Festivals in West Bengal

Gangasagar Mela (District South 24 Parganas) : The largest fair of the State, Gangasagar Mela is a three-day event held in mid-January, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, at Sagar Dwip. Lakhs of pilgrims come for a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.Explore Special Holidays with us.

Kenduli Mela (District Birbhum) : on the occasion of Makar Sankranti (mid-January) another fair is held at Kenduli in the district of Birbhum. The Mela draws the largest number of Bauls, the wandering minstrels of Bengal. Indian travel agent gives special discounted hotel from budget hotels to Deluxe hotels in India.

Jalpesh Mela (District Jalpaiguri) : On the occasion of Sivaratri (February ? March), a month-long fair is held at Jalpesh near Mainaguri in the district of Jalpaiguri. The fair centres round the age-old Siva temple dedicated to Lord Jalpeswara.

Vasanta Utsav (District Birbhum) : With the onset of spring, Holi is celebrated all throughout India. At Santiniketan in the district of Birbhum, it is Vasanta Utsav (March). Students of the Visva Bharati University welcome the season of colours through songs and dances, throwing abir and spraying liquid dyes at each other.Explore Special Holidays with us.

Naba Barsho (Throughout West Bengal) : The Bengali year starts from the first Baisakh (mid-April).Indian travel agent gives special discounted hotel from budget hotels to Deluxe hotels in India. It is an occasion for celebration to the Bengalees in general and tradesmen in particular. New clothes, fresh flowers, offerings at temples, people visiting decorated shops mark the day.

Rathayatra (District Hooghly) : Rathayatra (June-July) at Mahesh near Serampore is a week-long festival. People throng to have a share in pulling the long ropes attached to the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra on the journey from the temple and back.Indian travel agent gives special discounted hotel from budget hotels to Deluxe hotels in India.

Jhapan (District Bankura) : All over the Western part of the state, a festival is held in the honour of the serpent-deity Manasa on the last day of the Bengali month Sravana (mid-August). But the most spectacular is the one held at Vishnupur in the district of Bankura, with its shows of live snakes on open platforms.Special Holidays with very attractive and discounted packages and hotel bookings.

Bera Utsav (District Murshidabad) : Every year on the last Thursday of the Bengali month of Bhadra mid-September), Bera Utsav is held at Lalbagh on the river Bhagirathi near the palace of the Nawabs. Fireworks of various size and colour add to the gaiety of the festival.

Durga Puja & Deepavali (Throughout West Bengal) : The largest Bengali festival is Durga Puja, held in the Bengali month of Aswin (October). Images of the ten-armed goddess are worshipped in ancient houses and at pandals, erected specially for the Puja.Special Holidays with very attractive and discounted packages and hotel bookings. After the four-day ceremony, the images are immersed in the river. Durgapuja is the most important festival in the city of Kolkata. The festival that follows is Deepavali, the festival of lights,. The worship of goddess Kali is marked by display of fireworks and crackers.

Rash Mela (District Cooch Behar) : On the occasion of Rashyatra (November), a fair is held at Cooch Behar in North Bengal. The month-long fair is one of the most important fairs in the area.Special Holidays with very attractive and discounted packages and hotel bookings.

Jagaddhatri Puja (District Hooghly) : Goddess Jagaddhatri is worshipped in the Bengali month of Kartick (November). At Chandannagar near Kolkata images of the goddess are tall, pandals spectacular and the illumination unique. In fact, the illumination part is the most attractive feature here.Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent.

Teesta Tea & Tourism Festival (Inter-State) : Held in a series at Darjeeling, the Dooars and in Sikkim, the Teesta Tea & Tourism Festival is celebrated with a view to promote tourism in this region as a composite tourist destination, with its bounties in tea, timber and tourism.Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent. The festival is held every year in November ? December.

Poush Mela (District Birbhum) : Between the 7th and 9th of Poush (end-December). Poush Mela is held at Santiniketan in the district of Birbhum. Of the many seasonal festivals celebrated at Santiniketan, this is perhaps the most important, with cultural programmes consisting of folk music & dance, folk theatre and Baul songs.Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent.

Vishnupur Festival (District Bankura) : In the temple town of Vishnupur a festival is organised every year between 27 and 31 December. Characterised by exhibition and sale of local handicrafts and performance of the rich musical tradition that Vishnupur boasts, this is an immensely popular festival.Explore Incredible India with Special Holidays.

Id (Throughout West Bengal) : Id is the largest festival to the Muslims of West Bengal. Id-ul-Fitr comes after the lapse of the Ramjan month and marks a happy communion after a month of prayer and fasting. Explore Incredible India with Special Holidays.Seventy days after Id-ul-Fitr, comes another festive occasion ? Id-uj-Joha. It is celebrated throughout the state, but with great grandeur in Kolkata. A very large congregation of Muslims as well as non-Muslims is held at the Kolkata Maidan.

Dover Lane Music Conference : The largest Indian Classical musical event in Kolkata, the Dover Lane Music Conference has been taking place for the last 25 years. The festival is presented at Nazrul Mancha every year between January 22 and 26.Explore Incredible India with Special Holidays.

Kolkata Book Fair : Held every year from the end of January till early February, this 12-day long Book Fair is held over a large chunk of the Maidan near the crossing of Chowringhee and Park Street.All tour and Travel needs for India by Indian travel agent.

Iskcon Rathayatra : Rathayatra is celebrated all over the State, but the one on a grand scale in Kolkata is organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. All tour and Travel needs for India by Indian travel agent.Three Chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra are taken out of their temple on Albert Road to the strip of Maidan bordering the Victoria Memorial. After seven days, these are taken back again to the temple.

Kolkata Film Festival : Every November between 10 and 17, the Kolkata Film Festival is a gala event, showing films in various theaters, holding seminars, exhibitions and book bazars, attracting large crowds of film-lovers. The hub of all activities is Nandan.All tour and Travel needs for India by Indian travel agent.

National Theatre Festival : Keeping true to its tradition of theatre, Kolkata has an annual theatre festival between 16 and 25 December, organised by Nandikar theatre group. Held usually at the Academy of Fine Arts, it is a unique fare of theatre happenings in the country as well as in the neighbouring countries. Tour Incredible India with Indian Travel agent.

Jatra Festival : A form of entertainment, exclusive in Bengal, is Jatra. A month-long festival of Jatra shows is held at Rabindra Kanan, Chitpur during December-January.

Various Tourism fairs organised by W.B.Tourism eg. West Bengal Tourism fair at Nalban and West Bengal Tourism Exhibition in various districts. Apart from these other tourism fairs like TTF/TTE/Industrial trade fair. Tour Incredible India with Indian Travel agent.