November 2026
Pushkar, Rajasthan
Pushkar Camel Fair
Luxury tents a short walk from the fairground and the ghats.
Dates November 2026
Details
Bodh Gaya, Bihar
Kalachakra
The Wheel of Time, taught at Bodh Gaya — and a heated camp for a winter teaching that runs for days.
The festival
Cycles of time
The word kalachakra means cycles of time, and the Kalachakra system presents three such cycles – external, internal and alternative. The external and internal cycles deal with time as we normally know it, while the alternative cycles are practices for gaining liberation from these two.
The structures of the external and internal cycles are analogous, similar to the parallel between macrocosm and microcosm discussed in Western philosophy. This means that the same laws that govern a universe also pertain to atoms, the body and our experience of life.
The practices of the alternative cycles also follow this structure so as to allow us to engage with and surmount these forces in an efficient manner. Such mimicking is, in fact, one of the distinguishing features of the anuttarayoga tantra method.
Time as a measurement of change
Time, in Buddhism, is defined as a measurement of change. For example, a month is the measurement of change involved either externally in the moon circling the earth or internally in a woman going from one menstruation to the next. Such changes are cyclical in that the pattern repeats, although the events of each cycle are not completely identical. Externally, the universe passes through cosmic, astronomical, astrological and historical cycles.
On an internal level, the body goes through physiological cycles, many of which bring about associated mental and emotional cycles as well. Furthermore, just as universes form, expand, contract, disappear and then form once again, individual beings pass through continuing rebirths with repeated conception, growth, old age and death.
The winds of karma
Normally the passage of time exercises a debilitating effect. As we age, our sight, hearing, memory and physical strength gradually weaken and eventually we die. Due to compulsive attachment and confusion about who we are and how we exist, we take rebirth without any control over its process or circumstances, each time having to relearn everything we knew before.
As each of our lives unfolds over the course of time, karmic potentials from our previous actions ripen at appropriate astrological, historical and life-cycle moments into the various events we experience. Some of these are pleasant, but many are not. We seem to have little choice about what happens in life.
In short, the external and internal cycles of time delineate samsara – uncontrollably recurring rebirth, fraught with problems and difficulties. These cycles are driven by impulses of energy, known in the Kalachakra system as "winds of karma." Karma is a force intimately connected with mind and arises due to confusion about reality. Imagining that ourselves, others and everything around us exist in the way our mind makes them appear – as if with concrete, permanent identities established from within each being or thing – we act on the basis of this confusion with attachment, anger or stubborn foolishness.
Where you stay
The camp, not the nearest hotel
We build a camp on the ground for the length of the fair and take it away again afterwards. Everything in it is trucked in and installed for that window.
Swiss tents with attached washrooms
Proper beds, solid flooring, running hot water and a sit-out. Not a sleeping bag on the ground.
Power, water and drainage
Installed for the event and maintained through it, including lighting across the site after dark.
Dining and housekeeping
A kitchen and dining tent on site, and the tents serviced daily while you are out at the fair.
Our own crew on the ground
The people who built the camp are the people running it. Nothing is subcontracted to a local agent.
Practicalities
Getting to Bodh Gaya
- Gaya has an airport with seasonal international connections, and is the nearest railhead of any size.
- Patna is the larger airport, a road transfer away.
- A Kalachakra teaching brings very large numbers into a small town. Travel and accommodation both need arranging well ahead, not on arrival.
Gallery
Kalachakra, in pictures
Photographs: Paras manjhi (CC BY-SA 4.0), Sumita Roy Dutta (CC BY-SA 4.0), Andrew Moore from Johannesburg, South Africa (CC BY-SA 2.0), Secretlondon (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Also this season
Other fairs and festivals
November 2026
January – February 2027
Nagaur, Rajasthan
Nagaur Cattle Fair
The second-largest cattle fair in India, and far quieter than Pushkar.
Dates January – February 2027
Details
February 2027
National Chambal Sanctuary
International Bird Festival
Riverside camp on the Chambal, gharial and skimmer country.
Dates February 2027
DetailsQuestions
Kalachakra, answered
Not covered here? Call reservations or send an enquiry — someone who has actually been there will answer.
When does the Kalachakra take place?
It is not an annual fixture. A Kalachakra is granted when it is announced by the Office of His Holiness, and the dates come from there rather than from a calendar. We track the announcements and open camp bookings when they are made.
Do I need to have taken teachings before?
Attendance is open, and a great many people come without a formal background. What to take part in and what to observe is a question for the organisers rather than for us.
How cold is Bodh Gaya in winter?
Cold at night, and teachings begin early. Our tents are heated for this reason, which is the main practical argument for camping rather than taking whatever room is left.
Can you arrange a longer stay?
Yes. Many people build a wider Buddhist circuit around the teaching — Rajgir, Nalanda, Varanasi. Tell us what you want to see and we will quote the camp alongside it.
How far in advance should I book?
Earlier than feels necessary. These camps run for a handful of days a year, the dates do not move, and the tent count is fixed by what we can physically install. For the better-known fairs the good dates go a season ahead.
What is included in the tariff?
Accommodation in a furnished Swiss tent with an attached washroom, meals at the camp, housekeeping and on-site assistance. Travel to the festival, entry to ticketed events and anything personal sits outside it. We confirm the exact inclusions in writing with the quote.
Can you arrange transfers?
Yes. Tell us where you are arriving from and we will quote the transfer with the tent. For the remoter camps this is worth arranging in advance rather than on the day.
Is the camp suitable for families?
Yes. Tents can be set up for families, and the camp is staffed and lit through the night. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will put you somewhere sensible on the site.
What does it cost?
It depends on the festival, the dates within it, the tent category and how many nights you want. There is no single rate across the seven. Send us the festival and your dates and we will send a written quote.
Camping for the Kalachakra
Tell us your dates once the teaching is announced and we will hold tents while there are still tents to hold.