Festivals in Kota and Hadoti: A Month-by-Month Calendar

The festivals in Kota and the wider Hadoti region follow the Hindu lunar calendar, so the dates move from year to year, but the rhythm stays the same: a long, busy autumn of fairs, a quieter winter, colour in spring, and the monsoon festivals of Teej. This calendar lists the main events in Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar and Baran by month, with the dates we can confirm for 2026 and advice on checking the rest.

How festival dates work here

Most festivals fall on a particular tithi (lunar day) in a particular Hindu month: Dussehra on the tenth day of the bright half of Ashwin, Kartik Purnima on the full moon of Kartik, and so on. The calendar dates for those tithis are published in panchangs well in advance. What is announced late is the programme: when the fair opens, which evenings have cultural shows, and when processions start. In Kota that comes from the municipal corporation and the district administration; for the tourism festivals (Bundi Utsav, the Chandrabhaga fair) it comes from the Rajasthan Tourism department. We give dates only when an organiser or a reliable panchang has published them.

October-November: the festival season

Kota Dussehra Mela. Kota’s signature event, a fair of several weeks at Dussehra Maidan. In 2026 the 133rd Rashtriya Dussehra Mela runs from 11 October to 5 November, with Ravan Dahan on Vijayadashami, Tuesday 20 October. Rajasthan Tourism describes the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad as about 75 feet tall. See the Dussehra Mela 2026 page, the programme list, our Ravan Dahan guide and the background Dussehra Mela guide.

Diwali. Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, with Dhanteras two days earlier and Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj in the days after. Annakut, the offering of food after Diwali, is one of the festivals Rajasthan Tourism lists for the Pushtimarg Mathuradheesh temple in Kota’s old city.

Kartik Purnima: Chandrabhaga fair and Bundi Utsav. Kartik Purnima falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026. Two of Hadoti’s tourism festivals cluster around it:

• The Chandrabhaga fair at Jhalrapatan, near Jhalawar, listed by Rajasthan Tourism for 23-25 November 2026: a holy dip in the Chandrabhaga river, a large cattle fair, and three days of tourism programmes including deepdan (floating lamps), a procession and cultural evenings.
• Bundi Utsav, listed for 27-29 November 2026: three days of processions, crafts, folk performances, competitions and lamps floated on Nawal Sagar and the Chambal.

Pilgrims also bathe in the Chambal at Keshoraipatan on Kartik Purnima.

Winter: December to February

Winter is the most comfortable season for travel and has fewer big fairs, which makes it ideal for sightseeing. Makar Sankranti in mid-January is kite-flying season across Rajasthan, and you will see kites over Kota’s rooftops. Maha Shivratri (February or March, depending on the year) brings large crowds to Shiva temples such as Kansua and to the riverside shrines; Rajasthan Tourism notes a fair at the Sorsan Mataji temple in Baran district on Shivratri.

Spring: March to April

Holi (Phalgun full moon, usually March) is celebrated across the region. Kota’s Krishna temples mark it with special worship; the famous Kota painting of Maharao Ram Singh II playing Holi on elephants is a reminder of how grandly the court once celebrated (see the Kota school of painting). Gangaur, the women’s festival of Gauri, follows Holi by about two weeks and is observed throughout Rajasthan.

Early summer: May to June

Sitabari fair, Baran. Held on Jyeshtha Amavasya (the new moon of Jyeshtha, usually May or June) at Sitabari, about 45 km from Baran. It is described by Rajasthan Tourism as the Kumbh of the Sahariya community, with ritual baths in the kunds and a cattle fair. It is hot at this time of year, so go early in the day.

Monsoon: July to September

Kajli Teej, Bundi. Rajasthan Tourism describes Kajli Teej as unique to Bundi: a celebration in the month of Bhadrapad (the monsoon months), honouring the goddess, with women in traditional dress and a fair selling handicrafts, bangles and food.

Janmashtami. Krishna’s birthday, in Bhadrapad, is the biggest night of the year at Mathuradheesh and the other Krishna temples of Kota; Nand Mahotsav follows the next day.

Dol Mela, Baran. Starting on Jaljhulni Ekadashi (late in the monsoon), a procession carries the dols (decorated palanquins) of Baran’s temples to Dol Talab.

Muharram fair at Gagron. A fair is held at the dargah of the Sufi saint Mitthe Shah outside Gagron Fort during Muharram, whose date moves through the solar year.

Quick reference table

Festival	Where	Hindu month / timing	2026 date
Dussehra Mela	Kota	Ashwin, around Vijayadashami	11 Oct-5 Nov; Ravan Dahan 20 Oct
Diwali	Everywhere	New moon after Dussehra (Oct/Nov)	8 Nov
Chandrabhaga fair	Jhalrapatan	Kartik, around Purnima	23-25 Nov (Rajasthan Tourism calendar)
Bundi Utsav	Bundi	Kartik, after Purnima	27-29 Nov (Rajasthan Tourism calendar)
Maha Shivratri	Shiva temples	Phalgun (Feb/Mar)	Check panchang
Holi and Gangaur	Everywhere	Phalgun-Chaitra (Mar/Apr)	Check panchang
Sitabari fair	Baran district	Jyeshtha amavasya (May/Jun)	Check panchang
Kajli Teej	Bundi	Bhadrapad (Jul-Sep)	Listed for 31 Aug-1 Sep in 2026
Janmashtami	Krishna temples	Bhadrapad	Check panchang

Planning around festivals

1. Book early for Dussehra and Diwali. Rooms and trains are in heavy demand around the main festival days.
2. Expect road closures around processions, especially on Ravan Dahan day in Kota.
3. Combine. In a Kartik Purnima week you can see the Chandrabhaga fair and Bundi Utsav in one trip from Kota; see Jhalawar tourist places and a weekend in Bundi.
4. Respect ritual spaces. Dress modestly at temples and bathing ghats and ask before photographing people.

For weather and season advice, read the best time to visit Kota, and browse all upcoming events.