Come Phulaich Festival and the whole of Kinnaur gets engulfed in a festive mood. This festival is celebrated on the 16th day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (August and September), the season for the flowering of wildflowers in the upper hilly areas.
Locally, the Phulaich festival is also called Ookayand Festival or Ukyam Festival. The letters oo in Ookyand mean flowers and Kyand means festival. Thus, it is known as the festival of flowers.
One major reason to celebrate the Phulaich festival is to honor the deceased. It is done so by offering them food items like wine and rice. People also head to the Dhangaspa family house for paying respect to their family members. With the passage of time, this festival has garnered quite a name for itself and so one can witness a huge amount of tourist gatherings, who especially come to witness this incredible cultural spectacle.
Major Attractions of Phulaich Festival 2024
The traditions of the Phulaich Festival are certainly its major and the best attraction of Himachal Pradesh. With the dawn of the 16th day of Bhado month, ten people belonging to the Rajput tribe are sent to the high hills with the instruction of picking the best flowers of the season. These ten people then spend the next full two days in their search for the best flowers.
On the 18th day, these people return with their exotic collection of flowers. It is believed that the people who take part in this tradition for the first time tend to feel a sense of dizziness. After their return, the night is spent reveling around.
On the 20th day, a cheerful procession is carried out, commemorating the local deity. One can see the happy faces of the villagers dressed in their best attires, dancing under the trees. Then by the 23rd day of the month, all the deities are brought back to their temples. On the same day, a sacrifice of a goat or lamb is made, culminating the festival.
How to Reach
To reach Kinnaur, you will need to cover a total geographical distance of 600, 2,009, 2,117, 2,762 km from major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru respectively. Check out the following details on how you can reach Kinnaur via different means of transport.
By Air
The nearest airport is Shimla Airport (SLV) situated about 200-250 km away. It is recommended to take connecting flights via Delhi to reach here. From the airport, you can take a bus or hire a cab to reach the Kinnaur district.
- From Delhi - Board Air India flights from Delhi Airport. The airfares are starting from INR 2,000-INR 3,000
By Train
The nearest railway stations are the Shimla Railway Station, Summer Hill Railway Station, and Taradevi Railway Station. Out of all these, the Shimla Railway Station (SML) is the most prominent situated at an approximate distance of 200-250 km. After getting off the station, you will need to cover the remaining distance by some means of public transport.
By Road
The Kinnaur district is well-connected via roadways. It is easily accessible from nearby cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, the cities of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and many others. For traveling here by road, you have three primary options to consider; that is traveling by 1) interstate and private buses 2) taxis and 3) your own vehicle. Depending upon your preference, budget, and location you choose your means of transportation accordingly to reach here.
- From Ludhiana - 481 km via NH5
- From Kurukshetra - 450 km via NH5
- From Amritsar - 527 km Grand Trunk Road
You can plan your trip and create your own route to the city with Adotrip’s technically driven circuit planner. Click here.
