India is a country with a vast territory and diverse religions, which creates a diverse local festival culture.   It is said that there are over a thousand festivals in India throughout the year.

This puzzle has two parts:
(1) Unscramble the letters of the 36 words relating to India and its festivals.
(2) Then place the 36 words in the boxes below to form a word cross.

For those not familiar with Indian culture and its celebrations, there are hints that you may click on for some of the words.
Note: Close the hint window after reading the hint.

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Unscramble the following words:

1. TSAI

2. RANKISH

3. EVISE

4. ROLD

5. VISHA

6. HENSGAA

7. APARTIV

8. OILH

9. SEALIFTV

10. LOCOSR

11. ILIADW

12. DOGO

13. LIVE

14. STARVEH

15. BICEPRUL

16. GALOPN

17. HADING

18. SLIGHT

19. SOLAR

20. VARIANTAR

21. MOAN

22. DEEPENEDINNC

23. SEMIH

24. CLAME

25. MADAMHUM

26. HDBAUD

27. STAF

28. HAIRSHIRTVAMA (2 words)

29. DUNHI

30. GAIT

31. SMARTISCH

32. RIFE

33. MALTI

34. RABATH

35. OKASHA

36. HARAMB




Now place the 36 words in the boxes below:







Solution to the Problem:


1. SITA     -- wife of Lord Ram
2. KRISHNA     -- a widely popular God
3. SIEVE     -- What married women look through on the festival of Karva Chauth
4. LORD
5. SHIVA     -- This Lord is the Destroyer
6. GANESHA     -- the elephant-headed God

7. PARVATI     -- the wife of the Hindu god Shiva
8. HOLI     -- Festival of colors
9. FESTIVAL
10. COLORS     -- Holi celebrates this
11. DIWALI     -- Festival of Lights
12. GOOD     -- Some festivals celebrate the triumph of good over evil, such as Diwali and Holi

13. EVIL
14. HARVEST     -- Seasonal festivals mark the harvest seasons like Onam in Kerala, Makar Sankranti in the north, and Pongal in south
15. REPUBLIC     -- This day celebrates the Anniversary of the Constitution of India
16. PONGAL     -- Harvest festival in south India
17. GANDHI     -- The birthday of The Father of the Nation
18. LIGHTS     -- Diwali is the Festival of Lights

19. LOSAR     -- Tibetan New Year
20. NAVARATRI     -- 9-nights worshipping three goddesses
21. ONAM     -- New Year for the Malayali People in Kerala
22. INDEPENDENCE     -- Freedom from British rule (August 15)
23. HEMIS     -- Birth of Lord Padmasambhava
24. CAMEL     -- Pushkar Camel Fair

25. MUHAMMAD     -- Id-e-Milad is a precious festival for Muslims, who celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.   It is also known as Muhammad's Birthday, Nabi Day or Mawlid.
26. BUDDHA     -- May 16th celebrates this birthday
27. FAST     -- Fasting is a regular feature of the Hindu religion and is practiced during festivals such as Shivaratri, Saraswati Puja and Durga Puja.
28. MAHASHIVRATRI     -- Worship of Lord Shiva
29. HINDU     -- Chaitra Sukhladi celebrates this New Year
30. GITA     -- one of the revered Hindu holy books

31. CHRISTMAS     -- A Christian celebration
32. FIRE     -- The night before Holi, pyres are burnt in North India.
33. TAMIL     -- The oldest language in the world still in use
34. BHARAT     -- Indian name for India which originates from the sanskrit word for fire
35. ASHOKA     -- Indian emperor who promoted the spread of Buddhism
36. BRAHMA     -- The creator and part of the Hindu Trinity






Colin Bowey noted that the placement locations for SITA and GITA could be interchangeable in the puzzle.
He also noted that I should have used the English spelling COLOURS instead of COLORS for #10.

Correctly solved by:

1. Yowie & Yashika Beechworth, Victoria, Australia
2. Veena Mg Bangalore, Karnataka, India
3. Ivy Joseph Pune, Maharashtra, India