of Nagaland and is held every December at Kisama. Chapchar Kut is a famous festival of Mizoram. Meghalaya is known for the Wangala festival of the Garo community and the Shad Suk Mynsiem of the Khasi community.