Festivals in Maharashtra

With a wide range of communities and castes residing in Maharashtra people celebrates every festival with equal gusto. Right from Diwali and Holi to Pateti, and from X Mass to Id- Ul- Fitr every festival is celebrated in its true spirit reinforcing a multicultural and multiethnic nature of the state.

Despite the zeal that Maharastrians show in every festival, the stock of fervor is renewed for Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival that has become synonymous with the Mumbai city. Annually celebrated in August or September, this 10-day long festival is an excuse for sheer enjoyment. The immersion of larger-than-life idols of Lord Ganesha into the sea marks the culmination of this festivity.

These idols are taken out in huge processions with incessant chants of "Ganpati Bappa Moreya". Known as 'Visarjan' in the local parlance, this submersion of the idols into the sea, presents quite a spectacle, especially on the Chowpatty beach.

Held in March or April every year, Gudi Padva or the Maharashtrian New Year is also celebrated with an equal zeal. Marking the beginning of the Hindu Solar Year, this festival is dedicated to a potter's son named Sahalivan who is known for overthrowing the Gupta Dynasty of Malwa.

The shrill sounds of 'Govinda Ala Re' will fill your ears if you visit the state during Janmashtami that is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna. Very popular amongst the youth of Maharashtra, this festival observes clay pots full of curd, butter and coins suspended on ropes across the city streets.

This tradition is followed in sync with the extraordinary weakness of Lord Krishna for curd and butter. It is believed that the Lord could go to any extent to steal these. That practice is followed till date in the form of breaking this Dahi Handi.

To test the skill of young boys, these earthen pots full of curd are suspended from a great height. Young men form huge human pyramids and try to break these clay pots. They get cash as reward when they manage to do this.

Home to a huge Parsi population, the Persian New Year is also observed with great fanfare at Mumbai. Popularly known as Pateti, this eight-day annual festival falls in August every year. It is believed that the Parsis residing in India are the descendants from Persian Zoroastrians who they emigrated from Persia (modern Iran) more than 1,000 years ago.

Besides the festivals listed here Maharashtra Tourism also keeps organizing various festivals of tourist interest that come as an excuse to celebrate the glorious architectural heritage of the region. The Elephanta and Ellora festivals held at these caves is one such festival that brings many renowned classical vocal artists from all over the country together for illuminating these caves.