Here you’ll find most of the main festivals occurring directly after the rainy season as is typical in India. However, there is plenty going on throughout the year with a good number of local events happening too, like the Aurangabad Festival right at the end of the year.

Mahashivratri: is held at the Grishneshwar temple, 1 of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas in India. Depending on the Hindu calendar, this event falls either in February or March when throngs of worshippers head to the temple for its busiest day of the year. Lots of incense and offerings are made to the Lord Shiva on this day, creating a spiritual sight for bystanders.

Holi: not as popular here as it is in other parts of the country, Holi is nevertheless a festival that brings colour to the city, lots of it in fact. Traditionally during Holi, revellers throw multi-coloured powder and water onto other members of the community, which symbolises the traditional medicine that was used in the past.

Paithan Fair: sometimes in March but often in April, the Paithan Fair close to Aurangabad is an event marked on the banks of the Godavari river where pilgrims come from across the area to pay respect to Saint Eknath Maharaj over a 10-day period.

Shivaji Jayanti: this popular Hindu festival, especially in Maharashtra, celebrates the birth of the great anti-Mughal hero Chatrapati Shivaji. Processions of people fill the city playing the lezim, a traditional Indian musical instrument, with floats parading all the way up to the bronze statue of Chatrapati Shivaji at Kranti Chowk.

Khultabad Urs: a Muslim event, Khultabad Urs is the day on which believers pay tribute to a local saint, Khawaja Muntajabuddin, at his tomb in Khultabad. This 5-day event is usually held in May according to the lunar Muslim calendar.

Ganesh Chaturthi: clay images of Ganupati are displayed all over Aurangabad for this 10-day event before they are collected up and taken in procession to the river where they are immersed in the river. This important festival falls either in August or September according to the Hindu lunar calendar.

Ramadan: solely an event marked by the resident Muslim population of Aurangabad, Ramadan marks the month of fasting, which means early prayers and a single feed every day prior to sunrise. Like most cities in India, Aurangabad is predominantly Hindu, so this festival does not bring things to a screeching halt.

Eid: coinciding with the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Eid is a special celebration for all of Aurangabad’s Muslims. It begins with prayers and sees families come together for a large feast on the holiday day itself. Expect women to wear their best saris and men to put on their finest tailored shirt for the event.

Diwali: usually in late October or early November depending on the Hindu calendar, Diwali is a major occasion in Aurangabad, as it is all over India. The Festival of Lights as it is known, is usually held over a 5-day period in which revellers remember the battle of good over evil. At night Aurangabad is lit up with candles and lanterns that signify this sacred Hindu tradition.

Ellora Festival: held at the famous Ellora Caves that feature numerous temples and shrines, the Ellora Festival is an event organised by the local authorities in which local performers put on shows of cultural dance and song for the locals and visiting tourists. The wonderful stone-carved temples add a superb backdrop to proceedings.

Aurangabad Festival: held over 4 days at the end of the month, the city festival sees talent from across the greater Aurangabad region descend on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University for games and events such as traditional bullock cart racing and musical performances among many other events. This is a great event for tourists to visit and the perfect prelude to Christmas.

Christmas: for Aurangabad’s few thousand Christian residents, this is the highlight of the festival calendar although the rest of the population hardly notices as the day itself is not a national holiday.