Karva Chauth — the moon through a sieve, and the day that leads to it
Karva Chauth from sargi before dawn to the moon through a sieve: the fast, the karva pots, the circle of thalis and the arghya. In 2026 it falls on 29 October.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-24
Festivals in Uttarakhand by month — Phool Dei, Harela, Nanda Devi Mahotsav, the 12-year Raj Jat and Ganga Dussehra
Uttarakhand festivals by month from the state tourism site: Phool Dei, Uttarayani, Harela, Nanda Devi Mahotsav, the 12-year Raj Jat and Ganga Dussehra.
Most festivals in Uttarakhand follow the Hindu calendar and the farming year, so their dates in the English calendar move from one year to the next. This guide sorts the festivals on the official Uttarakhand Tourism list by the month the site gives, and says "date varies" where the site names none. We read the site on 24 October 2026. Ask the district office or the temple committee for the exact day before you plan a trip around one.
Photos: Rajat7878 (CC0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
January
- Ghughutia, on the eve of Makar Sankranti, which the site puts on 14 January, in Kumaon. It is also called kale kauwa, the black crow. Wheat flour, jaggery and milk or ghee are made into ghughute, shaped like small flowers, fried and strung into garlands.
- Uttarayani Mela, held at Makar Sankranti, generally in January. The site names the Jhora, Chanchari and Baira songs that folk artists perform there.
March and April
- Phool Dei, in mid-March. Young girls pick flowers to decorate the houses, and a dessert of flour, curd and jaggery is offered to everyone.
- Bhitauli, in March or April, a day for married women, when a brother, parents or another relative visits with sweets, fruit and new clothes. A new bride receives her first in Baisakh, in April and May, and after that in Chaitra each year.
- Harela, the first of its three yearly dates, falls in Chaitra Navratri.
- Jhanda Mela in Dehradun, held at the gurdwara on the sixth day after Holi, when the flag is raised at Jhanda Chowk. It marks the arrival of Guru Ram Rai, who built the gurdwara in 1699.
- Bissu Mela at the temple of Santoora Devi near Kempty, about 5 km from Mussoorie. The site says the week-long fair is held in the bright fortnight of Chaitra.
July
Shravan Harela, the best known of the three. Wikipedia says it falls on the first day of Shravan and marks the start of the rains and of sowing. About ten days earlier a family sows five or seven kinds of seed in baskets. On the day the green shoots are cut, placed on the heads of younger relatives with a blessing, and tucked into the roof. The site adds that farmers make clay figures of Shiva and Parvati and hold their wedding.
August
- Ghee Sankranti, in August, kept mostly in villages. Farmers thank the land and the gods for the harvest, and the food is made with ghee.
- Jagda, in August, for Mahasu Devta in the Jaunsar-Bawar region. The most popular one is at the Mahasu Devta temple at Hanol, 95 km from Chakrata.
- Chhipla Jaat, in August, once every three years, in Chhipla Kote in Pithoragarh district. Villagers walk to Najurikote in the Panchchuli mountains, where the Chhipla Kedar temple stands.
- Janopunya, on the day of Raksha Bandhan in Kumaon, when men change the sacred thread. The Bagwal fair at Champawat is held the same day, and the site lists the Devidhura Mela on this day too.
- Anduri Utsav, generally between August and September, at Raithal in Uttarkashi district: the butter festival, when people smear one another with butter, milk and buttermilk. Raithal is a base for Dayara Bugyal.
- Kandali, between August and October, in Pithoragarh district. The kandali flower blooms once in 12 years, and the site says it last bloomed in 2011.
- Hilljatra in Pithoragarh district marks paddy planting in the rains, with masked dancers who act out folk legends. The site gives no date.
- Devariyatal Mela, on Janmashtami, when the tableaus of three Shiva temples come to the lake.
September
- Nanda Devi Mahotsav, generally held in September.
- Khatarua in Kumaon, in mid-September, marks the start of autumn and winter. Firewood and dry grass are stacked at crossroads and lit as bonfires in the evening.
- Harela, the second date, in Sharad Navratri.
After Diwali
Egaas, or Igas Diwali, comes 11 days after Diwali. The story the site tells is that news of Rama's return to Ayodhya reached the hills of Kumaon and Garhwal 11 days late.
Dates that follow the calendar
The site names no month for these, so we give none.
- Kanwar Yatra: devotees of Shiva walk to Haridwar, Gaumukh or Gangotri and bring back Ganga water.
- Bat Savitri: married women fast for the day and worship the banyan tree.
- Madhmaheshwar Mela: held when the temple doors close for the winter.
Once in 12 years: the Nanda Devi Raj Jat
The Nanda Devi Raj Jat is a pilgrimage of about three weeks in Chamoli district, held once in 12 years and often called the Himalayan Mahakumbh. Nanda Devi leaves her mother's home, her Mait, and goes to her husband's home on Kailash. Two processions start from Kurud and from Kansuwa and meet at Nandakeshari and Wan. The route then goes on by Bedni Bugyal, Junargali and Roopkund to Homkund. A study expedition in 1985 walked the full 280 km of it. For the date, ask the Raj Jat committee at Nauti or the district office; Wikipedia says the committees at Nauti and Kurud disagreed in 2026.
Ganga Dussehra at Haridwar and Rishikesh
Ganga Dussehra falls on the tenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Jyeshtha, and its date varies each year. It is the day the Ganga came down from heaven to the earth. Pilgrims gather on the banks at Haridwar and Rishikesh, bathe in the river and watch the evening aarti. For the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar the site gives no date; follow the state's announcements.
Plan the trip
Read the best time to visit Uttarakhand, month by month, the food of Kumaon and Garhwal and how to reach Uttarakhand from Delhi. For Haridwar, see when to visit and things to do.
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Questions people ask
Which are the main festivals of Uttarakhand?
Uttarakhand Tourism lists Phool Dei in mid-March, the Uttarayani fair around Makar Sankranti in January, Harela three times a year, the Nanda Devi Mahotsav in September and Ghee Sankranti in August. Two come on a longer clock: the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar and the Nanda Devi Raj Jat, held once in 12 years.
When is the Nanda Devi Raj Jat?
Once every 12 years, as a pilgrimage of about three weeks in Chamoli district. We give no date. Wikipedia records that in 2026 the temple committees at Nauti and at Kurud differed over its organisation and timing, so ask the Chamoli district office or the Raj Jat committee before you plan around it.
When is Harela celebrated in Uttarakhand?
Three times a year, says Uttarakhand Tourism: during Chaitra Navratri in March or April, during Sharad Navratri in September, and as Shravan Harela in the rainy season in July. The July one, on the first day of the month of Shravan, is the best known, when families sow seeds for the harvest.