Festival · Kalimpong, Darjeeling & Kalimpong
Tihar in Kalimpong
Tihar is the five-day Gorkha festival of lights, held around Diwali. Each day honours someone: crows, dogs, cows, then oxen and the self, and finally brothers. In Kalimpong and the Darjeeling hills, homes glow with lamps and marigold garlands, and groups go house to house singing deusi and bhailo.
Photo: Rahul Kumar Shakya · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsTihar falls about three weeks after Dashain, around the new moon of Kartik, usually in late October or November, at the same time as Diwali. It lasts five days, and each one honours a different being. Kag Tihar offers food to crows, Kukur Tihar garlands dogs with marigolds and gives them a red tika and a good meal, and on the third day families worship the cow in the morning and Laxmi, goddess of wealth, in the evening with oil lamps and candles in every window.
The fourth day is kept in different ways: many families honour oxen, and some communities perform a puja for the self. On the fifth day, Bhai Tika, sisters give their brothers a seven-coloured tika, a garland of makhamali flowers, which hold their colour for weeks, and blessings for long life. Brothers give gifts in return. Through the evenings, groups of young people and children go from house to house singing bhailo and deusi songs, and are given money, fruit and sel roti.
Kalimpong is a good place to see Tihar. The town is smaller and less crowded than Darjeeling, homes along the ridge are lit with lamps and fairy lights, and deusi groups move through the neighbourhoods. Walk the town after dark on Laxmi Puja night and you will hear the songs from street to street. Dates follow the lunar calendar; check current status before you travel.
Tips for the day
- Walk Kalimpong's neighbourhoods after dark on Laxmi Puja night to see the lamps; carry a torch for the steep lanes.
- If a deusi group sings at your homestay, a small gift of money is the custom; your hosts will show you how much.
- Expect fireworks on the main nights; keep pets and small children indoors and choose rooms away from the bazaar if you sleep lightly.
Where it happens
Kalimpong
Kalimpong is a ridge town at about 1,250 m above the Teesta river, 50 km from Darjeeling and 70 km from Siliguri. Once a trading post on the Jelep La route to Lhasa, it is now known for flower and cactus nurseries, monasteries and old mission schools. Stay 2 nights; October–May is best.
Stay nearby
Questions
About Tihar in Kalimpong
When is Tihar celebrated in Kalimpong?
Tihar lasts five days around the new moon of the lunar month of Kartik, usually in late October or November, alongside Diwali. Laxmi Puja falls on the third day and Bhai Tika on the fifth. The date moves every year, so check current status before you travel.
What happens on each day of Tihar?
Day one, Kag Tihar, honours crows with food. Day two, Kukur Tihar, honours dogs with garlands, tika and treats. Day three is for the cow in the morning and Laxmi Puja with lamps at night. Day four honours oxen, or the self in some communities. Day five is Bhai Tika, when sisters bless their brothers.
What are deusi and bhailo?
They are the songs of Tihar. Groups go house to house in the evenings singing call-and-response verses, bhailo traditionally by girls and deusi by boys, though mixed groups are common now. The household gives money, fruit or sel roti, and the singers bless the home before moving on.
Is Tihar a good time to visit Kalimpong?
Yes. Late October and November are among the clearest months for mountain views, and the festival adds lamps, songs and garlands to the evenings. Rooms fill around the main days, especially when Tihar coincides with Diwali holidays, so book ahead. Some shops close on Laxmi Puja and Bhai Tika.