Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan

Perhaps Rajasthan is most known for its royal monuments like the Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, Amber Fort, Jaisalmer Fort, Taragarh Fort, City Palace and Museum (Jaipur) etc. but the state is also famous for its vibrant events such as the Pushkar Camel Fair, Desert Festival and so on. Spreading across the year, the fairs and festivals of Rajasthan draw millions of visitors from across the world. Rajasthan’s fairs and festivals presents of a kaleidoscope of colours, a delightful mixture of sights and sounds, culture and craft. In fact, if you wish to experience the rich traditions of Rajasthan and running short of time, then weave your itinerary around the fairs and festivals, you will not be disappointed. By participating in the exhilarating you can experience the unmatched and unforgettable charm of Rajasthan.

Cattle Fair, Nagaur (January-February) : Considered as second biggest fair of the country, Cattle fair witnesses the trading of 70,000 cattle annually. Usually held around the months of Jan-Feb, the four-day festival fires a spirit of conviviality in visitors and locals as well. Cattle Fair is known for a variety of fun-filled activities such as camel races, cock fights and the thrilling tug of war. Cattle Fair is famous for Marwari horses with incurving ears that arch at the tips like a lyre, honey-coloured Nagauri bullocks and long-lashed camels. Apart from cattle, the people also add to the charm of the Cattle Fair.

It is interesting to see Rajashtan women stunning in their flowing skirts, gold earings and a seductive glint in their eyes. Whereas local men donning colourful turbans provide a distinct aura to the fair. Wooden and leather handicrafts and red chillies market are other attractions of this fair. At dusk, Nagaur is caught up in soothing music and invigorating dance.

Camel Festival (January) : Celebrated annually in Bikaner, Camel Festival is more or less like a carnival. As its name suggests, camels are the highlight of this festival. The festival is marked by numerous interesting performances by the trained camels. Besides, the rich dance and music in the background,make the whole scene more charming.

Desert Festival (February) : During winters the Thar desert promises warm, balmy days and invigorating nights, which is also the time for celebration at sam sand dunes. Welcome to the Desert Festival of Rajashtan, which is held in the month of February on the Sam Sand Dunes, just 42 kms away from Jaisalmer. Rajasthani fairs and festivals means plethora of thrilling activities, and the Desert Festival offers the same to quench your thirst for joy and enjoyment.

Desert Festival is a cultural platform for the rich music and dance tradition of the state. Here you will meet men with moustaches so long you could only imagine. These men stroke and twirl their hairy prized possessions and participate in the ‘Mr Desert’ contest. The Desert Festival is also renowned for the turban-tying competition in which participants try to turn the long colourful fabric into turbans. You can catch the puppet shows, ballads, dances and snake-charmers who enliven the festival. By the progress of evening, Sam sand dunes come alive to the balladeers’ soulful songs of the soldier kings and their consorts as the puppeteers dramatise the epics.

Rajasthan Diwas (21-30 March) : Every year in the month of March, Rajasthan celebrates its foundation day. Rajasthan Diwas is the day of the unification of erstwhile princely states and the state of Rajasthan. Organized by the Rajasthan Tourism Department, the festival features traditional and rural sports like kho-kho, camel cart races and elephant polo. ‘Run for Rajasthan’ is the highlight of the Rajashtan Diwas in which 32 torches are lit and brought to Jaipur by runners. As part of the festivities, local bazaars of Jaipur remain open late into the night and it offer interesting local textiles and handicrafts. You can also savour delectable local cuisine during the festival. Great entertainment including cultural shows and ghazal evening make the festival alive. Rajashtan Diwas commemorates with a spectacular fireworks display.

Pushkar Fair (November): One of the important pilgrimage spot for Hindus,Pushkar is known world over for its small and big temples, serene lakes and colourful ghats. Above all, Pushkar has earned the international fame due to annual camel fair which draws lakhs of people from all over the world. Pushkar fair is held for one week during which massive trading of cattle takes place. With its fun-filled activities the fair gives a much needed break to the visitors and locals who lead a harsh life in the arid deserts. In addition, devotees usually take a holy dip in the waters of Pushkar lake and worship in the temples.

Other Popular festivals of Rajasthan: Kite Festival (January), Shekhawati Fair (February),Elephant Festival (March), Mewar Festival (March), Gangaur Festival (March-April) and Teej Festival (July-August)

India – A Land of Wonders

India, a land of wonders is often mistaken as a continent because of its varied characteristics. A vast country, India boasts of an old history that goes back to five thousand years. India’s huge geographical diversity, rich cultural heritage, colourful fairs and festivals, forts and monumental attractions, lofty hills and serene beaches, small and big rivers enhance its beauty many folds. Above all, India shows a unique feature of UNITY IN DIVERSITY. All over India you find people of different caste and creed, but they are unified with each other with a string of brotherhood. In fact, each and every part of India has its own distinct charm and offers a lot of things for visitors. Below I am providing a glimpse of India, hope after going through it you could better understand the country.

Geography :

World’s seventh largest country, India has a total land area of 3,287,263 square kms. India lies in South Asia and shares boundaries with countries namely Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh. To the north, the Great Himalayan range stands as an impregnable wall, whereas its foothill valleys cover the northernmost part of the country. Further in the south, plateaus, tropical rain forests and sandy deserts are flanked by palm fringed beaches. Cape Cormin constitutes the southern tip of the mainland Indian peninsula, which narrows before ending in the Indian Ocean. The southernmost part of India is Indira point in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Climate :

India has a sub-tropical climate, that varies from one region to another region. As the Tropic of Cancer passes through this country, the country is basically hot and humid. Summer, Monsoon, Winter and Spring are four main seasons of India. November to February is winter season, February – March is Spring season, April to June is Summer season, July to October is rainy season.

Popular States and Cities :

Politically India has been divided into 28 states and 7 union territories. India has five metropolitan cities namely - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. Apart from these, India has several big cities such as Hydearbad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur, Patna, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Pune, Thiruvananathapuram, Ahmedabad and many more. All the major cities and small towns of India are home to a number of attractions which attract tourists from far and wide.

People and Culture :

Noted as home to the famous Indus Valley civilization and many other civilizations, India has a population of over 1 billion. People of India follow varied religion and their local traditions vary as well. Majority of the India people follow Hinduism, other major religions followed by Indians are Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity etc. Hindi is the national language of India, people also speak Urdu, English and regional languages like Bengali, Matathi, Gujarati, Punjabi etc. Indian culture has been marked by a high degree of cultural pluralism. From time immemorial, India has managed to preserve its established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants. Even today, Indian cultural practices, languages, customs, traditions, forts and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries.

Fairs and Festivals :

India is home to various religious sects, who celebrate various festivals throughout the year. Fairs and festivals of India provide a glimpse of country’s centuries old culture and traditions. Most remarkable feature of the India festivals is that all people irrespective of their caste and creed, take part in almost all festivals. Some of the popular festivals are Holi, Eid, Baisakhi, Desert Festival, Onam, Pongal, Buddha Purnima, Dusshera, Diwali and Christmas.

Pilgrimage :

Pilgrimage is one of the most important aspect of Indian people’s life. As India is home to people of various religions, so they have their own pilgrimage destinations. For Hindus Chardham is the most sacred place, which include Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Muslims go to Dargah of the sufi saints, some noted dargahs of safi saints are Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargah (Ajmer), Nizamuddin Auliya (New Delhi) and Qutubuddin Kaki (New Delhi). Golden temple is the pilgrimage site for Sikhs which Christians have a number of churches all over the country. Buddhism is another major religion of India, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Sanchi are important pilgrimage destinations of Buddhists.

Hill Stations :

A land of huge geographical diversity, India is bestowed with several lovely hill stations. Hill stations of India offer a cool and chilly retreat far from the hot and humid climate of the plains. Most popular hill stations of India include Ooty, Nainital, Darjeeling, Panchgani, Kulu and Manali, Gulmarg, Ladakh etc.

Beaches :

As India is bordered by the Bay of Bengal, the Indian ocean and the Arabian sea in its three sides, so it is cradled with several serene beaches. Most of the southern and western states of India house a number of picturesque beaches. Some of the famous Indian beaches are Anjuna Beach (Goa), Colva Beach (Goa), Dona Paula Beach (Goa), Juhu Beach (Mumbai), Kovalam Beach (Kerala) and Alleppey Beach (Kerala).

Wildlife :

Situated within the Indomalaya ecozone, India hosts significant biodiversity in its flora and fauna. Due to threat of poaching and other intervention of human, majority of the wildlife areas of India has been designated as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. You can see a huge variety of floral and faunal species in wildlife sanctuaries of India. Some most popular national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of India include Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Sunderban Tiger Reserve, Kanha National park , Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Corbett National park and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary.