This article will introduce you to your yearly festivals with a distinct aura connecting you to the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir. This state also celebrates the yearly festivals of North India, which you may also observe in your localities. Still, this mountainous culture adds some unique flavors to them, making your touring experience highly memorable. You should visit this state in its festive season at least once to capture these eye-attracting views and experiences. This article will help you choose from the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir.
Let’s Start The Journey Of The Famous Festivals of Jammu Kashmir
1. Navratri Season
When you reach Katra for the Vaishno devi Yatra, Navratri is said to be the best time, This famous festival of Jammu is actually nine days of celebration and devotion to our goddesses and you will see an unique energy in the yatra where thousands of devotees will accompany you in the twenty-one kilometers route to Mata’s temple.
Another main feature is that you will be entertained by many carts and stalls all the way which is not common in other days. Therefore if you are planning for the Vaishno Devi Yatra then you should definitely plan your tour nearby this Famous Festival of Jammu and Kashmir.
These nine nights also hold an interesting battle story between the demon and Goddess Durga. Its celebration also includes loud and warm prayers in the Durga temple which are unique from the other months.
2. Shikara Festival
It is one of the most famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir in which people participate and decorate their Shikara boats, Shikara boats are actually the wooden boats which are present in Dal lake in which you may board and experience the beauty of Srinagar.
It is started by the state to attract tourist towards their culture and by this, huge amount of tourists come to join the crowd and to be amused by this Famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir. Many adventurous activities like Shikara and dragon boat races are done on these long and paddling boats.
Like other major festivals it is also celebrated in the month of march, After getting started in 2016, the Shikara festival is now considered as a completely different festival which you will rarely find anywhere else, so It is recommended to be part of this and enjoy the cultural beauty of this state.
3. Tulip Festival
It is really an unseen view of such a huge rainbow of forty six varieties of tulips present at a height of fifty-six hundred ft in the Zabarwan range.
Tulip festival is celebrated in the first fifteen days of April every year because all the flowers are on the peak of their beauty in this season which makes it one of the most famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir.
Tulip Garden
Standing in the line of best places to visit in Jammu and Kashmir, It is the largest tulip garden of Asia known as the Indira Gandhi memorial tulip garden.
Earlier, it was a model Floriculture center also known as Siraj Bagh and then opened by our former CM Gulab Nabi Azad in 2007. It is a terrace garden including 7 terraces with a unique range of tulips which also includes some hybrid breeds of tulips.
Fees and Timings
Adult : 50₹/-
Children :25₹/-
The tulip garden opens at nine in the morning till seven. Only due to these particularly famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir, it is advisable that you must visit J&K in early April.
4. Baisakhi
It is celebrated as a harvest festival in the whole northern portion of India which falls during the harvest season of the Rabi crops, but interestingly Kashmir shares some interesting stories of Baisakhi which again makes it count in the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir.
It is said that the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh set the khalsa sect on this day and some also believe that Goddess Ganga came to earth on the holi festival of Baisakhi.
You must have seen Baisakhi celebrations in your nearby places but It is celebrated on the 13th Or 14th April with a unique enjoyment in this state therefore it is highly advisable that you must attend this on of the famous festivals of Jammu & Kashmir to get a whole new meaning of Baisakhi in a state which is this much close to nature.
5. Parmandal
It is celebrated on the day of Mahashivratri therefore it is great news for the devotees of Shiva. You must have seen celebrations of Shivratri, but you will experience a new and unique way of celebrating Shivratri on the eve of Parmandal which is one of the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hereby a three-day fair is organized on the banks of the Devika river which is considered as the youngest sister of the holy river Ganga. It is also celebrated in the month of march. Therefore you must see the enjoyment and different aura of the festival you celebrate yearly.
Other than the fair, you should visit the local temple to visualize the joy of devotees. Parmandal is common in the whole state, but if you want to enjoy the actual beauty of Mahashivratri then you should see the three famous temples of Jammu and Kashmir.
Some of the main temples are:
Peerkho, Pangbakhtar temple, and of course the Ranbireshwar temple, the largest temple of north India devoted to Lord Shiva.
So if you wish to experience the Mahashivratri in a way that you’d never experienced before the date then you must see the famous festival of Jammu and Kashmir: Parmandal
6. Eid
It is a Muslim festival that the local Muslims of Jammu and Kahsmir enjoy. Discussing further, two types of Eids are celebrated and considered one of the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir. They are namely as Eid-ul-Asha and Eid-ul-fitr.
Eid-ul-Asha
According to the Islamic calendar, this Major Eid is celebrated on the 10th day of the final month. There is also a story of sacrifice behind the fest, The story is connected with the Prophet Ibrahim, who replaced his beloved son Ismail with the other child who was to be sacrificed; this was done because of the direction of Allah, who was testing the devotion of Prophet Ibrahim to his lord.
In this festival A sacrifice is done every year by slaughtering an animal in memory of the Prophet’s sacrifice which is known as Qurbani, Afterwards, the meat is shared with family, and near ones and a portion is donated to the needy ones.
This Festival is celebrated by local Muslims every year. You may also come and observe this famous festival of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes sacrifice and the feeling of sharing and helping.
Eid-al-fitr
It is known as the minor Eid, or the Sugar feast, or Sweet Eid. It is celebrated on the last day of Ramadan, In Islam, people remain on a fast for the whole month and break their fast on this day, and in the Happiness of this famous festival of Jammu and Kashmir, Local Muslims cook delicious food items and sweets which you may enjoy.
7. Amarnath Yatra
You must be familiar with this Yatra which is actually an inclined trekking route of around forty-five kilometers, hereby thousand of peoples comes to see the natural forming Linga of lord Shiva, which is rare to see the view and it can be possible when the yatra, It is said that you must see that formation once in your lifetime, therefore that period is also considered as a famous festival of Jammu and Kashmir.
The priests say of the Hindu religion that this Yatra rinses up your body from all the sins and loads and also assures your heaven in the afterlife. On this account, we suggest you be part of this Amarnath Shrine to relieve your stress and enter a peaceful environment connecting you to Lord Shiva.
8. Jhiri Mela
It is The Farmer Fair which is celebrated in memory of Baba Jitu who was a farmer and like other famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir, This festival is no different, It also shares its own story and also some interesting activities which will amaze you and make you connected with the local culture of the State.
Locals believe that the Jitto Baba killed himself against injustice and all his followers collects on this festival of J&K and take a dip in Baba ka Tallah, which is actually a natural pond. They think it likely that it have some supernatural curative powers, therefore on the eve of Karrthik Poornima, Jhiri mela is celebrated.
9. Hemis Festival
It is one of the most famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir related to Buddhism which is celebrated in Leh and Ladakh. It is worth saying that this festival is totally a new and unique piece of cultural activity as people wear traditional dresses and the main highlight is the special mask which they wear on heads and a dance is performed in that costume.
This festival is actually devoted to Lord Padmasambhava but all the tourist without thinking of any religion, they all entertain themselves to the peak and get attached with this famous Buddhist festival of Jammu and Kashmir.
Final Words
These were some of the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir. Where some festivals like Hemis festival, Shikara and Tulip festivals are festivals which originally belongs to this state but some fests like Eid and Baisakhi are the common festivals of northern India but the celebrations are far much different from our cities and states therefore these famous fests of J&K may prove to be a unique experience for you and your family as a tour.