Fairs And Festivals Of Tripura: 7 Most Popular And Amazing Festivals Of Tripura And Time Of Celebration (2024)

Tripura is a land of rich cultural heritage and traditions. All festivals are celebrated with great zest and zeal by the people of Tripura and if you are lucky enough to visit the place during the time of a festival, make sure not to miss it. Fairs and Festivals in Tripura are mostly about worshipping Gods and Goddesses to seek blessings for a bright future.

7 Famous Festivals of Tripura:

1. Ganga Puja

A religious festival of Tripura state in which the Tripura Tribals worship the Goddess of the river. The festival is celebrated to pray for the well-being of pregnant women and to save them from epidemics. For the celebration, a bamboo temple is built in the middle of the river or a water stream. The famous festival is celebrated throughout the state sometime in March, April, or May, according to the Hindu Lunisolar calendar. Also, the locals believe that sacrificing of adult male geese, goats, and even buffalo in their offerings may prevent epidemic diseases. People contribute money for the celebration of this festival.

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Time of Ganga Puja Festival celebration in Tripura: March/April or May, depending on the Hindu Lunisolar calendar.

2. Garia Puja

Garia Puja is one of the main festivals of Tripura. Lord Garia, the deity of livestock and wealth, is worshipped with flowers and garland in this festival. The Garia Puja is conducted with these ingredients: cotton thread, rice, fowl chick, rice beer, wine, earthen pots, eggs, and wine. It involves an old age tradition of sacrificing the fowl before the deity, and to get the blessings of the Lord, the blood of the fowl is sprayed before the Lord.

While the festival is being celebrated, no one is allowed to cross the shadow of the bamboo tree, which is symbolic god Garia, due to the fear of annoying the Lord. The festival witnesses the children playing drums, singing and dancing before the Lord Garia in order to appease him.

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Time of celebration: 7th day of the month of Baisakh (April) for 7 days

3. Ker Puja

The festival is celebrated two weeks after the Kharchi Puja to honor Ker, the guardian deity of Vastu Devata. The Puja includes offerings and sacrifices to safeguard the people from calamities and save them from external aggression.

The Tripura Rajas initiated this Puja. The Halam tribe’s participation is required in the Puja. The entrances to the capital are closed, and participants, including the reigning sovereign, are not allowed to wear shoes, light a fire, dance, or sing during the festival.

Time of celebration: August

4. Kharchi Puja

During the Kharchi festival, the 14 Gods of the dynasty deity of the Tripuri people are worshipped. It is a very famous festival in Tripura. The Puja continues for a week, and people gather in large numbers to celebrate. The festival is celebrated at Agartala in the temple premises of 14 gods. Kharchi Puja is mainly done to worship the earth. To wash out the sins and to clean the post-menstrual phase of Mother Earth’s menstruation, this Puja is performed. The 14 gods are bathed in the holy river Saidra and are brought back to the temple. After that, they are again placed in the temple by performing Puja and offering of Flowers. Animals are also sacrificed, which includes sacrificing of Goats and Pigeons. Both sweets and sacrificed meat is offered to god. Both tribal and non-tribal people celebrate the festival. A large fair and Cultural programmes are organized during the celebration.

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Time of Kharchi Puja Festival celebration in Tripura: July or August.

5. Neermahal Water Festival

Neermahal water festival is celebrated at Neermahal, Rudrasagar Lake in Tripura every year. The festival is celebrated for 3 days, and event plays and cultural programmes are organized during the evenings. The boat race in the Rudrasagar lake is a big attraction of the water festival. Apart from the boat race, a swimming competition is also organized at the festival.

The second time, the neermahal festival is organized in December every year with some beautiful cultural events during the winters.

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Time of celebration: August and December.

6. Diwali Festival

Tripura Sundari Temple, Matabari, Udaipur hosts this beautiful festival every year. This holy place is one of the fifty-one Hindu pithas of India. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm from both tribals and non-tribals. People take a bath in the lake of the temple and homage to Goddess Kali. The festival also sees a grand fair for two days.
Time of celebration: October/November

7. Poush Sankranti Fair or Tirthamukh Mela

On the occasion of the Uttarayan Sankranti, both tribal and non-tribal people assemble to take a holy dip in the river Gomati at its origination place, known as Tirthamukh. The devotees take the holy dip on the day which marks the Sun’s northern course’s commencement- the last day of the month of Pousa (middle of the month, January).

Hills surround the place, and Tirthamukh in South Tripura district is an exceptional place of belief by the Tripura people to realize their pledges throughout the year. Tirthamukh had been a holy place of the Hindu Tripuri tribals since ancient times. There is a specific day when people flock to the place to shave their heads in their ancestors’ names or worship deities and perform individual sacrifices and rituals for the peace of souls of departed ancestors. A two-day-long fair is also organized.

Time of Poush Sankranti Fair or Tirthamukh Mela Celebration In Tripura: January.