July

Hemis Festival (Leh, Ladakh) July 1 – 2

Catch monks in bright robes perform masked dances to the beats of cymbals and drums in Ladakh, the coldest desert of the world. The Hemis Monastery is the biggest and the richest in the world. This is also the birth anniversary of the Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava.

Teej (Rajasthan) July 24 – 25

Another season changes and it’s time again to celebrate! With monsoon showers around the corner, ladies decide to have a good time. Earlier, they would dress up, sing and enjoy themselves on swings hung from trees. Similar celebrations still continue in some communities in Rajasthan.

Urs (Ajmer, Rajasthan) July 7

An annual event to celebrate Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti’s symbolic union with God. Pilgrims arrive from all over the world. At the Dargah, they sing qawwalis and poems in the saint’s honour. A huge fair draws people looking to buy religious books, rosaries, silver ornaments and embroidered carpets.