Held annually in the picturesque Dayara Bugyal alpine meadows and Raithal Village in Uttarkashi, the festival sees villagers and visitors come together to play with fresh butter, milk and buttermilk. Participants smear butter on each other's faces and clothes and splash buttermilk around, creating scenes that can easily remind one of a Holi celebration.

Imagine celebrating Holi and Dahi Handi together, but high up in the Himalayan meadows of Uttarakhand. That is exactly what makes the state's unique Butter Festival, locally known as Anduri Utsav, one of the most unusual celebrations in India.

Held annually in the picturesque Dayara Bugyal alpine meadows and Raithal Village in Uttarkashi, the festival sees villagers and visitors come together to play with fresh butter, milk and buttermilk. Participants smear butter on each other's faces and clothes and splash buttermilk around, creating scenes that can easily remind one of a Holi celebration, only with dairy products instead of colours.

The celebration is rooted in the region's pastoral traditions and is associated with expressing gratitude to nature and local deities for protecting the livestock that graze in the high-altitude Himalayan pastures. Set amid the vast green meadows of Dayara Bugyal, the festival turns into a joyous and messy gathering filled with laughter, music and local traditions.

The festivities begin with traditional processions, folk music and prayers seeking blessings from Lord Sameshwar Devta. The celebrations are also accompanied by the traditional Raso folk dance, bringing together the cultural traditions of the region.