Rajasthan...The Land of Celebration Of Life And Worship

Rajasthan is the traditional pervading the entire state.  Be it the exuberant celebrations, fair and festivals you will discover that life is a celebration in Rajasthan. The state has its unique festivities interspersed throughout the year, celebrating each season, each legend, each deity ….  in fact, each day.  Almost every festival has its own flavor with a meaningful identity there are animal fairs, religious fairs and mark the changing seasons. Of course ,  it is splendid opportunity for the visitor to come close to the life of the Rajasthan. We can design the Special Fair and Festivals tours to Rajasthan, specially covering Pushkar Cattle, hotel bookings in Pushkar, tented accommodation in Pushkar,  transportation in Pushkar beside that our travel itineraries offers lots optional tour to explore Rajasthan and other tourist destination of India.

The colorful Gangaur Festival is amongst the most popular and widely celebrated festivals of Rajasthan. The word Gangaur comprises of two words 'Gan' a synonym of Lord Siva and 'Gauri' his consort Parvathi. As its name suggests, the Gangaur festival is celebrated in the honor of Gauri who is regarded as the symbol of virtue and fidelity and a mythological role model for Indian married women. On the occasion, married women worship Gauri for the welfare of their husband, the young girls do it being blessed with a spouse of their choice.

The two-week long Gangaur festival commences with the ritual of collecting ashes from the Holika Dahan (on the day following Holi) and burying seeds of wheat and barley in it. Then these seeds are watered every day until the germination takes place. The ritual is performed with the songs praising Isar and Gauri (Shiva and Parvathi) and the carrying of painted water pots on head. Women folks also make clay images of Gauri and Isar.

On the evening of the 7th day after the Holi Festival, unmarried girls take out a procession with ghudlia (an earthen pot with holes around and a lamp inside) on their head. On the way, they are gifted with sweets, ghee, oil and cash. The festivity reaches to its peak during the last three days of the festival.

On the last day colorful images of Gauri are taken out in procession accompanied by the camels, bullock carts, horses and elephants, decorated in traditional finery. Songs are sung about the departure of Gauri to Siva house. The procession concludes with the women breaking their pots and throwing all the consignment into a tank or a pond.

The tribal of the region also celebrate Gangaur Festival with great fanfare. On this festive occasion, tribal men and women are allowed to meet and interact freely and select a life partner of their choice, and marry only by eloping.

Rajasthan, the most colorful and culturally rich state of India, is well known for its colorful and vibrant fairs and festivals. Be it the change of season, a good harvest, or buy and sell of cattle, the people of Rajasthan love to celebrate almost every occasion. Teej is one of the most important festivals celebrated in Rajasthan. Popularly referred as "the festival of swings," Teej Festival marks the advent of the monsoon showers. Swings are hung from trees and the young women folk dressed in green clothes sing heart-touching folk songs to welcome the monsoon showers. The festival of Teej falls in the month of July-August.

The festival of Teej is an important festival of the womenfolk of Rajasthan. The Teej Festival is dedicated to the Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. According to the legend, it is believed that after years of penance, goddess Parvati was united with Lord Shiva on Teej. It's the occasion when thousands of women worship the goddess for conjugal bliss and happiness.

Teej is celebrated with great fanfare in Jaipur. During Teej festival, young girls and women are dressed in their best clothes. On the day of Teej festival, married women pray for the well being of their husbands and martial bliss. Whole Jaipur becomes colorful and vibrant on the festive occasion of Teej, as Jaipur markets are beautifully decorated for the occasion. The Teej idol, beautifully decorated with ornaments and gaudy dresses, is taken out in an elaborate procession in Jaipur for two consecutive days on this festive occasion. The Teej procession is attended and watched by thousands of locals and visitors from all around the country.

The royal state of Camel, popularly referred as the "Ship of the Desert," is an integral part in the life of the colorful people of Rajasthan. Its importance in Rajasthan can be guessed from the fact that the Rajasthani celebrate a colorful Camel Festival every year in Bikaner to show the importance of this wonderful creature, called camel, in Rajasthan. The Government of Rajasthan itself organizes the event every year in the month of January.

The Camel Festival starts with a procession of colorfully decorated camels, crossing the Junagarh Fort in Bikaner, to open sand dunes. On the first day of the event, a contest is held to declare the best-decorated camel in terms of jewelry, the best fur cutting design, and the best breed of camel. The second day of the event is dedicated to exciting camel races and camel dancing performances, which never fail to fascinate the spectators. In fact, the festival provides you a perfect opportunity to see and observe the camels at their best. Various colorful cultural performances of folk dances and music add more charm to the already colorful festival. Thousands of colorfully dressed folk singers and dancers participate in this cultural show. The colorful Camel Festival reaches to its conclusion with a spectacular display of fireworks, illuminating the desert city of Bikaner.

One of the most popular festivals in the desert land of Rajasthan, the Desert Festival is celebrated with great fanfare in Jaisalmer. The Desert Festival is organized every year in the months of January-February, to showcase the richness of performing arts and crafts in Rajasthan. This colorful extravaganza is held on the enchanting Sam Sand Dunes, about 25 km from Jaisalmer. During this festive occasion, the atmosphere at the venue becomes lively with melodious tunes and rhythms of the folk musicians and dancers. A number of colorful craft bazaars are also set up for the occasion, adding more charm to already charming festival.

Other attractions of the Desert Festival, Jaisalmer, are the organization of several exciting competitions. Camel races, Mr. Desert contest, the turban-tying contest, and a contest for the longest moustache add more charm to the festival. On its conclusion, the colorfully decorated camels take you on to an exciting and unforgettable camel safari, indeed a wonderful experience for visitors.

The Elephant Festival in Jaipur is amongst the most famous and colorful festivals of Rajasthan. The Elephant Festival is held in Feb-March every year, on the festive and colorful occasion of Holi, the festival of colors. People celebrate Holi by throwing flowers and Abir (colored powder) on each other. The Elephant Festival, Jaipur combines the color of Holi with elephants, when beautifully decorated elephants march in a row on in the lanes of Jaipur, offering an unforgettable sight to spectators.

The colorful festival starts with a procession of well-decorated elephants, camels and horses, marching through the lanes of Jaipur to the famous Chaugan ground. At the venue, various exciting events like elephant races, elephant-polo matches and an interesting elephants vs. men tug of war contest, are organized. The festive occasion provides a perfect opportunity to see and observe elephants at their best. A contest for the 'best decorated elephant' is also organized. Other attraction of the Elephant Festival Jaipur is the inclusion of colorful cultural programs of folk dances and music, offering lively entertainment to visitors. The Festival finally reaches to its conclusion with a brilliant display of firework.

The International Kite Festival is one of the most colorful and widely celebrated festivals in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The Kite Festival marks the onset of the spring season when colorful flowers starts to blossom everywhere. It's an occasion of cheerful joy, intense excitement and frenzy in Jaipur when thousands of colorful and beautifully painted kites of varying sizes compete with each other to fly higher and higher. On the occasion, kite-flying enthusiasts visit Jaipur from all around the world to participate in the International kite flying contests.

The three-day international kite festival starts with an inauguration at the Polo Ground, Jaipur. A massive extravaganza follows, with Indian Air Force helicopters releasing kites from the sky, and hundreds of schoolchildren releasing balloons. The festival is divided into two colorful sections. In the first category, fighter kite competition is held where thousands of kites fight among each other to reach higher and higher. In the second category more sober displaying of kites are held where thousands of kites participate to compete for looks and designs. There are prestigious trophies to be won in both categories. On the final day of the festival, the venue shifts to the enchanting lawns of the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the royal residence of the Maharaja of Jodhpur. Here the grand finals of the "Fighter Kite Competition" and the final judging of the "Display Kites" are held. It's followed by the prize distribution ceremony and the farewell dinner.

Rajasthan, the land of brave Rajputs, celebrate Marwar Festival every year in memory of its heroes. The two-day Marwar Festival is held in Jodhpur in the Hindu calendar month of Ashwin (September-October) during the full moon of Sharad Purnima. Originally known as the Maand Festival, the festival offers a good opportunity to experience the richness of the art and culture of the Jodhpur region. In fact, the colorful Marwar Festival in Jodhpur is exclusively devoted to the folk music and dance of the region.

Hundreds of colorfully dressed folk dancers and singers take you back to the days of yore, of battles and valiant Rajput heroes who still live on in their ballads. Other major attractions of the Marwar festival are the exciting camel tattoo show and polo. This year Marwar festival is schedule to be held on 16-17th October.

Nagaur Fair is the second largest cattle fair in India. Like Pushkar Camel Fair, thousands of beautifully decorated cattle that include cows, bullocks, horses, oxen and camels are brought to the fair for trading. According to estimates over 70,000 bullocks, camels and horses are traded every year during Nagaur Fair.

On this festive occasion, many colorful cultural and sports programs like tug-of-war contest, camel races, bullock races and cockfights are also organized for the entertainment of visitors. In the evening, colourful programs of folk music and dances create a joyous atmosphere in the fair.

The four-day Nagaur Fair is held in Nagaur every year during the month of Jan-Feb. Besides cattle trading during Nagaur Fair, the town is also famous for its mirchi bazaar (largest red-chilly market of India), and exquisite wooden and camel skin items. The 2006 Nagaur Fair is scheduled for 4-7th February 2006.

Pushkar is a sacred and picturesque town in Rajasthan, located at about 135 km from Jaipur and 12 km from Ajmer. Pushkar is known for its 400 odd temples and exceptional scenic beauty. The beautiful Pushkar Lake and the Brahma Temple here are very sacred to Hindus. Besides, being an important pilgrimage center, Pushkar is also famous for its annual Pushkar Fair, the largest camel fair in the world.

The four-day long Pushkar Fair is held on the auspicious occasion of Karthik Purnima, which normally falls in October-November every year. On this occasion, thousands of devotees throng to the sacred Pushkar Lake to take a dip into it. According to faiths it's believed that a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake considered auspicious at this time.

The annual Pushkar Fair is celebrated with great fanfare. Thousands of bejeweled and beautifully decorated camels come in the fair for trading. They are decorated with great care with silver jewelry, bells, bangles and beads. According to estimates over 25,000 camels are traded in the Pushkar Fair every year, making it the largest camel fair in the world.

On this festive occasion, various cultural and sports programs are also organized for the entertainment of visitors. The exciting camel races, camel dances, camel beauty contest and the camel vs. men tug of war contests, add more charm to already charming and colorful festival.