Puri Rath Yatra, Date : 04-07-2008 ~ 14-07-2008, Venue : Puri, Orissa Puri Rath Yatra is a mega procession that is organized at Puri, the temple town of Orissa. It is held every year in the month of June-July and lasts for about ten days. During the procession, the idols of lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra, the deities of the Sri Mandira, are taken out. Thousands of devotees transfer the deities in their respective chariots from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. For seven days, the deities stay at the Gundicha Temple and then return to Sri Mandira. Hemis Festival, Date : 12-07-2008 ~ 13-07-2008, Venue : Hemis Gompa, Ladakh The Hemis Festival is held every year in the Hemis Monastery, the biggest Buddhist monastery of Ladakh. It is celebrated on the tenth day of lunar month in the Tibetan calendar. The festival is celebrated in the commemoration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. During the festival, the Lamas gather around the central flagpole in the courtyard of the monastery and perform mask dances and sacred plays. Their performances are accompanied by the music from drums, cymbals and long horns. August’08 World Conference of Yoga Alliance International, Date : 02-08-2008 ~ 03-08-2008, Venue : Sri Aurobindo Society World Conference of Yoga Alliance International will provide an excellent platform to the practitioners and researchers to highlight their work in the field of yoga. Every day the conference will start with a group meditation session, followed by a group yoga session. The conference will give an excellent opportunity to know more about the benefits of yoga. Nehru Trophy Boat Race , Date : 09-08-2008, Venue : Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha, Kerala Nehru Trophy Boat Race is an annual event which is organized at the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha, Kerala. It is held every year on the second Saturday of August. Nehru Trophy Boat Race of Kerala is not only popular in India but also throughout the world. The first boat race on the Punnamada Lake was held in the year 1952 in the honor of visit of late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, to Alappuzha. He himself awarded the trophy of boat race to the winners and from that time onwards, the trophy has been named as the "Nehru Trophy". Tarnetar Mela , Date : August-2008, Venue : Tarnetar, Saurashtra, Gujarat The Tarnetar Mela is one of the popular religious festivals of India, organized in the month of August/September every year. The site of this Mela is the Trineteshwar temple, situated in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The festival is celebrated as a commemoration of the wedding of India’s legendary hero, Arjuna and Draupadi, at the Trineteshwar Temple at Saurashtra. The Saurashtra Tarnetar Mela also serves as a kind of ‘marriage promotional’ Mela for the tribal youths of Gujarat. On this day people from all over Saurashtra come to the Mela, dressed up in colorful finery. Tribal youths belonging to the Kolis, Bharwads or Rabaris, all come to the Mela to find a bride for them. This is the reason they dress up in attires of colorful dhotis, embroidered jackets and eye catching turbans and colorfully embroidered umbrellas. The bachelor distinguishes themselves with Tarnetra Chhatirs (umbrellas) that are adorned with elaborate embroidery and mirror works. By tradition if a girl stops by and starts to have conversation with any of the young boy, it usually means that she is interested to marry the person. Besides all these, the fair also has numerous other attractions too. There are vivacious folk songs and dances like garba, ras, hudo, etc that are simply enchanting. Urs Fair , Date : August-2008, Venue : Dargah Sharif, Ajmer, Rajasthan Urs Fair is the largest Muslim fair of India. It is organized on the first six days of the seventh month of the Islamic calendar, known as Rajab. The fair is held in the lakeside city of Ajmer, Rajasthan. The exact venue of the Urs Fair is the Dargah Sharif of Ajmer, also called as Chishti ki Dargah. This place houses the mortal remains of the venerated Sufi saint, Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti. The Urs Fair of Ajmer marks the death anniversary of the saint. During the fair, devotees from various communities gather at the Ajmer Dragah to pay reverence to the Khwaja. They also give rich offerings that include sandalwood paste, roses, perfumes, jasmine flowers, incense, etc. Sep’08 Annapoorna 2008 , Date : 13-09-2008 ~ 15-09-2008, Venue : Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai, India The event Annapoorna- World of Food India 2008 is an international exhibition and conference on food and beverage industry. The main objective of the event is to provide a global platform for firms/companies from the food & beverage industry to showcase their services, products and technology to the major buyers from India and around the world. The event is poised to facilitate a business discussion for a prospective business deal. Pune Festival , Date : September-2008, Venue : Pune The Pune Festival is one of the landmark cultural events of India. Held every year in the month of August-September, the festival is a celebration of culture, art, music, dance, custom and tradition. Well-known artists from all around the globe are invited to perform at the festival. The Pune Festival is a perfect platform for artists of classical music and dance to promote modern trends in the dramatic arts and the traditional art of rangoli. The festival also exhibits beautiful handicrafts, exquisite textiles and delicacies of Maharashtra. Oct’08 Travellox 2008 , Date : 10-10-2008 ~ 12-10-2008, Venue : Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore, India Travellox 2008 would provide a wonderful platform to travel companies to showcase and promote their business. Leading travel companies of India are expected to participate in the event. The highlight of the event would be miniature replicas of famous travel destinations from India and around the world. Rajgir Dance Festival , Date : 24-10-2008 ~ 26-10-2008 , Venue : Rajgir, Bihar Rajgir Dance Festival is held every year in the last week of October. It is organized by the Department of Tourism, Bihar and stretches on for three days. The venue of this festival is Rajgir, the ancient capital of the Magadhan Empire of Bihar. Buddhists and Jains consider Rajgir a holy place because of its connection with the Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira. Rajgir is also a very popular tourist spot. Rajgir Dance Festival of Bihar is also known as Rajgir Mahotsav. Being a music and dance festival, it attracts renowned artists from far and wide. The festival features different types of music as well as dance performances such as instrumental music, folk dance, ballet, devotional songs, different forms of classical dance and music, etc. Durga Puja Festival , Date : October-2008, Venue : Kolkata, West Bengal Durga Puja festival is celebrated every year in the month of September/October and lasts for five days. It is one of the most popular festivals of the Bengalis. The festival is dedicated to the goddess of power “Mother Durga”, also known as Shakti. Nov’08 Kolayat Fair , Date : 09-11-2008 ~ 18-11-2008, Venue : Kolayat, Rajasthan Kolayat Fair is the largest cattle fair of Bikaner district in Rajasthan. People from far and wide come to trade buffaloes, horses, camels and cattle. Apart from this, a large number of pilgrims also arrive in the district to visit town's lake for spiritual purposes. Although people visit this holy lake throughout the year, but the most auspicious occasion is Kartika Poornima, the full-moon day of the Kolayat Fair. There are several temples near the lake and the most famous one is dedicated to the sage Kapil Muni. Pushkar Camel Fair, Date : 10-11-2008 ~ 13-11-2008, Venue : Pushkar, Rajasthan Pushkar Camel Fair is the largest camel fair in India and is organized in the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November). It starts on Ashtmi, 8th day of Lunar Calendar, and ends on Poornima, the full moon day. The Pushkar fair of Rajasthan combines live stock trading, horse dealing, pilgrim destination and religious festival, all in one. The venue of the fair is Pushkar, a small town near Ajmer in the state of Rajasthan. Some of the major attractions of the fair are acrobats, comedians, traders, musicians, folk dancers, sadhus (ascetics), etc. Hotelex India , Date : 21-11-2008 ~ 23-11-2008, Venue : Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai, India Hotelex India shall provide a national and international sales platform for the Indian Hospitality Industry. The event is a vital launch pad for the latest hospitality industry products and services and technologies. Hotelex India would provide a platform to all professionals and buyers in the industry. Calender of major fairs and festivals of tourist interest for 2009.