Indian Festivals
Indian Festivals – Complete GK for Railway Exams
India is known as the “Land of Festivals”. Every state, religion and community celebrates a variety of festivals reflecting the country’s cultural diversity. Questions from this topic are regularly asked in RRB NTPC, Group-D, JE, ALP & RPF exams.
1. National & Gazetted Holiday Festivals
| Festival | Date (2024) | Significance | Unique Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Day | 26 Jan | Constitution of India came into force (1950) | Chief Guest at Rajpath, largest parade in Asia |
| Independence Day | 15 Aug | India gained independence (1947) | Flag hoisted at Red Fort, PM’s speech |
| Gandhi Jayanti | 2 Oct | Birth of Mahatma Gandhi (1869) | International Day of Non-Violence (UN 2007) |
| Note: All three are Gazetted Holidays nation-wide. |
2. Religious Festivals – Pan-India & Regional
2.1 Hindu Festivals
| Festival | 2024 Date | State/Region | Key Ritual | Record / Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makar Sankranti | 15 Jan | Pan-India | Kite flying, Khichdi | 1000+ kg khichdi cooked at Gorakhnath temple |
| Basant Panchami | 14 Feb | North & East | Saraswati Puja | Yellow-colour theme |
| Maha Shivratri | 8 Mar | Pan-India | Jagran, Rudrabhishek | 13-storey Shiva statue in Rajasthan (tallest) |
| Holi | 25 Mar | North India | Colour throwing | Barsana “Lathmar Holi” – women beat men with sticks |
| Rama Navami | 17 Apr | Pan-India | Rath-yatra, bhajan | 75-ft chariot in Hyderabad (2023) |
| Raksha Bandhan | 19 Aug | Pan-India | Rakhi tying | 8,000 km “digital rakhi” sent to soldiers (2021) |
| Krishna Janmashtami | 26 Aug | Pan-India | Dahi-handi | 9-layer human pyramid in Mumbai (record) |
| Ganesh Chaturthi | 7 Sep | Maharashtra | Idol immersion | 30 m tall “Lalbaugcha Raja” idol (2022) |
| Navratri | 3-12 Oct | Pan-India | Garba/Dandiya | 56,000 dancers in Vadodara (Guinness 2023) |
| Dussehra (Vijayadashami) | 12 Oct | Pan-India | Ravan effigy burn | 195-ft tallest effigy in Panchkula (2022) |
| Karva Chauth | 1 Nov | North India | Moon-sight fast | 4,000 women break fast together in Delhi |
| Diwali | 1 Nov | Pan-India | Laxmi Puja, lamps | 22.3 lakh diyas lit in Ayodhya (Guinness 2023) |
| Chhath Puja | 7-10 Nov | Bihar, UP | Sun worship | 50 lakh devotees at Patna ghats |
2.2 Muslim Festivals (Based on lunar Hijri calendar)
| Festival | Hijri 1446 Expected | Common Ritual | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eid-ul-Fitr (Meethi Eid) | 10 Apr 2024 | Moon-sighting, sewai | India’s largest Eidgah – Shillong (capacity 1.5 lakh) |
| Eid-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) | 17 Jun 2024 | Qurbani, namaz | Largest cattle fair – Sonepur, Bihar |
| Muharram (Ashura) | 17 Jul 2024 | Tazia processions | 31-ft tallest Tazia in Hyderabad |
| Note: Exact dates vary ±1 day depending on moon sighting. |
2.3 Christian Festivals
| Festival | 2024 Date | State Prominence | Unique Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas | 25 Dec | Goa, Kerala, Shillong | India’s largest star lights – 48 m in Kochi (2023) |
| Good Friday | 29 Mar | Pan-India | 7 Pilgrim Stations in Mumbai’s “Way of Cross” |
| Easter | 31 Mar | Nagaland (75 % Christian pop.) | Tokhu Emong festival combined with Easter |
2.4 Sikh Festivals
| Festival | 2024 Date | Location | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guru Nanak Jayanti | 15 Nov | Punjab, Haryana | Nagar kirtan, 550 m langar at Sultanpur Lodhi |
| Baisakhi | 13 Apr | Punjab | Harvest + Khalsa formation (1699) |
2.5 Buddhist & Jain Festivals
| Festival | 2024 Date | Place | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buddha Purnima | 23 May | Bodh Gaya, Sarnath | 45 m tall Buddha statue in Kushinagar |
| Mahavir Jayanti | 21 Apr | Palitana (Guj) | 3,950 Jain temples on Shatrunjay hill |
3. State-Specific Major Festivals (Fairs included)
| State | Festival | Month | UNESCO/FACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan | Pushkar Camel Fair | Nov | 50,000 camels, Asia’s largest cattle fair |
| Gujarat | Rann Utsav | Dec-Feb | White desert tent city, 3,500 tents |
| Nagaland | Hornbill Festival | 1-10 Dec | “Festival of Festivals”, 17 tribes |
| Assam | Bihu (Rongali) | 14-16 Apr | 1,000+ Bihu dancers set record (2023) |
| Kerala | Onam | 5-17 Sep 2024 | 400 kg payasam at Aranmula boat race |
| Tamil Nadu | Pongal | 14-17 Jan | Jallikattu bull-taming sport |
| West Bengal | Durga Puja | 3-12 Oct 2024 | UNESCO Intangible Heritage (2021) |
| Goa | Carnival | 10-13 Feb | Portuguese legacy, King Momo parade |
| Sikkim | Losar | 10 Feb | Tibetan New Year, masked Cham dances |
| Maharashtra | Pandharpur Wari | Jun-Jul | 800-yr old 21-day foot-march to Vithoba temple |
4. Quick-Reference Table – Festival & Associated Symbols
| Festival | Associated Item | State Record |
|---|---|---|
| Diwali | Diya | 22.3 lakh diyas (Ayodhya) |
| Holi | Colour | 200 t organic colours used in Mathura |
| Durga Puja | Pandal | 80 m tallest pandal in Kolkata |
| Kumbh Mela | Shahi Snan | 24 crore pilgrims – Prayag 2019 |
| Pushkar Fair | Camel | 50,000 camels traded |
| Chhath | Soop (bamboo basket) | 1,000 kg sweet offered in Bihar |
| Onam | Pookkalam | 12,000 sq ft flower carpet in Kochi |
5. One-Liner Revision Facts
- India has 3 National festivals – 26 Jan, 15 Aug, 2 Oct.
- Durga Puja declared UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021.
- Kumbh Mela 2019 cost ₹4,200 cr, recognised by UNESCO.
- Ayodhya Deepotsav 2023 entered Guinness – 22.3 lakh diyas.
- Navratri Garba in Vadodara holds world record – 56,000 dancers.
- Sonepur Mela (Bihar) is Asia’s largest cattle fair.
- Pushkar Fair is the world’s largest camel fair.
- Christmas star in Kochi 2023 measured 48 m height.
- Hola Mohalla is the Sikh martial festival at Anandpur Sahib.
- Losar marks Tibetan New Year; celebrated in Ladakh & Sikkim.
- Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated after sighting Shawwal moon.
- Good Friday falls on Friday before Easter Sunday.
- Bihu is Assam’s harvest festival with three forms – Rongali, Bhogali, Kongali.
- Pandharpur Wari is Maharashtra’s 800-yr old pilgrimage on foot.
- Ganesh idol immersion creates 450 t waste in Mumbai each year (BMC data).
6. MCQs for Practice
Click to expand 15 MCQs with answers
-
Which festival is celebrated on 26 January every year?
A. Independence Day
B. Republic Day
C. Gandhi Jayanti
D. Constitution Day
Ans: B -
The largest parade on 26 January is held at
A. India Gate
B. Red Fort
C. Rajpath (Kartavya Path)
D. Rashtrapati Bhavan
Ans: C -
Which festival marks the end of Ramadan fasting?
A. Eid-ul-Zuha
B. Eid-ul-Fitr
C. Muharram
D. Milad-un-Nabi
Ans: B -
In which state is the Hornbill Festival celebrated?
A. Meghalaya
B. Manipur
C. Nagaland
D. Mizoram
Ans: C -
“Lathmar Holi” is associated with which place?
A. Mathura
B. Barsana
C. Vrindavan
D. Gokul
Ans: B -
Which festival was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021?
A. Onam
B. Durga Puja
C. Pongal
D. Bihu
Ans: B -
The world record for lighting diyas was set during
A. Diwali in Ayodhya
B. Dev Deepawali in Varanasi
C. Karthigai in Tamil Nadu
D. Kumbh in Prayagraj
Ans: A -
Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated in the month of
A. Kartik
B. Chaitra
C. Vaisakh
D. Magh
Ans: A -
Which fair is known as Asia’s largest camel fair?
A. Sonepur Mela
B. Pushkar Fair
C. Kolayat Fair
D. Chandrabhaga Mela
Ans: B -
“Ravan effigy” burning is characteristic of which festival?
A. Dussehra
B. Diwali
C. Holi
D. Janmashtami
Ans: A -
Chhath Puja is mainly celebrated in
A. Bihar & Eastern UP
B. West Bengal
C. Kerala
D. Gujarat
Ans: A -
The 9-layer human pyramid is associated with
A. Navratri
B. Janmashtami
C. Ganesh Chaturthi
D. Pongal
Ans: B -
Which Christian festival falls on 25 December?
A. Good Friday
B. Easter
C. Christmas
D. Pentecost
Ans: C -
“Pandharpur Wari” is related to which religion?
A. Buddhism
B. Jainism
C. Sikhism
D. Hinduism (Varkari sect)
Ans: D -
The festival of Baisakhi also marks
A. Birth of Guru Nanak
B. Formation of Khalsa Panth
C. Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
D. Release of Guru Hargobind
Ans: B
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