Which festival is celebrated in summer in India?
There are festivals everywhere in India’s colorful culture and summer is certainly one of them. A lot of festivals take place during the hot months, yet Rath Yatra is widely considered to be one of the most significant summer festivals in the country.
Rath Yatra – The Grand Summer Festival
Rath Yatra which is also known as the Chariot Festival, is an important Hindu festival recognized in Puri, Odisha. The festival takes place in June or July, and despite the hot and humid conditions—often accompanied by early monsoon rains—it still draws massive crowds, including millions of devotees and tourists from around the world.
Religious Significance
Rath Yatra is a festival for Lord Jagannath, who is another name for Lord Vishnu with his brother and sister, Balabhadra and Subhadra. After their worship at the temple, the three main deities are displayed in a big procession on very elaborate and beautiful chariots which are pulled by hundreds of devotees.
The journey from the Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple which is a distance of about 3 km, represents Lord Jagannath’s visit to his aunt’s place each year. A few days later, the deities come back with a procession called Bahuda Yatra.
Why It's Celebrated in Summer
Rath Yatra takes place on the second day when the moon is waxing in the month of Ashadha which is when summer is highest in India in Ashadha. Even though the atmosphere is very hot, the event sees a huge number of people, music and a lot of devotion.
The end of summer brings the start of the monsoon and this event has spiritual significance, meaning a fresh start, purification and the constant flow of life.
Other Summer Festivals in India
While Rath Yatra is among the most prominent, several other regional and religious festivals are celebrated during the summer months across India. These include:
- Baisakhi (April): Landowners in these northern states celebrate Baisakhi which marks the end of winter and the start of the harvest season.
- Buddha Purnima (April/May: Buddha Purnima which falls in April/May, is when Buddhist people from across India come together to mark Lord Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and demise, with many celebrations in Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.
- Ganga Dussehra (May/June) : People celebrate as the Ganges River comes down from heaven into the earth and many take dips in the river’s waters.
- Hemis Festival (June/July): Celebrated in the region of Ladakh which honors Guru Padmasambhava by means of masked dances and performing Tibetan Buddhist rituals.
- Chithirai Festival (April/May): This festival takes place in Madurai, Tamil Nadu and marks the heavenly wedding of Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar.
Conclusion
Among summer festivals in India, Rath Yatra is the best known and most celebrated, with a large following, impressive floats and strong religious energy. The spiritual traditions of India are kept alive through these festivals that also allow people to see its many regional cultures, making the season spiritually special even with the intense sun.
