Buddha Purnima :
Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar. The most important festival of the Buddhists, Buddha Purnima falls on the full moon day of the lunar month Vaishaaka (that corresponds to the month of April-May) - a special time in Buddhism as it was on this day that the Buddha was born, gained enlightenment and attained Nirvana when he died. The decision to agree to celebrate Vesak as the Buddha’s birthday was formalized at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950, although festivals at this time in the Buddhist world are a centuries-old tradition.

Durga Pooja (Navratra Festival) :
Durgsa Pooja also referred as Durgotsab is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates worship of Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi , Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami. The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to traditional Hindu calendar and the fortnight corresponding the festival is called Debi Pokkho (‘Fortnight of the Goddess’). Debi Pokkho is preceded by Mahalaya, the last day of the previous fortnight Pitri Pokkho, and is ended on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja (‘Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night’).

Dussehra :
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is a festival celebrated in varying forms across Nepal and India. It is celebrated on the tenth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu autumn month of Ashvin or Ashwayuja, and is the grand culmination of the 10-day annual Navaratri ('nine nights') festival. It is the largest festival in Nepal, and celebrated by Hindu and non-Hindu Nepalis alike. Vijayadashami is also known as Dasara, Dashahara, Navaratri, and Durgotsav. It is celebrated in the lunar month of Ashwin (usually in September or October) from the Shukla Paksha Pratipada (the next of the New moon day of Bhadrapada) to the Dashami, or the tenth day of Ashwin.

Holi (Festival of Colours) :
Holi also called the Festival of Colors, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka, and countries with large Hindu diaspora populations, such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, the UK, USA, Mauritius, and Fiji. In West Bengal of India and Bangladesh it is known as Dolyatra (Doul Jatra) or Basanta-Utsab ("spring festival"). The most celebrated Holi is that of the Braj region, in locations connected to the god Krishna: Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana. These places have become tourist destinations during the festive season of Holi, which lasts here to up to sixteen days.

Teej Festival :
Teej is a fasting festival for Hindu women. It takes place in 3rd day of Shukla Paksha in Bhadrapad or Bhado month of nepali calendar normly in the month of August or early September. It is celebrated for marital bliss, well-being of spouse and children and purification of own body and soul. The festival is a three-day-long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting.Falling on the Hindu month of Bhadrapad or Bhado (August/September), it also celebrates the arrival of monsoon after a season of oppressive heat. "Teej" is a small red insect that comes out of the soil during rains.

Elephant Festival :
the Elephant Festival is a unique event, which is usually held in the month of March in Rajasthan. The elephants are groomed to perfection and they glitter in gold as they walk in rows before an excited audience. The elephants move gracefully in procession, run races, play the regal game of polo, and finally participate in the spring festival of Holi. During Holi, the Chaugan is brought alive with elephants, dancers, musicians, and onlookers from the entire globe. The festival starts with an impressive procession of the majestic animals lovingly painted and tastefully attired with glittering ornaments and embroidered velvets.

Onam Festival :
Onam is the biggest festival in the South Indian state of Kerala. It falls during the Malayali month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali. Carnival of Onam lasts for ten days and is linked to many elements of Kerala's culture and tradition. Intricately decorated Pookalam, ambrosial Onasadya, Snake Boat Race and the Kaikottikali dance are some of the most remarkable features of Onam - the harvest festival in Kerala.

Kumbha Mela (Biggest Festival of the World) :
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage. It occurs four times every twelve years and rotates among four locations: Allahabad (Prayag) at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and mythical Saraswati river, Haridwar along the Ganga river, Ujjain along the Kshipra river and Nashik along the Godavari river. The Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Allahabad , while the Purna (complete) Kumbh always takes place at Allahabad every twelve years. Over 45 days beginning in January 2007, more than 70 million Hindu pilgrims took part in the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Allahabad, and on January 15, the most auspicious day of the festival of Makar Sankranti, more than 5 million participated.

Deepawali (Diwali) (Festival of Lights) :
Diwali is a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and an official holiday in India. Adherents of these religions celebrate Diwali as the Festival of Lights. They light diyas—cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil—to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. As per Hindu calendar, the five day festival of Diwali is centered on the new moon day that ends the month of Ashwin and begins the month of Kartika, beginning on the 13th day of the dark half of Ashwin (Ashwin 28th) and ending on the 2nd day of the bright half of Kartika (Kartika 2nd). The main day of celebration varies regionally.

Gangaur :
Gangaur is a festival celebrated in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Gangaur is the colourful and the one of the most important festivals of people of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk who worship Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva during July-Aug. It is the celebration of monsoon, harvest and martial fidelity in Jaipur. Gana is a synonym for Lord Shiva and Gaur which stands for Gauri or Parvati who symbolizes Saubhagya (marital bliss). The unmarried women worship her for being blessed good husband, while married women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their husbands and happy married life.

Makar Sankranti :
Sankranthi is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of Indian Sub-Continent. This is a harvest festival celebrated not only all over India but other South East Asian Countries as well. Makara Sankranti has special geo-agri-economical significance to people of Indian Sub-Continent. Makara Sankaranti is about transition of Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path. This is significant considering the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days.

Pushkar Camel Fair :
The Pushkar Fair, or Pushkar ka Mela, is one of the world's largest camel fairs, held in the town of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan, India. Competitions such as the "matka phod", "moustache", and "bridal competition" are the main draws for this fair which attracts thousands of tourists. In recent years the fair has also included an exhibition cricket match between the local Pushkar club and a team of random foreign tourists. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, mentions an attendance of 100,000 pilgrims in early 1900s.

Jaisalmer Desert Festival :
This is held over three days in Jan/Feb every year. This is the best time to visit Jaisalmer to witness many performing arts like Kalbelia dances and folk songs and music. Dressed in brilliantly hued costumes, the people of the desert dance and sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy. The fair has snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats and folk performers. Camels, of course, play a stellar role in this festival, where the rich and colorful folk culture of Rajasthan is on show. The festival closes with an enchanting sound and light show amidst the sand dunes on a moonlit night.

Pongal Festival :
Pongal is a harvest festival equivalent to a thanksgiving event celebrated by Tamils across the world. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated in various parts of India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over or spill over." The act of boiling over of milk in the clay pot is considered to denote future wishes for the family. Makara Sankranti/Thai Pongal celebrates the resumption of the sun's 'journey northwards' where the days get longer. Tamil Hindus dedicate the first grain harvested to the sun on this 'Surya Mangalya'. The celebration of Makara Sankranti/Pongal is not confined to the Tamils. It is a pan-Indic event described in the Mahabharata.

Magh Bihu Festival :
Bihu denotes a set of three different largely secular festivals of Assam. Though they owe their origins to ancient rites and practices they have taken definite urban features and have become popular festivals in urban and commercialized milieus in the recent decades. Bihu is also used to imply Bihu dance and Bihu folk songs. The word Bihu is derived from visuvan that describes a number of festivals in India that are associated with the March equinox. In Assam, the Rongali Bihu draws from many different traditions—Austro-Asiatic, Sino-Burmese and Indo-Aryan—and is celebrated with particular fervor.

Taj Mahotsav :
Taj Mahotsav is an annual 10 day (from 18 to 27 February) event at Shilpgram in Agra, India. Every year in February tourists flock to Agra for this mega event, just a stone throw from the majestic Taj Mahal. This festival invokes the memories of old Mughal era and nawabi style prevalent in Uttar Pradesh in 18th and 19th centuries. The festival starts with a grand road procession with decorated elephants and camels like victory processions of Mughal Emperors and warlords. Drum beaters, trumpet players, folk dancers, skilled crafts men and artisans also join the procession to make it a grander affair. Artists from all over India come here to display their art and craftmanship.Apart from the exquisite craft work you can experience the majestic and magnetic performances by artistes from every walks of life. The soul-stirring performances will engulf you to the extent of casting a spell. Throughout the Mahotsav, one can experience a profusion of folk & classical music & dances of various regions, especially the Brij Bhumi, performed the way they used to be centuries ago. The experience is so enthralling that you would not stop yourself from joining with the folk dancers. Besides the folk, the Mahotsav also exhibit the performance from the world renowned artistes from classical, semi-classical and popular art forms.

Konark Festival :
Described as a poem in stone, the Sun temple at Konark is the crowning glory of the temple architecture of Orissa. As a fitting tribute to the majestic monument, eminent classical dancers of India get together during the Konark Festival every year from 1 to 5 December to present live performances of their art. When the sun sets in the horizon and the stars appear in the sky, the open-air auditorium against the backdrop of the floodlit temple reverberates with the beats of Raga and Tala to fill the air. The classical extravaganza is a journey through ecstasy.

Khajuraho Dance Festival :
Held every year from 25th February to 2nd March, Khajuraho Dance Festival takes place at the open-air auditorium in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to the Sun God and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. They are situated in the Western Group of temples, which is the largest, well maintained and most easily accessible temple group of Khajuraho. Started regularly since 2002, this weeklong festival has already become legendary with its outlandish classical dance performances presented in a dreamlike setting of splendidly illuminated temples. Khajuraho temples present sculptures depicting various skills and arts of courtly love including dance and music in stone and what venue can be more befitting to hold the cultural festival highlighting the various classical dances of India.

Champakulam Boat Race :
Champakulam Moolam Boat Race This boat race is the oldest and most popular vallam kali (snake boat race) in Kerala state of south India. The race is held on the river Pampa on Moolam day (according to the Malayalam Era M.E) of the Malayalam month Midhunam, the day of the installation of the deity at the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple. It is said that the Raja of Chempakasseri, Pooradam Thirunal Devanarayanan, built a temple at Ambalappuzha as suggested by the royal astrologers, but just before the installation of the deity (Lord Krishna) he was informed that the idol was not auspicious.

Guru Purnima :
The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh of the Hindu calendar is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima by Hindus. On this day, devotees offer puja (worship) to their Guru. This was the day when Krishna-dwaipayana Vyasa – author of the Mahabharata – was born. Veda Vyasa, did yeoman service to the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all the Vedic hymns extant during his times, dividing them into four parts based on their use in the sacrificial rites, and teaching them to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu.

Ganesh Chaturthi :
Ganesha Chaturthi is a Hindu festival of Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi. It is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi.

Raksha Bandhan :
Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi, Punjabi, Oriya, Assamese and most other Indian languages) is a Hindu festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shraavana (Shravan Poornima). The festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi, or holy thread by the sister on the wrist of her brother. The brother in return offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her as she presents sweets to her brother.

Janmashtami :
Krishna Janmashtami also known as "Krishnashtami","Saatam Aatham" ,"Gokulashtami", "Ashtami Rohini", "Srikrishna Jayanti", "Sree Jayanthi" or sometimes merely as "Janmashtami", is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of hindu deity Vishnu. Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the Ashtami tithi, the eighth day of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhaadra in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra (called Aldebaran in the West) is ascendant.

Ganga Mahotsav :
Ganga Mahotsav is a five day event celebrated on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi. This festival is celebrated to promote Varanasi as the cultural capital of India and the Ganges as India’s lifeline. Ganga Mahotsav is organized on Dev Deepavali or the full moon day in the Hindu month of Kartik. It is believed that on the day of Dev Deepavali God descends from Heaven to take a bath in the Ganges. The banks of the river Ganga are lit with earthen lamps or diyas amidst chanting of Vedic hymns.