Starting from festival for mangoes to boat race, July is the right time to enjoy numerous interesting and unique celebrations. The indigenous culture of the land has given rise to numerous cultures and traditions
1. Ashadha Gupt Navratri
Date: 30th June – 9th July 2022
Location: Throughout the country – especially northern states
This festival is celebrated four times every year. This is a lesser known type of Navaratri, which runs for nine days with each day celebrating a form of Durga or the Mother Goddess. This festival is celebrated by those who follow tantric activities, sadhus, and others. A special ardent prayer is conducted for the deity and religious texts are recited throughout the festival.
During this festival, pilgrims can take part in scripture recital, food offerings, unique rituals, and others. Nine young girls will be represented as the nine forms of Durga and will be prayed to.
2. Bonalu Festival
Date: 3th July – 24th July 2022
Location: Telengana, Hyderabad, and Secunderabad
This festival has been a part of the culture for more than 200 years. This festival is conducted to celebrate the feminine energy (Goddess Shakti) and the mother goddess, Mahakali. This festival takes place on every Sunday of Ashadha month. This festival is also called Ashada Jatra Utsavalu. The term Bonalu means feast.
Bonalu Festival Telangana
During this festival, the goddess is served with a delicacy made with rice, jaggery, and milk. It is believed that if the delicacy is served, Goddess will fulfil the devotees’ requests. The festival begins at Golconda Fort’s Mahakali temple. The main event of the festival is celebrated in Ujjaini Mahakali Temple of Secunderabad.
3. Hemis Gompa Fair
Date: Celebrated in June Last or July First week
Location: Hemis Monastery, Leh
Hemis Festival is one of the iconic celebrations of Ladakh. This festival is celebrated to remember the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. He is the founder of Tibet’s Tantric Buddhism. The main attraction of this festival is the masked dance of the monks.
This dance enactsone of the main mythological stories where the good wins over evil. The festival is celebrated with music, dance, and other entertainments. People visit the monastery to see the spiritual scrolls, which are displayed only during this festival.
Hemis Festival, Leh
4. Minjar Festival
Date: 24th July 2022
Location: Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh
Minjar Festival or Minjar Mela is celebrated for seven days. According to legends, king of Himachal Pradesh asked a saint to change the course of River Ravi so that people could visit Hari Rai Temple. After seven days of rituals, the sage changed the river’s course with the help of a cord (minjar). According to another legend, a woman brought maize flower (minjar) to visit the King of Chambal and to appreciate her gift, the Minjar fair was celebrated.
Minjar Festival
People wear silk attire and offer prayers to Laxmi Narayan Temple. Stalk of maize flower is offered to God. People take a holy dip in the river and take part in a procession in which the main deities of the temple are taken on a palanquin and immersed into the river for a holy dip. The best of all is the fair that takes place for seven days. You can find handicraft exhibition, carnival rides, shopping stalls, and others.
Laxmi Narayan Temple, Himachal Pradesh
5. Champakulam Boat Race
Date: 12th – July- 2022
Location: Pamba River, Kerala
This is the first boat race of the season. As the name indicates, it takes place on Chempakulam’s Pamba River. The main attraction of this race is the starting ceremony, a procession in which water floats, parasol boats, and others will be left to sail with performance artists dancing, singing, and performing other activities on the boats. After the procession, the first boat race begins in Kerala.
Champakulam Boat Race
6. Guru Purnima
Date: 13th July 2022
Location: Rishikesh, Govardhan, and other regions
Guru means teacher. This is the festival celebrated to remember the Sage Vyasa, who wrote epics and Hindu scriptures. This festival is celebrated on the full-moon day of the month. The significance of this celebration is to pay tribute to the teachers who gave spiritual lessons.
People also review the spiritual lessons they learned over the year, which transformed them. This festival is celebrated in the spiritual centers around the country. Sivananda Ashram of Rishikesh is one of the top destinations to visit during this festival.
Guru Purnima, Rishikesh
7. Dree Festival
Date: 4th – 5th July 2022
Location: Ziro of Arunachal Pradesh
Dree is a tribal festival, which is celebrated by Apatani tribe at Arunachal Pradesh. This is an agricultural celebration, which includes rituals and offerings to their gods for protecting the crop.
During this festival, many cultural performances like dance, music, and others take place. The best of all is the Mr. Dree competition. In this competition, the men of the tribe showcase their stamina, strength, intelligence, and agility.
Dree Festival, Arunachal Pradesh
8. Behdienkhlam Festival
Date: 14th July 2022
Location: Meghalaya – Jaintia hills and Jowai
This is one of the many interesting tribal festivals of Meghalaya. The term behdien means driving away and khlam means plague. This is a festival conducted to drive away the evil spirits that cause plague. This festival marks the end of the sowing season too.
The festival runs for three days and it includes chariot procession in which a ceremonial tree trunk is taken to a sacred pool. The main attraction of this festival is the local football game. It is common belief that the winner of the game will have a prosperous harvest.
Behdienkhlam Festival
9. International Mango Festival
Date: 9th July to 10th July 2022
Location: Delhi
The month of July is the peak mango season in India. During this festival, a large mango exhibition is conducted in Dilli Haat of Janakpuri, Delhi. This is a three-day festival in which more than 500 varieties of mangoes will be displayed.
People can sample the mangoes and buy them. You can also find mango infused products like jams, jelly, and others. This festival’s main event is the mango eating contest in which the contestants have to eat 3 kg of mangoes in three minutes or less.
International Mango Festival
10. Ladakh Polo Festival
Date: 11th – 17thJuly 2022
Location: Ladakh
This festival was started in the 1400s by the Baltistan princess. This game was introduced to keep the culture of Ladakh alive. Apart from the game, you can enjoy folk dance and instrumental music. Tourists can take part in archery contests, traditional feast, handicraft exhibition, and others.
You can find numerous stalls around the region to buy items like Pashmina shawls, pattu fabric, Thangka painting, prayer wheels, and others. This is also the time to watch people in their local attire.
11. Veerampattinam Car Festival
Date: Celebrated on July or August
Location: Sengazhuneer Amman Temple, Pondicherry
This is the annual temple car festival that takes place in Veerampattinam region’s Amman temple. This is a local deity of the fishermen. People celebrate this festival with procession, milk pot rituals, padayatra, and others.
Dragging the chariot around the streets of the region is considered as an auspicious event in this festival. During this festival, the pilgrims will be served rice pudding and sweet pudding.
Veerampattinam Car Festival
12. Bastille Day
Date: 14th July 2022
Location: Pondicherry
This festival has been a part of the culture for 400 years. This festival is the National Day celebration of France. Since Pondicherry was a colony of France, the national day is celebrated with pride and honor. Today, the festival is still in tradition even after the independence of Pondicherry.
This day is celebrated with a parade, public feasts, and fireworks. A French styled military parade takes place. France flag will be hoisted along with India flag and soldiers wear the French uniform to honor the French soldiers killed in action.
Bastille Day, Pondicherry
13. Karka Sankranti
Date: 16th July 2022
Location: Throughout the country
Karka Sankranti is celebrated on the day when Sun starts its southern journey. It is said that this festival marks the day when Gods start their hibernation phase for six months. People celebrate this day by donating food and clothes. Karka Sankranti is celebrated at the starting of monsoon season.
People pray to Dakshinayana to bring more harvest and wealth to home. You can find many rituals and celebrations in the Vishnu temples. People chant Vishnu Sahsra Nama mantra during the rituals. This day is also called PunyaKaal.
14. Njangattiri Aanayoottu
Date: 22th July 2022
Location: Njangattiri Bhagavathi temple of Palakkad
The festival is the elephant feeding ritual. Elephant is an important part of Kerala’s culture. Elephants take part in religious rituals, processions, and celebrations. This is the day is focused on celebrating elephants of the land.
The temple elephants are brought into the temple premises where they are fed sugarcanes, jaggery, coconut, and other local delicacies. People gather around to watch the elephant eat and pray to the animal. Elephant is seen as the form of Lord Ganesh and praying to elephants on this day would help to remove hurdles.
Njangattiri Aanayoottu
15. Phyang Tsedup Festival
Date: 26th – 27th July 2022
Location: Phyang Tsedup
This festival is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. The main attraction of this festival is the monk mask dance called Chham. This festival is celebrated in the 6th month of the local calendar. On the second day of celebration, the ritual offerings of the first day will be burnt in a bonfire and it is concluded with a procession.
The scrolls of the Phyang Tsedup monastery will be displayed during this carnival. For the rest of the year, these scrolls will be locked up in the monastery. Thus, locals and pilgrims flock to see the religious scrolls. This exhibition and dance performance of the festival is famous among the locals and pilgrims.
Phyang Tsedup Festival, Ladakh
16. Sawan Shivaratri
Date: 26th July 2022
Location: Northern states of the country
This is a religious festival celebrated for Lord Shiva. Although not as famous as the Mahashivratri, the Sawan Shivaratri is celebrated in an auspicious way. This festival is celebrated on the lunar month, Sawan (a holy month). People fast and perform religious rituals to Lord Shiva.
The temples of Lord Shiva will conduct special rituals during this day. According to mythology, on this day, Lord Shiva swallowed a deadly poison and withheld it in his neck, turning it into blue. Those who fast and perform rituals on this day are said to enjoy prosperity, good health and a peaceful life.
Savan Shivratri
Andhra Pradesh Travel Guide
17. Coimbatore Book Festival
Date: 22th– 31st July 2022
Location: Codissia Trade fair complex of Coimbatore
As the name indicates, this a book festival, which is also a trade show for art, craft, innovative products, and souvenirs. This book fair cum exhibition is a platform for budding entrepreneurs to pitch their product to the public. In 2021, more than 500 stalls are expected to be erected and the visitor footfall will be above 20,000.
18. Bhandara Festival
Location: Khandoba temple of Maharashtra
This is an interesting and unique festival in which people throw tons of turmeric powder at each other and all over the temple. The entire temple will be drenched with turmeric and people dance, sing and enjoy over it, all day long. By noon, the main deity of the temple is taken on a procession to the river, closer to the temple.
This procession is the highlight of the celebration. This festival is celebrated on every new moon that falls on Monday. Thus, the festival is celebrated three or two times a year. This festival attracts photographers from around the country.
Bhandara Festival
19. Karsha Gustor Festival
Date: 26th July to 27th July 2022
Location: Karsha Monastery, Ladakh
Also called the Spitok Gutor Zanskar festival, this is a celebration of music, color, and dance. This festival is celebrated in the yellow hat monastery – Karsha monastery. The festival takes place for two days in which the lamas of the monastery welcome the tourists and pilgrims with a black hat dance. Watching the black hat dance is said to ward off evil and sustain the good on earth.
Later, the Cham mask dance is also performed. At the end of the festival, the statues of demons will be burnt to indicate the end of the celebration. Tourists can enjoy the cultural celebrations, visit stalls for buying souvenirs and try the local cuisine of the land.
Karsha Gustor Festival
20. Bakri Eid
Date: 9th- 10th July, 2022
Bakri Eid is one of the major festivals of the Muslims, which is celebrated on the 10th day of the month Zil-Haj (according to Muslim calendar). It is observed by Muslims remembering the offer of Prophet Ibrahim’s to sacrifice his son.
This festival is also known as Id-ul-Azha, people offer prayers at mosques. It is then followed by feasting and rejoicing.
21. Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey
Date: 2nd July 2022
Location: Route covering Chandigarh and Ladakh via Pangong Lake and Nubra valley
2022 holds the 19th Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey. This is a motorcycle road tour covering some of the interesting and challenging trails in the mountain passes of the land. Every year, more than 50 riders take part in this bike tour.
During the major festival and events, the demand for the tickets and accommodations will be high. It is important to learn about the celebration and the activities that are open to tourists before choosing to visit in Ladakh. July is the monsoon month. The rainfall will be moderate to severe and the place will still be humid, in most of the destinations. Thus, pack accordingly
Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey
