festivals

The major festivals celebrated by people in Nellore include the following:

• Maha Shivaratri – A festival dedicated to Lord Shiva)
• Navratri – A 10-day Hindu festival, where Goddess Durga is worshipped)
• Deepavali – The festival of Lights; India’s most popular and widely celebrated festival
• Rottela Pandaga – Also called Rotiyan ki Eid; this is an annual three-day Muslim festival held at Bara Shaheed Dargah in Nellore each year in the month of Muharram
• Ugadi – A harvest festival that also marks the beginning of a new year according to the Telugu calendar; this is celebrated all over the south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
• Christmas – A Christian festival commemorating birth of Jesus; most Christians and Hindus also celebrate this famous festival here