Fairs & Festivals of Punjab:
Baba Bakala: It celebrated on every amavas (moonless night) and on the day of the ‘Raksha Bandhan’.
Chhapaar Mela: It is celebrated every September in village Chhapaar (Ludhiana) to propitiate, ‘Guga’ or ‘Goga-the Zahir Pir’, who is described as the Lord of the snakes.
Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan: It is a National Fair, held at Devi Talab, Jalandhar, which was started by Baba Harballabh in the memory of his Guru Swami Tulja Giri in 1875.
Martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru Fair: This fair is held on March 23rd every year at the memorial of the Freedom Fighters at Ferozepur.
Mukatsar Maghi Fair: It is celebrated on the occasion of Makar Sankranti in January every year.
Prof. Mohan Singh Mela, Ludhiana: It is a unique fair of cultural confluence of Punjabi artists, writers and folk performers.
Fairs & Festivals of Tripura:
Pous Sankranti Festival (January), Garia and Gajan Puja (April), Ashokastami (April), Kharchi Puja (July), Boat Race (August) and Orange and Tourism Festivals (November) are important festivals of Tripura.
Fairs & Festivals of Rajasthan:
Bhai Dooj: It is celebrated once a year on ‘Dooj’, the second day after the new moon, i.e. two days after Diwali.
Jhalawar Festival: Chandrabhaga Fair or Jhalawar Fair is held in Jhalrapatan, near Jhalwar on the auspicious day of Kartik Purnima, when thousands of pilgrims take a holy dip or “Chandravati” in River Chandrabhaga.
Marwar Festival, Jodhpur: This festival is held in the month of October and showcases the Maand style of folk music and dance of the Marwar region.
Mewar Festival, Udaipur: Held in March-April, it is a spring festival dedicated to goddess Parvati. As part of the rituals of the festival, women carry images of the goddess to the Gangaur Ghat of Lake Pichnoia.
Nagaur Festival: It is the second largest cattle fair of India, held in the month of February.
Pushkar Fair: Pushkar is the venue of the largest cattle fair in India and is held in the month of November.
The other important festivals and fairs of Rajasthan include Camel Festival (Bikaner), Desert Festival (Jaisalmer), Elephant Festival (Jaipur) and the Shilpgram Crafts Mela.
Fairs & Festivals of Sikkim:
Guthor Chaam: This festival is held at the Rumtek and Pemayangste Monasteries two days prior to the Tibetan New Year.
Losar: The Tibetan New Year is celebrated as Losar with lot of gaiety and festivity during the months of February/March.
Losoong: The Sikkimese New Year is celebrated as Losoong.
Pang Lhabsol: The guardian deity of Sikkim, Kanchenjunga, is worshipped during the festival of Pang Lhabsol.
Saga Dawa: It is considered as the “Triple Blessed Festivals” and holiest of all the Buddhist festivals as it was on this day that Lord Buddha was born, achieved Enlightenment and attained Nirvana.
Shad Suk Mynsiem: It is a colourful thanksgiving festival celebrated during spring in the Khasi Hills.
Tashiding Bhumchu: It is a festival when holy water consecrated by Ngadak Sempa Chhenpe, one of the founders of Buddhism in Sikkim, is distributed to devotees.
Tse-chhu Chham: This festival-cum-dance is celebrated at the Rumtek monastery in the honour of Guru Padma Sambhava (Guru Rimpoche).
Fairs & Festivals of Tamil Nadu:
Chittarai Festival (April), Ooty Summer Festival (May) and Mahabalipuram Dance Festival (January) are some of the festivals of Tamil Nadu.
Fairs & Festivals of Uttar Pradesh:
Badri-Kedar Festival: This eight-day festival is held at the sacred shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath in June and groups together several renowned artistes of the country.
Kansa Fair: The festival is held at Mathura and other places in October/November to mark the destruction of Kansa by Lord Krishna.
Taj Mahotsav: The Taj Mahotsav, held in the February, at Agra is an apt introduction to the Indian arts, crafts and cultural nuances.
Vrindavan Sharadotsav: It is held at Brajbhoomi in the month of October and encapsulates the magical nature of the land of Lord Krishna.
The other important festivals of Uttar Pradesh include Ganga Festival, Garhwal Festival, International Yoga Week, Jhansi Festival, Lucknow Festival and Rang Gulal Festival.
Fairs & Festivals of Uttarakhand:
Drukpa Tseshi: This is a religious festival that is observed in all the monasteries to mark Buddha’s first preaching of the ‘Four Noble Truths’.
Basant Panchami: This important religious festival marks the onset of the spring season and the beginning of the Holi baithaks.
Bhitauli: This festival is celebrated in the month of Chaitra.
Ganga Dussehra: Ganga Dussehra or Dasar is celebrated on the Shukla Dasami in the month of Jyestha.
Hill Yatra: It is a popular festival, which can be regarded as a festival of pastoralists and agriculturalists.
Janopunya: This is an important religious festival, which coincides with the Raksha Bandhan, during which people change their janeu or sacred threads.
Kandali: This festival is celebrated once every twelve years when the Kandali flower blooms during the months of August and October.
Kumaon Holi: Known variously as Baithki Holi and the Khari Holi, this festival is essentially a musical event during which professional singers sing traditional lyrics to the accompaniment of classical music.
Nandadevi: This religious festival is dedicated to Goddess Nanda Devi.
Phool Dei: This festival is celebrated on the first day of the month of Chaitra, during which young girls conduct most of the festivities.
Fairs & Festivals of West Bengal:
Indra Puja: ‘Indra Puja’ or the Indra Parab is a colourful festival held at Bishnupur with great pomp during which local Santal chiefs are presented with yellow turbans by the Malla Raja of Vishnupur.
Jhapan: ‘Jhapan’ is the most important festival of Bishnupur held in the month of Shravan in honour of ‘Manasa’, the goddess of snakes. Jhapan is basically a regional harvest festival that is closely associated with the fertility cult and also reflects the snake worship cult in Bengal.