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VADNAGAR · CLASSICAL MUSIC · TANA-RIRITana-Riri Fest
Vadnagar honours two sisters of legend — Tana and Riri, said to have sung the raga that cured Tansen — with an annual classical-music festival in one of Gujarat’s oldest living towns.
A festival for two legendary singers
Legend tells of Tana and Riri, two gifted sisters of Vadnagar whose mastery of raga Malhar could summon rain — and who, it is said, healed the great musician Tansen when he was scorched by the fiery raga Deepak. To honour them, Vadnagar hosts the annual Tana-Riri Mahotsav, a festival of Hindustani classical music that brings celebrated vocalists and instrumentalists to the town, keeping a centuries-old story of musical devotion alive.
The sisters who cured Tansen
Legend says Tansen, commanded to sing Raga Deepak at Akbar's court, was left burning by his own fire raga.
Seeking a cure, he came to Vadnagar, where the sisters Tana and Riri commanded the rain raga, Malhar.
Their Malhar brought the healing rain, and Tansen was restored — so the story has been sung for centuries.
The Tana-Riri Mahotsav honours them each year with classical music in their own town.
Why come
Classical music
The festival draws top Hindustani classical performers to a small north Gujarat town each year.
Tana & Riri
The sisters' legend is sung at the festival itself — the story returned to music.
Old Vadnagar
It keeps Vadnagar's musical heritage alive as practice, not just memory.
Kirti Toran
The town's famous Kirti Toran arch stands as its landmark backdrop.
Deep history
Vadnagar is among India's oldest living settlements — millennia of continuous habitation.
Raga Malhar
Malhar, the rain melody, is the festival's presiding raga, as the legend demands.
What to see
THE MUSICTana-Riri Mahotsav
The classical festival held in the sisters' honour.
THE TOWNVadnagar
Ancient, living, and musical.
How to experience it
Reach Vadnagar
Come to the festival town in Kartik, when the concerts are on.
Hear the concerts
Hear Hindustani classical music performed at the sisters' own memorial.
Learn the legend
Learn the Tana and Riri legend; the festival is its retelling.
See the Kirti Toran
See the carved Kirti Toran, Vadnagar's emblem.
Explore old town
Walk the town's layers — gates, lake, temple and excavation.
Feel the heritage
Take the pairing as intended: music and stone, in one old town.
Music in an ancient town
Vadnagar is among the oldest continuously inhabited towns in India, with archaeological layers spanning two millennia and famous landmarks like the Kirti Toran and Sharmishtha lake. Setting a classical-music festival here roots the art in deep time. The Tana-Riri Mahotsav is also a state honour for classical music, its award recognising outstanding musicians — a modern tribute to two women remembered for their voices alone.
More places to visit across the district are gathered in our Mehsana travel guide.
Timing
The music days fall around Kartik, in November, at the memorial precinct.
October to March is fine weather for Vadnagar in general.
Summer is hot inland; the town is best in the cool months.
⏰ The Tana-Riri Mahotsav is held around Kartik (November); Vadnagar itself rewards a visit year-round.
Getting there
By Air
Ahmedabad (~110 km).
By Rail
Vadnagar station.
By Road
North of Mehsana.
More in Mehsana
JANUARY
Modhera Dance Festival
Classical dance against the floodlit Sun Temple. Explore →
FAIR
Bahucharaji Mela
Bahucharaji is one of Gujarat’s three great Shakti shrines — a Mother-Goddess temple whose fairs draw vast crowds of devotees to honour Bahuchara Mata, borne on her cockerel. Explore →
DAIRY
Cooperative Culture
Mehsana is milk country — home to one of Asia’s great dairy unions, where the cooperative model turned countless small farmers into the backbone of a white revolution. Explore →
CRAFT
Patola Weaving
Patola is North Gujarat’s crowning textile — a double-ikat silk so painstaking that each thread is dyed to pattern before weaving, producing a cloth identical on both sides and prized for centuries. Explore →
What to eat
THALIGujarati Thali
North Gujarat spread.
FARSANFarsan
Savoury snacks.
SWEETSLocal Sweets
Regional treats.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Tana-Riri Fest FAQ
Who were Tana and Riri?
Two legendary sister-singers of Vadnagar, remembered for their mastery of classical music and above all of raga Malhar, the rain raga.
What is the legend?
It is said their singing of Malhar brought the rains that cured the great Tansen, scorched by his own performance of the fiery raga Deepak at Akbar's court.
What is the Tana-Riri festival?
An annual Hindustani classical music festival held at Vadnagar in their honour, drawing leading performers from across India.
When is it held?
Around Kartik, in November each year; the exact dates are announced by the state.
Why Vadnagar?
It is the sisters' own town — and one of India's oldest continuously inhabited settlements, with heritage from the Kirti Toran to ancient Buddhist excavations.
What else can I see there?
The Kirti Toran arches, Sharmishtha lake, the Hatkeshwar temple, the town gates and the archaeological excavations.
Across Gujarat
LAKEGopi Talav
A restored medieval lake & lakefront plaza
COUNTRYSIDECharotar Villages
Lush dairy & farming country
Nagnath Mahadev
A revered old Shiva temple in Amreli
ANCIENTGalteshwar Temple
A 12th-century riverside Shiva shrine
FORTLakhpat Fort
A walled ghost-town on the edge of the Rann
1Dholi Dhaja Dam
Watch herds of wild ass gallop across the Rann
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026