Goa BECKONS many visitors for various reasons. For me, travelling around India has been a fascination for some years, with paying my respects at various pilgrim and holy temples being the main agenda on most of my trips. In the past six years, I have travelled widely in India...
India is a country of diverse cultures and languages. Amongst these, one of the most celebrated cultures and community is that of the Bengalis. Their celebrations range from the massive Durga Puja ones to the Poila Boishakh festivities - everything they do is resplendent with immense sweetness and colours....
It is the occasion of Shri Ram Navami today, celebrated with much gaiety and pomp all over the country. It is also called the festival of the spring since it is right at the outset of spring, its timing coinciding with Baisakhi and other harvest festivals. Some celebrate this...
India Beckons wishes its readers a very Happy Gudi Padwa!
Gudi Padwa (the first day after the new moon day or amavasya in the month of Chaitra) is celebrated as the New Year day in Maharashtra, while it also is commemorated in different parts of the country as Ugadi (Telugu...
The spring celebration of Holi sees many parts of India erupt in colour but perhaps the best place to witness it in all its glory is Mathura, home to Vrindavan and Barsana. Here, the festival can last for two weeks. Thousands of tourists descend on the region for a...
In India, the Mahashivratri, which comes on Krishna Chaturdashi of the month of Phalguna, is celebrated by Hindus each year with great pomp and revelry. This year, it is falling on the 4th March. It is the most important of Hindu festivals, which is said to be the convergence...
Kumbh mela, by far India’s most revered and sacred festival, is now also inscribed by the UNESCO as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Tens of millions of devotees attend the purna kumbh mela that takes place every 12 years in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik-Triyambakeshwar and Ujjain. Apart from this,...
As soon as the New Year dawns, the people of Tamil Nadu get ready for their annual celebration of Pongal – a great harvest festival, celebrated by one and all. Pongal is the first day of the month of Sankaranti, on the Makar Sankaranti day that falls on January...
The haldi kumkum ceremony is quite popular in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Goa. The married women of Tamil Nadu host a similar function called Aadiperukku, which is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month called Adi (mid-July to mid-August).
This small function is hosted in...
Jaipur usually tops the list of best places to visit in Rajasthan, and for good reason. The Pink City is colourful, historic, packed with culture, and BECKONS travellers from all parts of the world. But while most people travel to take in iconic sites like Amer Fort and Hawa...
Today, Gurpurab or Guru Nanak Jayanti (the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru), also known as the Prakash Utsav, is being celebrated with much aplomb in India and amongst the Sikh community and followers of Guru Nanak Dev all over the world.
Prabhat Pheris (early morning singing of hymns starting from...
Govardhana puja, also known as the annakoot puja, is celebrated in the month of Kartika (October – November) to commemorate the pastime of Lord Shri Krishna lifting the Govardhana parvat (hill) to provide shelter to and protect the residents of Braj (the area covering Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul and Barsana) from...
Festivals are usually a time to rejuvenate, to let go and wash off the negativities and to make way for the new year and for a new beginning. It’s a time to reflect and a time for soul cleaning. It’s about shedding the old skin of darkness and ignorance...
Today is the second day of the festivities of Diwali, which began with Dhanteras celebrations yesterday. The second day is known as Narak Chaturdashi - also known as the Narak Nivaran Chaturdashi or Roop Chaudas and more popularly among people as Chhoti Diwali. Almost all the traditional pujas that...
Among the umpteen festivals of India, Diwali is the most glorious and grandest of them all. An integral part of India’s cultural fabric, Diwali is derived from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, which means a cluster of lamps.
The most common legend attached to Diwali is that Lord Shri Ram returned to...
