Rajasthan Festivals - The culture of
Rajasthan, India, is depicted in the colorful and joyous celebrations
during the fairs and festivals of Rajasthan. These festivals involve
elaborate rituals, which are a part of the heritage of Rajasthan. In
addition to the festivals celebrated by the Hindus, Muslims and others,
there are also many traditional fairs.
There are animal fairs, there are religious fairs, and there are fairs
to mark the changing seasons. In fact, celebrations occur almost round
the year and are a splendid opportunity for the visitor to gain an
insight into the life of the Rajasthani people. Other than the
traditional fairs, recently established festivals, which involve
elephants, camel races, dance, and music, have been specially organized
for tourists. The main festivals of Rajasthan, India, are the Desert
Festival, Baneshwar Fair, Gangaur festival, Mewar festival, Elephant
festival, Summer festival, Teej, Marwar festival, Pushkar fair and Camel
festival. Tourists travel to Rajasthan, India, from allover the world to
see these colorful festivals and events.
In the Pink city of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, India, festivals
like Teej, Gangaur and the Elephant festival are celebrated with full
vigor and joy. Teej is a festival to mark the advent of the monsoon. On
this occasion you can see processions in the city. Women dressed in
bright colors create an atmosphere of merriment. Essentially a women's
festival, it is interesting to watch them enjoying themselves in groups
and at various bazaars where they turn up to shop in all their finery.
The Elephant festival is similar to the festival of Holi - the
festival of colors with the added attraction of watching several
elephant sports. On this day a show is organized with the elephants
turning out in their best finery. This has become a popular attraction
and tourists travel to Rajasthan from all over the world to attend the
Elephant Festival in Jaipur.
The Gangaur festival is devoted to Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord
Shiva. It is time for young girls to dress up in their finery and pray
for grooms of their choice while the married women pray for the well
being of their husbands.
The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is one of the most popular of all
festivals. The city is a journey into the heart of the desert; the
golden city of Jaisalmer has a charm of its own. Tourists from many
countries travel to Rajasthan, India to see the Desert Festival and the
famous Pushkar Fair, in Pushkar, attracts many tourists with its
bazaars, auctions, camel races and cultural events.The Baneshwar Fair is
a religious festival with simple and traditional rituals. This fair is
the center of attraction for a large number of tribal people from the
neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat who come here to offer
prayers to Lord Shiva. The Summer Festival of Mount Abu and Marwar
Festival of Jodhpur are famous for folk dances and music.
