Indra Jatra - The Festival of Rain

Indra Jatra - Festival of Rain

Indra Jatra is the biggest festival for the Nepalese “newar” community in Sikkim and is celebrated with much fanfare throughout the state. Named after the Hindu God of Rain and also the King of Heaven, Lord Indra, the festival’s prime objective is to seek his blessings in the form of rains and showers.

        Credits - Religionworld.in

Duration of the festival

The festival is celebrated around August-September and lasts for eight days, bringing the whole valley to life with vibrancy and mood of festivity all around. Cultural programs, chariot processions and masked dance performances representing various deities and demons, take everyone in awe of their hypnotizing splendour.

Highlights of the Festival

The festival’s most significant highlight is marked by a huge procession that is taken along the streets of Gangtok after performing various religious rituals at Bhanu Park. A number of masked dance performances including Pulu Kishi, Lakhey, Mahakali and Sawa Bhaku along the pageant provide for an enchanting sight to all the spectators.                    Needless to say, for cultural aficionadas, sociologists and anthropologists, this is one of the best times to plan their trip to Sikkim and other parts of North East.

Rishit Basundhara 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pang Lhabsol - Sikkim's Colourful Carnival

Image
Pang Lhabsol - Sikkim's Colourful Carnival Pang Lhabsol is one of the most popular regional and cultural festivals of Sikkim. It attracts countless tourists and visitors from across the nation and different parts of the world. The vibrant festival exudes a matchless aura of positivity and colours all around, bringing all the people of the state at a platform where they can just immerse their souls in celebrations and festivities.                                  Credits - travelshoebum.com The celebrations for Pang Lhabsol are held on the 15th day of the 7th month of Tibetan Lunar Calendar every year, which according to English Calendar, falls somewhere between the August-September timeframe. This festival is celebrated across Sikkim at different locations and monasteries. It is an extravagant carnival that is staged on the grounds of the Tsuklakhang Monastery in Gangtok. Both tourists and locals including Bhutias, Lepchas and Nepalis take part in the festivities with g
Read more

Tihar - Sikkim's Glittering Diwali

Image
Tihar - Sikkim's Glittering Diwali One of the most popular and significant Hindu Festivals, Diwali is celebrated under the name of ‘Tihar’ in Sikkim and other parts of North East India.  The “festival of lights” covers the entire state in the veil of glittering lamps, offering people an opportunity to remove darkness not only from their homes but, also from their souls.                                 Credits - indiaeve.com It is celebrated all over Sikkim for 5 days. In those five days, people pay gratitude to the most significant animals in Hindu mythology. Day-Wise Celebration Day 1 ( Kaag Tihar ) - On the first day, crows which are the symbols of sorrow and sadness are worshipped and given sweets to avert grief and death from the homes. Day 2 ( Kukkar Tihar ) - This day is dedicated to dogs who own a special place in Hindu mythology. Day 3 ( Gai Tihar ) - This is the day of Deepavali. This day, cows are worshipped and the main celebrations of Diwali take place. D
Read more

Losar - The Tibetian New Year

Image
Losar - The Tibetian New Year Losar is one of the most important, if not the important festival of Sikkim. The Tibetan word “Losar” translates to “New Year” in English. The festival coincides with the end of the harvesting season, providing all the farmers the much-needed break to rejoice the fruits of their patience and hard work. It would not be incorrect to say that while Losar is a much-awaited event for the locals, it is also looked forward to with the same zeal by many cultural enthusiasts and photographers worldwide who are eagerly waiting to get a closer rendezvous with the vibrant culture and traditions of this little jewel of North East India.                                 Credits- Tour-India.com It is believed that in the earlier days, Losar was celebrated only as a winter ceremony. But, Gradually, with changes in Tibetan astrological methods and predictions, it started to be celebrated as a warm welcome to a new harvesting season and new year. This festival is
Read more