kartik
purnima-
Celebrated in the month of November-December is the
sacred day, when the ghats of Varanasi come alive with thousands
of brightly-lit earthern lamps.
buddh
purnima-
This festival is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in
Sarnath. This day Lord Buddha was born. A large fair is held in
Sarnath and the relics of Buddha are taken out in a procession
for public viewing on this day. Buddh Purnima is celebrated
during the month of May.
bharat
milap-
Around Dussehra a fair is held in Nati Imli which
celebrates the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile. His
reunion with his younger brother Bharat is celebrated as Bharat
milap. This festival is attended by the king of Kashi in royal
flavour. The festival is attended by at least a million devotees.
Held in the month of October / November.
the
ramlila-
The Ramlila of Ramagar is famous far and wide. The
Ramlila is based on the Ramcharitramanas by Tulsidas. The month
ling festival is usually held during October / November and it
sees the performance of many ancient rituals.
nakkatyya-
This festival again is based on the Ramayana. The
episode in the epic where the sister of Ravana tries to influence
Lakshmana to marry her but instead Lakshman chops off her nose.
On hearing this Ravana vows revenge against the brothers. This
incidence in the epic is one of the reasons why Sita was abducted
by Ravana. The festival is held in Chetganj with much fan
fair.
hanuman jayanti-
This festival is celebrated to mark the birth of the
monkey God Hanuman . The five day long festivities are held at
the Sankat Mochan temple. During this festival many plays are
staged based on the Saraswati, Ram , Krishnalila and Hanuman
Charitra.
mahashivratri-
Though Mahashivratri is celebrated throughout India,
Varanasi has some special charm in the celebration the festival.
During the festival a procession is taken out from the
Maha-Mritunjaya temple to Kashi Viswanath Temple.
the
dhrupad mela-
In the month of March a five day long music festival is
organised on the Tulsi Ghats. during the five days renowned
artists from all over the country perform Dhrupad here. This
festival is one of the major tourist attraction of
Varanasi.
panch
koshi parikrama-
The procession has got the name because it passes
through five places. These five places are Kardmeshwar,
Bhimchandi, Rameshwar, Shivpur and Kapildhara. The parikrama has
special importance in the ancient parikramas of India. The
procession starts and ends at Manikarnika Ghat.
