Nag PanchamiIn Hindu mythology, the cobra has a special significance. Snake worship is an important ritual of the Maharashtrians, and on the festival of Nag Panchami, clay icons of cobras are venerated in homes. People offer sweets and milk to the snake deity and the day is celebrated with folk dances and songs, especially in the countryside.
More Details ...Narali PournimaThe full moon day of the month of Shravan is celebrated with characteristic fervour in different parts of Maharashtra and is known as Narali Pournima or Shravani Pournima.'Naral' means 'coconut', and thus Narali Pournmia. On this day people offer coconuts to the sea-god. Narali Pournima also marks the advent of the new fishing season and fishermen appease the sea-god before sailing out in their gaily-decorated boats. The festival is a day of singing and dancing.
Gokul AshtamiMost devotees fast till midnight and when the birth of Lord Krishna is announced, they eat a festive preparation of rice, butter, yogurt, puris and potatoes. This meal, according to Hindu mythology, was relished by Lord Krishna and his playmates in Gokul. Another fun-filled ritual performed on this day is dahi-handi - clay pots filled with curd, puffed rice and milk are strung high up above the streets and groups of enthusiastic young men (and even women) form human pyramids to reach these and break them open, the way Lord Krishna and his friends used to do.
Ganesh ChaturthiLord Ganesh, the patron deity of Maharashtra, is the God of wisdom. Preparations are made to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi - the auspicious day when Lord Ganesh was born - begin with great enthusiasm all over the state. The 11-day festival begins with the installation of beautifully sculpted Ganesh idols in homes and mandapas (large tents), colourfully decorated, depicting religious themes or current events. The Ganesh idols are worshipped with families and friends. Many cultural events are organised and people participate in them with keen interest. After ten exciting days of worship, people take Ganesh idols in procession to the accompaniment of music and dance for immersion in the sea, river or lake. Emotions run high as people chant 'Ganpati bappa moraya, pudhachya varshi lavkar ya' (Oh Lord Ganesh, please come back soon next year).
More Details ...Gudhi Padwa'Gudhi' - the bamboo staff with a coloured silk cloth and a garlanded goblet atop - symbolises victory or achievement. Maharashtrians erect gudhis on Padwa, the first day of the Hindu New Year. People welcome the New Year with gudhi worship and distribute prasad comprising tender neem leaves, gram-pulse and jaggery. Gudhi Padwa heralds the advent of a new year.
More Details ...PolaThe harvest festival is celebrated by farmers all over the state. On this day bullocks, which are an integral part of the agricultural chores are honoured. They are bathed, colourfully decorated and taken out in processions across the village, accompanied by the music of drumbeats and lezhim (a musical instrument made of a wooden rod and an iron chain full of metallic pieces). Pola brings out an important facet of Hindu culture, which does not look upon cattle as mere beasts of burden, but treats them with dignity and gratitude.
DussehraAccording to the great Hindu epic Ramayan, Dussehra is the day on which Lord Ram killed Ravana, the evil king of Lanka. It is considered a very auspicious day - to start a new venture. It is a symbol of the victory of good over evil. People decorate the entrances of their homes with torans, flower studded strings, and worship the tools of trade, vehicles, machinery, weapons and even books. As the evening falls, the villagers cross the border, a ritual known as Simollanghan, and worship the Shami tree. The leaves of the Apta tree are collected and exchanged among friends and relatives.
More Details ...DiwaliThe most beautiful of all Indian festivals, Diwali is a celebration as a festival of lights. Streets are illuminated with rows of clay lamps and homes are decorated with rangoli (coloured powder designs) and aakash kandils (decorative lanterns of different shapes and sizes). People rise at dawn, massage their bodies and hair with scented oil and take a holy bath. Diwali is celebrated with new clothes, spectacular firecrackers and a variety of sweets in the company of family and friends.Dhanatrayodashi; Narakchaturdashi, Amavasya (Laxmi poojan), Balipratipada and Yamadvitiya (Bhaubeej) are the five days which comprise Diwali, and each day has a peculiar religious significance.
Makar SankrantiSankrant means the passing of the sun from one Zodiac sign to the other. People exchange greeting and good wishes on this day, which marks the Sun's passage from the Tropic of Dhanu (Sagittarius) to Makar (Capricon). Sweet and crunchy ladoos made of sesame and jaggery are the favourite treats.
More Details ...HoliEach year, after a successful winter harvest, people get ready to welcome the spring with Holi - the festival of colours. Holis or bonfires are lit in the night and people gather to worship the fire-god, who is believed to burn away all evil. On the second day, people of all ages come outside and playfully drench each other with coloured water. Brightly coloured powders are applied on faces, and there is plenty of music, dance and sweets to fill the rest of the day. The exuberant display of colours symbolises the advent of a colourful and prosperous spring season.
More Details ....Modern Festivals of MaharashtraEvery year, MTDC seeks to present the myriad facets of Maharashtra's rich heritage of the performing arts through a series of festivals held at important cultural centres.
The Pune FestivalLord Ganesh, or Ganpati as He is popularly called in Maharashtra, is among the most beloved of Hindu Gods. As Ganesh Chaturthi - his day of birth - approaches every year in August-September, so does the Pune Festival, a celebration of art and culture, song and dance, custom and tradition.
Some of the country's internationally renowned artistes gather at Pune, and regard it as a privilege to be invited to perform at the festival. While it has provided a unique platform for exponents of classical music and dance it has, keeping pace with changing times, also helped to promote modern trends in the performing arts, notably the dramatic arts and the traditional art of rangoli.
The Banganga FestivalLegend has it that Lord Ram, on his way to Lanka in search of his wife Sita, stopped on the hillock of Malabar Hill. His followers were worshippers of Shiva and they fashioned a shivalinga from sand and called it Walluka Ishwar (sand God). Though surrounded by water, the people could not find fresh water to quench their thirst or perform daily puja. Seeing this, Ram shot a ban (arrow) into the ground and the fresh waters of the holy Ganga sprang from that spot. Centuries later, the Shilahara kings built a large and beautiful tank in stone, to store the water of the Banganga. Settlers through the ages built numerous, beautifully sculpted temples to various deities around the tank. Every year, in January, a cultural extravaganza is organised at Banganga, where top artistes from around the country perform live classical music concerts. Cultural enthusiasts attend the festival and feast the soul as well as the mind as the sun sets.
The Elephanta FestivalThis festival is held across the Mumbai harbour, on the Elephanta Island, near the world-renowned Elephanta Caves (A World Heritage Site). This feast of music and dance, celebrated under the stars, transforms the entire island into a large auditorium.
Elephanta, a small island 10kms away from the Mumbai harbour, is a favoured destination for culture lovers during the festival held in February. The Elephanta Island is known for its great cave shrine, excavated in the 6th century.
More Details...The Ellora Festival It is a festival of dance and music held every March in the splendid surroundings of the world-heritage listed cave temple of Ellora, about 30 km from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. There are 34 caves cut out of the sloping side of the Chamadri hills. Excavated between 600-1000 AD, the caves belong to Buddhists, Jain and Hindu faiths.
More Details ...The Kalidas Festival at NagpurKalidas was a great Sanskrit poet and dramatist, famous for his historical drama, Shakuntalam, and for the epic poem, Meghdoot. The Kalidas Festival brings back memories of the golden period of the Vidarbha region. Ramgiri, or Ramtek as it is popularly known today, is the place that inspired Kalidas and its beauty features predominantly in his literary work.Every year, in November, some of the greatest exponents of music, dance and drama perform in the picturesque setting of Ramtek, celebrating its glorious heritage over two exciting days and nights.
