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Festivals In Rajasthan - The
Spirit of Celebration
Rajasthan is the 'Land of
Celebration'. The fairy-tale
forts and palaces across its
golden sands conjure up endless
fascinating images of chivalrous
kings, beautiful princesses and
lavish darbars. The mark of
royalty is all-pervasive in this
desert land and is seen not only
on the vivid frescoes and murals
of the palaces but also in the
pomp and pageantry of the
brightly dressed people.
Although vast areas of Rajasthan
are tones of beige and brown,
its people dress up most
colourfully, making up for the
lack of a colourful landscape.
Not only the multi-hued costumes
of the people, but also the
richly carved mansions, gaily
decorated livestock and the
bustling bazars selling fabulous
wares all splashes of colour. In
a land where social customs are
still governed by age-old
traditions, it is only natural
to see women is swirling skirts
who spontaneously pull the veil
or ghunghat over their faces at
the sight of a man. The village
women adorn themselves with
heavy silver jewellery around
the ankles, waist, neck and the
wrist or dangling from the ears,
nose and hair.
Many of these ethnic ornaments
have now become a craze among
the urban elite, both at home
and abroad. The rich heritage of
Rajasthan manifests itself in
the latticed havelis, ornate
palaces and intricately carved
temples, some of them dating
back to the 7th century. The
true-to-life images and
architectural complexity of the
buildings speak volumes about
the skill and dexterity of the
artisans. The spirit of romance,
valour and faith is
quintessential to Rajasthan and
is delicately yet inseparably
blended in its art, culture and
hauntingly addictive music and
dance.
Rajasthan's tradition can be
captured at its festive best at
the fairs and festivals, which
are dazzlingly theatrical and
lively. In fact, anytime of the
year is festival time in
Rajasthan. The festivities are
marked by folk dances and music
played on a variety of locally
made instruments. All the fairs
and festivals are widely
attended by people from all
walks of life.
A
Celebration of Fairs and
Festivals
Festivals hold an unusual lure
for the Rajasthanis, and they
find any number of reasons to
celebrate. While some of these
are traditional festivals, there
are also a large number that
have been recently introduced by
the tourism department to
showcase the heritage of a
region. Chances are, when
travelling in the state, you
will come across any number of
local fairs and festivities in
which you can participate.
However, some of the larger and
more important celebrations are
listed below. (This list does
not include those festivals that
are common to all parts of the
country such as Holi, Diwali and
Dussehra.)
BANESHWAR FAIR: Held at
Baneshwar at the time of
Shivratri (January-February),
this is a tribal fair on the
banks of the Mahi and Som rivers
in the forested area around the
border of Rajasthan that it
shares with Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat. Bhil tribals from all
three states gather here to
worship Shiva, and set camp in
colourful groups.
BRIJ FESTIVAL: Staged a
few days before Holi (March) in
the Brij area around Bharatpur,
it celebrates the festival of
spring with spontaneous
expressions of music and dance.
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CHAKSU FAIR: A gathering
of people from Jaipur's rural
pockets collects here in almost
all forms of transport- laden
into tractor trolleys and jeeps
- at what must be one of the
most colourful events on the
Rajasthani fair calendar. |
DESERT FAIR: Jaisalmer
exercises immense charm, but
with the staging of the annual
Desert Festival
(January-February), it has also
become one of the more important
events on the annual calendar.
Essentially, it is a showcase of
the performing arts of the
region on the stretching sands
around this desert citadel. A
number of amusing events at the
stadium include turban tying
competitions and camel races.
ELEPHANT FESTIVAL: On the
occasion of Holi in Jaipur, this
festival of pachyderms includes
several interesting attractions
including elephant polo. The
caparisoned elephants, their
bodies painted with floral
decorations by the mahouts, are
a sight to behold.
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CAMEL FESTIVAL: Held in
Bikaner in January, this
celebration is a recent
introduction in the desert city
with the only camel breeding
farm in the country. Not
unexpectedly, most of the events
are staged around this beast,
with camel races and camel
dances. There are also several
folk performances, and this may
also be your chance to exerience
the rare fire dance staged late
at night. |
GANGAUR FAIR: Idols of
Issar and Gangaur,
manifestations of Shiva and
Parvati, are worshipped by
women, and particularly those
unmarried who pray for a consort
of the like of Shive. Celebrated
all over Rajasthan, it has women
taking out processions through
the streets of towns, carrying
images of the divine couple. The
festival is especially colourful
in Jaipur, Udaipur, and at
Mandawa in the Shekhawati
region.
KOLAYAT FAIR: The sacred
site where Kapil Muni is
supposed to have meditated, a
fair is held here on the banks
of its lakes, and the air
bristles with excitement.
Kolayat can be visited from
Bikaner.
MARWAR FESTIVAL: Held in
October in Jodhpur, this annual
event attempts to showcase the
art and culture of the Jodhpur
region. It is devoted almost
exclusively to song and dance,
and the Maand Festival has
become a part of this huge
regional celebration.
MEWAR FESTIVAL: Held to
coincide with Gangaur in Udaipur,
the whole city turns out to mark
the culmination of the 18-day
festival, with procession of
floats on Pichola lake.
NAGAUR FAIR: A trading
fair for cattle and camels in
January-February, it is a
wonderful opportunity to catch
up on rural life as owners from
all over the state come to camp
on the outskirts of Nagaur while
they buy and sell animals. The
hides of the animals, cut into
beautiful patterns are
particularly interesting.
NAVRATRI: The nine days
preceding Dussehra are marked by
fasting, and on ritual meal a
day. In the case of the martial
Rajputs, a goat is sacrificed as
food for consecration, and the
worship of their weapons is
obligatory. Usually in
September-October, it is a
private celebration with no
public fanfare.
PUSHKAR FAIR: Easily the
most easily identifiable of
Rajasthan's many fairs, Pushkar
has come to symbolise the
febrile heartbeat of the people
of the state. Held in November
in Pushkar, the temple town
close to Ajmer, where an 8th
century temple of Brahma draws
the faithful, it is located on
the banks of a lake. Pilgrims
bathe at the ghats and pray at
the temple, while the actual
fair is held in the vast
stretching desert around it.
Here, traders set camp to strike
deals at India's, and probably
the world's largest camel fair,
though horses are also sold. It
is also a time for friends and
families to get together, camel
fair, though horses are also
sold. It is also a time for
friends and families to get
together, camp in the desert,
entertain each other with folk
songs and dances, cook meals
over camp fires, and wander
through the exuberant melee of
people looking for handicrafts,
or merely to stand in a queue
for the giant wheel... Special
tented camps are set up on the
occasion for visitors but such
is the draw of this fair
internationally, that even these
are soon exhausted, and people
may have to stay in nearby Ajmer,
or even as far as Jaipur,
visiting here by day.
SITLA MATA FAIR: A large
fair is held to propitiate the
goddess of war whose wrath can
be the terrible scrouge of
smallpox unless appeased by her
followers. Consecrated food on
this day consists of stale food
left out the previous night. The
fair is held in and around the
temple dedicated to the goddess
in Amber, Jaipur.
SUMMER FESTIVAL: Held in
June in Mount Abu, this is one
of the few celebrations during
the summer months (though it
coincides too with the marriage
'season' which spans, according
to planetary chartings, from
May-July). In the cool environs
of the hill town, it is time to
relax while folk performances
are staged, particularly of the
Bhil tribes of the region.
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TEEJ: Another festival
dedicated to the worship of
Shiva and Parvati, this time it
is married women who pray for a
long, happy marital life during
the monsoon months of
July-August. Though celbrations
are held all over the state,
they are particularly colorful
in Jaipur where a procession
wends its way through the hear
of the old city. Women dress in
their finery and spend time in
groups at swings that are
specially erected for the
festival. |
URS AJMER SHARIF: Held in
the holy town of Ajmer in honour
of the Sufi saint, Khwaja
Moinuddin Chishti, special
prayers are offered at the
mosque, and huge amounts of
conserated food offered from the
large, steaming cauldrons that
were a gift from Akbar. While
quwwallis are sung at night, the
celebrations unite people of all
faiths, and the complete town is
decorated with buntings, and
wears the spirit of festivity. |
