Shishir is the coldest of the six seasons. In the northern plains, fog delays trains and flights. In the Himalayas, snow seals off villages. The sun is a pale disc, and the air bites. Yet, winter has its own stark beauty.
Varsha is dramatic and unpredictable. Mumbai floods in hours, Kerala’s backwaters swell, and Meghalaya (the wettest place on Earth) receives over 450 inches of rain. Yet, it is also deeply romantic. Teej and Raksha Bandhan fall during this time. Children fly paper boats in puddles, and chai stalls serve pakoras (fritters) with ginger tea. The lush greenery that follows is India’s true emerald season. Mid-August to Mid-October
If spring is a romance, summer is a trial by fire. From the burning Loo (hot winds) of Rajasthan to the humid swamps of Kolkata, Grishma is relentless. Temperatures routinely cross 45°C (113°F). Cities empty by noon; streets are washed down with water to keep the dust down. different types of seasons in india
Often overlooked, Hemant is the "cool down" season. It is not yet winter, but summer is a forgotten memory. In North India, mornings are wrapped in a soft, milky fog. The sun feels warm on the skin, not hot. Farmers sow wheat, mustard, and peas.
No feature on Indian seasons is complete without the —the country’s real financial year. After the scorch of Grishma, the first rain on parched earth creates a distinct smell: petrichor . In Sanskrit, this is ghrane-ambhasya , literally "the scent of the rains." Shishir is the coldest of the six seasons
It is the season of bonfires ( alavni ), warm makki ki roti (cornflatbread) and sarson ka saag (mustard greens). The and Lohri festivals fall in Shishir, where people dance around fires to ward off the cold. In the south, it is milder, but the Nilgiris record frost. Shishir teaches resilience—a quiet season where the land rests before the cycle begins again with Vasant. Why Six Seasons? For the modern Indian living in an air-conditioned apartment or a global traveler, the six-season system might seem archaic. But it is an intricate ecological knowledge system. It tells a farmer when to sow, a doctor when diseases peak (e.g., monsoon brings malaria), and a poet what metaphor to use.
But Sharad is best known for its moon. The Sharad Purnima (full moon) is believed to rain amrit (nectar). People leave bowls of rice and milk out under the moonlight. In the fields, paddy sways golden, and the scent of kheer (sweet rice pudding) drifts from every home. It is a season of celebration before the cold sets in. Mid-October to Mid-December The sun is a pale disc, and the air bites
As the monsoon retreats, Sharad arrives like a sigh of relief. The sky becomes a clear, impossibly blue canvas. The humidity drops, and the air feels crisp. This is the season of harvest festivals, the most famous being and Durga Puja , culminating in Dussehra .