India is known to be a land of celebrations. One can see a true replica of Indian traditions and culture through every festival celebrated in specific parts of India. Though significance of every cheerful event remains high on enthusiasm all over the country, experiencing the true essence of a few festivals can be exceptional in their hometowns! To all our surprise, one best season to explore the splendor festivities is the Monsoon. While rains in Mumbai bring along the thought of clogged roads and puddles of muddy water, it also compels you to think about those states that become perfect destinations to enjoy monsoons with a festive mode.

So, here we embark on a journey that would change your opinions to travel during monsoons and make you magically fall in love with these places to plan rainy getaways!

Visit Ladakh

Mumbai can be clumsy and filled with drainage problems in the rainy season, especially in month of July and August. Escape paths and plan a holiday in the northernmost state of India, Jammu & Kashmir and enjoy the five-day long Hemis Festival within the Hemis Monastery arranged around this time every year.

Highlights of Hemis Festival

The two-day carnival taking place inside the richest and largest Buddhist monastery of ladakh, Hemis Gompa Monastery is a unique amalgamation of colors, art, culture and religion! It brings in a new desire to understand the true essence of celebrations while participating with people wearing traditional clothes, cummerbunds and headgears on their heads and doing a masked dance called Cham.

Visit Himachal Pradesh

If a Leh-Ladakh trip is an evergreen attraction, Himachal Pradesh in northern India too never fails to enchant wanderers when it comes to those scenic mountain towns known for its trekking, climbing and skiing areas. It proves to be a perfect monsoon escape whilst also allowing you to appreciate their unique way of thanking the rain God through the Minjar Festival.

Highlights of Minjar Festival

Well, one perfect time to plan an outing in monsoon is July end and adding to the perfection would be a trip to Himachal Pradesh. You can spend some really peaceful moments amid the green-scape while also celebrating the thanksgiving festival here. The seven-day phase symbolizes worshipping of a good harvest to the Rain God.

Visit Puri, Odisha

Holding a wealth of attractions for its visitors, this coastal district of Odisha will capture your mind with its spectacular seascapes, especially when it rains. Nature lovers simply cannot hold the lust to embrace and play with the ideal tropical monsoon climate inside. One great idea supporting Puri holiday-plans in month of July can be experiencing the Rath Yatra here.

Highlights of Rath Yatra (Chariot Festival)

If you want to see the best of chariot processions of Sri Jagannath, the town of Puri in Odisha is the best to hit the road! One of the four great holy places of the Hindus, the rath yatra is drawn by hundreds of thousands of devotees followed by several other ceremonies which are later broken down to make religious relics.

Visit Kerala

Think about Kerala in monsoons and you cannot keep your mind away from the idyllic Munnar tea gardens and spice plantations. Nothing can beat the sights of dewdrops rolling from the leaves and branches. The best part about rushing here this season is that you can see everything revitalize with one simple touch of rains as well as enjoy a unique look, feel and flavor of Onam!

Highlights of Onam

Known to be an ancient harvest festival, Onam, a ten-day long festival lets one sight a spectacular boat race, clap dance and a procession by a group of men dressed as tigers and hunters amidst the fascinating monsoon trip! Falling in the month of Aug-Sep, authentic cuisines are prepared, houses are decorated with Pookalam and traditional clothes are worn on this celebration of Lord Vishnu’s Vamana avatar and homecoming of the mythical king called Mahabali.

Visit Rajasthan

Rajasthan not only becomes more beautiful when rain comes down on the dusty lands baked in the oppressive Indian summer but also brings an unmatchable joy on the face of locals with brown surface turning verdant green. Enhancing an ounce of exclusivity to your trip in an extremely popular destination when it rains is the Teej Festival!

Highlights of Teej

This is an interesting Indian festival where women pray for the wellness of their partners and family. Celebrated for the arrival of monsoon, it is great to see the traditions and rituals reflected through prayers, songs and dance by everyone here!

Visit Uttar Pradesh

Monsoons and Indian festivals have a relation like nowhere in the world! The dramatic and dressy season brings in varied colors of Indian culture in the form of festivals. As every region has its own version of the monsoon merriment, tripping Uttar Pradesh allows you to explore the beauty here with one very famous festival Janmashtami.

Highlights of Janmashtami

This auspicious festival celebrates the birth of Krishna, incarnation of Lord Vishnu all over the country. However, no other place can beat the divinity seen in Uttar Pradesh when it comes to depict the entire phase of festival through different decorations. This festival is also called dahi handi in Maharashtra, and gokulashtami followed by nandotsav in Tamil Nadu.

Visit Goa

This state is haven to explore in the rainy season! You simply cannot resist yourself from indulging in unending activities other than enjoying the beaches and usual water sports activities. It is inevitable to deny that Goa can be best viewed during August. With the same follows one very happening festival here, the Sao Joao Festival.

Highlights of Sao Joao Festival

This funky monsoon festival observed in Goa pays tribute to Saint John- the Baptist. Being a Christian festival and celebrated in a state where you find a vibrant atmosphere at every turn, the celebration is no less than the same vibrancy; liquor, food and music gives perfectly gives a complete touch to your monsoon trip in Goa!

Visit Maharashtra

It’s a treat to visit Maharashtra during the most loved season of the year. Beyond all those hill stations where you find beauty disguised in cool, foggy, lush green environment to enjoy monsoon activities, one ultimate reason to plan your trip to Maharashtra now is experiencing the true color and flavor of India’s most loved festival- Ganesh Chaturthi!

Highlights of Ganesh Chaturthi

This is one such festival that unites people from different religions, castes and regions at once. Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day festival that marks the birth of Hindu god Ganesha and falls around the months of August-September. It is celebrated with great zeal and devotion right from day-one while bringing home the beautiful idol to its ‘visarjan’ in the sea on the last day.