22 October 2026

Raas Purnima 2026: A Guide to Majuli's Raas Mahotsav (and Why 24 November Is a Double Celebration)

Raas Purnima falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026 — the same day as Lachit Divas. What the Raas is, where to see it in Majuli, Howly and Nalbari, and how to plan the trip.

Every Kartik full moon, Assam's satras and village stages fill with Krishna. Raas Purnima — the Kartik Purnima — falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026, and on the river island of Majuli the Raas Mahotsav is staged over several nights around it, drawing pilgrims, students of theatre and travellers from across India.

What the Raas is

The Raas Leela retells the episode in the Bhagavata Purana where Krishna dances with the gopis of Vrindavan on an autumn full-moon night. In Assam it comes to life through the tradition of Srimanta Sankardev, whose fifteenth-century Ekasarana movement used drama (ankiya naat and bhaona), music and dance to carry devotion into every village. The Raas performed in Assam today grows from that root: an all-night sequence of scenes from Krishna's life, from his birth to the Raas dance itself.

Why Majuli

Majuli is the seat of the satras, the Vaishnavite monasteries founded in Sankardev's tradition. Satras such as Garamur, Auniati, Dakhinpat and Kamalabari, and village committees across the island, each stage their own Raas. The painted masks (mukha) used for demons, animals and gods are made by hand at Samaguri Satra, one of the last places where this craft is practised. Performers are mostly local people who rehearse for weeks; many stages run late into the night.

Beyond Majuli

Majuli is the most famous, but not the only, place to see it. Howly in Barpeta district holds one of Assam's largest Raas melas, with huge decorated idols and a fair around them. Nalbari's Raas Mahotsav is another big draw, and Barpeta, Guwahati and many towns of Upper and Lower Assam stage their own. If you can't travel to Majuli, there is almost certainly a Raas within reach.

Lachit Divas on the same day

24 November is also Lachit Divas, the birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom general who stopped the Mughal army at the Battle of Saraighat on the Brahmaputra in 1671. Schools, colleges and the state government mark the day with tributes, and the National Defence Academy's best passing-out cadet receives the Lachit Borphukan Gold Medal. In 2026 the two occasions fall together, so expect a festive, crowded day across the state.

Getting to Majuli

Most visitors take the ferry from Neamatighat near Jorhat to Kamalabari ghat on Majuli, a crossing of roughly an hour or more depending on the river and the boat; check ferry timings the day before. Stay in a satra guest house or one of the island's homestays, and book early — rooms fill up for the Raas.

Tips for the festival

Carry a shawl: late-November nights on the river are cool. Remove footwear and dress modestly inside satra grounds and namghars. Ask before photographing performers or the inner parts of a satra. Small cash is useful, since stalls and boats on the island may not take cards.

For the rest of the season, see the guide to Assam's three Bihus.

Performance schedules are set by each satra and the Majuli district administration and are announced closer to the date. Confirm locally before you travel.