Anga & Seemanchal · Middle & Lower Gangetic Plain
Festivals
| Festival | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Shravani Mela (Bol Bam) | Sawan (July–August), the whole month | Pilgrims fill water at Sultanganj and walk 105 km barefoot to Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar in saffron, chanting Bol Bam, in a continuous column that runs day and night for a month. Several million make the walk each season. |
| Bihula-Bisahari Puja | Bhadra (August–September) | The snake goddess's festival, with several nights of sung narrative, the making and display of Manjusha paintings, and immersion at the end. Specific to the Anga districts, and the source of the region's painting tradition. |
| Chhath | Kartik (October–November) and Chaitra (March–April) | The four-day sun fast, kept on the Ganga and Kosi ghats across the region. |
| Durga Puja | Ashwin (September–October) | Observed on the Bihar pattern in the west and on the full Bengali pandal-and-pratima pattern in Katihar, Kishanganj and the eastern belt — the two versions running in the same district. |
| Makar Sankranti at Mandar Hill | 14 or 15 January | A large fair at the Papharni tank below the hill, with bathing, tilkut and a cattle market. |
| Eid and Muharram in Seemanchal | Lunar calendar | Observed at a scale unusual in Bihar, particularly at Kishanganj and Araria, with large processions and a substantial fair economy. |
| Mahavir Jayanti at Champapuri | Chaitra (March–April) | Jain pilgrims from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka come to the birthplace of Vasupujya, which sits inside a Bhagalpur suburb. |
| Sohrai and Baha on the southern fringe | Winter and spring | Santhal harvest and flower festivals in the villages where the plain meets the hills. |
The festival calendar of Anga & Seemanchal — what is celebrated, when it falls and what happens. (8)