Indian Temple Festivals

  

Indian temple festivals are special celebration in the temple premises during particular days to commemorate some mythological legends of the temple deity. Feasts are an integral part of Indian temple festivals. The attendees spend all day at the temple, enjoying them and the temple officials arrange for a special worship and prayer times for the festivals. Such festivals often conclude with an array of spectacular fire works displayed in innovative patterns and varieties, which make spectators, go into raptures. This famous and mighty exhibit of the magnificent display of fireworks adds to the popularity of the Indian temple festivals.

Orissa Temple Festivals
Orissa Temple Festivals are famous all across eastern India. Jagannath temple, located in Puri is an important pilgrimage centre and boasts of one of the most famous Indian temple festivals, Ratha Yatra. Mukteswara Temple, Bhubaneshwar celebrates the Mukteswar Dance Festival wherein expert Odissi dancers dance to the accompanying musical instruments. Duet, solo and group dances are performed by the participants.

Kerala Temple Festivals
Kerala Temple Festivals include the most famous Arattu festival at the Lord Padmanabha temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The other significant temple festivals of Kerala are Thrissur Pooram, Utsavams in Padmanabha swami temple, Makaravilakku, Attukal Pongala, Ashtami at Vaikom temple, Sabarimala, Vrishchikotsavam and a few others.

Tamil Nadu Temple Festivals
There are two such festivals every year, one in the Malayalam month of Thulam and the other in Meenam. Chittirai festival, celebrated in Madurai is one of the most famous Tamil Nadu Temple Festivals. This festival lasts for 10 days and the eighth day witnesses the coronation of Meenakshi, while the 9th day is the Digvijaya festival and the 10th day commemorates the wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. Generally, the residents of this Indian state celebrate temple festivals in the months of March to June and September to October. During such festivals the religious deities are beautifully decked up with jewelleries and new costumes. Pongal, Natyanjali Dance festival and Karthigai Deepam are amongst the numerous temple festivals in this state.

Karnataka Temple Festivals
Karnataka Temple Festivals are renowned in south India and the Ranganatha festival is the most popular one. The festival is held in the temple dedicated to lord Ranganatha, dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his Anantha Shayana. The Brahmotsava festival in Karnataka happens in the month of Chaitra and lasts for 10 days. The Karaga festival and Hoysala Mahotsava festival are a few of the innumerable temple festivals of Karnataka.

Andhra Pradesh Temple Festivals
Andhra Pradesh Temple Festivals include the prominent celebrations like Kotappakonda Temple Fair, Maridamma Festival, Sambhulingeswara Kalyanotsavam, Yellaramma Jatara Jaladurga Kalyanotsavam, Durgamma Festival and Dalta jayanti.

West Bengal Temple Festivals
The West Bengal Temple Festivals are some of the major Indian temple festivals held in eastern India. Rathayatra is a weeklong festival in honour of Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra, while Jhapan is celebrated in the honour of the serpent-deity Manasa on the last day of the Bengali month Sravana. Other than these, Durga Puja, Lakshsmi Puja, Kali Puja and Jagadhatri Puja are some more popular festivals in the temples of West Bengal. Kali puja festival brings about the worship of Maa Kali, a reflection of Maa Durga. Kalighat Temple in Kolkata is a premier site for worshipping Maa Kali. The worship of goddess Kali is marked by display of fireworks and crackers.

Bihar Temple Festivals
Bihar Temple Festivals include Makar Sankranti, Nag Panchami, Navaratri and Chhath Puja. Navaratri is one of the major Bihar temple festivals connected with the autumnal equinox that begins on the first and ends on the tenth day of Navaratri. After the idol of Durga has been worshipped for nine continuous days, it is taken to the river and immersed into it. Dusshera celebrates the victory of Rama over Ravana. This Bihar temple festival it is also called Vijayadashami. Huge colourful paper and wooden effigies of Rama's enemies, Ravana, Meghanada and Kumbhakarna are filled with fire works and burnt during Dussehra. However, the actual Puja takes place in temples of Lord Rama. Mahashivratri, Diwali, Holi and Sarhul are the other temple festivals celebrated here.

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