Plan your trip · Nagpur
What's on in Nagpur
Nagpur's calendar has two events you will not find anywhere else: the October gathering at Deekshabhoomi and the Marbat procession in the old city. Most dates follow the lunar calendar, so check the year's dates first.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Nagpur right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.
The year in Nagpur
Nagpur packs most of its outdoor calendar into the cooler months; the pre-monsoon peak is hot enough that daytime processions are genuinely hard going. Broadly, Oct – Feb is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.
Signature to Nagpur
Dhammachakra Pravartan Din
🗓️ October (Vijayadashami, and 14 October)Hundreds of thousands gather at Deekshabhoomi to mark Dr B. R. Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism here in 1956 — the largest gathering of the Nagpur year.
Planning: Roads around Deekshabhoomi close and trains into Nagpur fill; if you are not coming for it, visit the stupa on another day.
Across Maharashtra
Ganesh Chaturthi
🗓️ August–SeptemberMaharashtra's biggest festival: clay Ganesh idols in homes and neighbourhood pandals for up to ten days, then carried in processions to the nearest river, lake or sea.
Planning: Immersion days close roads and fill the ghats and beaches; the largest crowds by far are in Mumbai and Pune.
Nationwide
Diwali
🗓️ October–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.
Eid al-Fitr
🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each yearThe end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.
Makar Sankranti and Pongal
🗓️ mid-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
October: Dhammachakra Pravartan Din
This marks the day in 1956 when Dr B.R. Ambedkar and his followers became Buddhists at Deekshabhoomi. It is observed on 14 October and on Ashoka Vijayadashami, the Dussehra date (around 20 October in 2026). Hundreds of thousands of people come from across India, many dressed in white, and conversion ceremonies still take place. Book rooms well ahead, expect the area around the stupa to be closed to traffic, and remember that you are a guest at a religious event.
August–September: Pola and Marbat
Pola is the farmers' festival, when bullocks are washed, painted and decorated. On the day after Pola, the Itwari area of old Nagpur holds the Marbat procession, a tradition dating back to the 1880s. Huge effigies of the black Marbat and the yellow Marbat are paraded through the lanes and burnt, to drive away evil and disease. Smaller effigies, called badgyas, mock public figures and social problems of the day. It is loud, crowded and unique to Nagpur. Children also celebrate a Tanha Pola with wooden toy bullocks.
August–September: Ganesh Chaturthi
Nagpur's neighbourhoods set up pandals for ten days, and Tekdi Ganesh temple draws long queues. Immersion days bring road closures, as elsewhere in Maharashtra.
September–October: Navratri
The Mahalaxmi Jagdamba temple at Koradi is lit with thousands of lamps and draws crowds every night. Garba and dandiya nights are held around the city.
March–April: Ram Navami
The Poddareshwar Ram Mandir leads a large procession through central Nagpur, and Ramtek fills with pilgrims.
January: Makar Sankranti
Rooftops fill with kite flyers in mid-January. Watch for glass-coated or nylon kite string on two-wheelers, which is banned but still turns up.
December: the Winter Session
This is not a festival, but it changes the city. The state legislature usually meets in Nagpur for its Winter Session in December, bringing security arrangements, road closures near the Vidhan Bhavan and full hotels.
Diwali and Holi
Both are celebrated widely, and they follow the national pattern. Diwali markets in Sitabuldi and Itwari stay open late.
Questions
Nagpur — FAQ
When is Dhammachakra Pravartan Din in Nagpur?
It is observed on 14 October and on Ashoka Vijayadashami, the Dussehra date, which moves each year. The main gathering at Deekshabhoomi lasts several days around these dates.
What is the Marbat festival?
A procession held in Nagpur's Itwari area the day after Pola, in August or September. Giant black and yellow effigies are paraded and burnt to drive away evil.
Is Ganesh Chaturthi big in Nagpur?
Yes, with neighbourhood pandals for ten days and long queues at Tekdi Ganesh temple. It is smaller than in Mumbai or Pune, and easier to get around.
When is Navratri at Koradi?
Navratri falls in September or October. The Koradi goddess temple is lit with lamps and crowded every night of the nine-day festival.