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Rajasthan Fair and Festivals

Rajasthan, is a colorful desert. The unconvincing Thar Desert and with it all the barren land of Rajasthan has much to offer through the plethora of celebrations. Festivals and fairs, music and dances, turns the land to a creative fertile basin. Season heralded with a festive fervor and cattle marts turn into delightful fairs.

Festivals hold an unusual lure for the Rajasthani's and they have any number of reasons to celebrate. Pageantry is in the form of weddings or rituals, or to promote trade. Each region has their own form of Folk entertainment, own Traditions, own dialect adding to the Indian diversity. Pushkar Fair, Desert festival, Elephant Festival and Camel festival are internationally famous and are not to be missed.

These festivals born out of age-old traditions, adorns the golden land and unveils the best with vulnerable colors. Colors that are alive and unrestricted, and unifies each soul who visits this magic land. There's a rhythm, there's a jest, a passion, a spirit of romance, a valor, a feel of being one with the blonde landscape. This spirit of celebration is like Desert Rains, hidden in the Aravalli bosom, unfolding its feather with each festival.

Camel Festival - Bikaner : The year unfolds with the Camel Festival at Bikaner in January. The enchanting desert city comes to life with joyous music, lilting rhythms and gay festivities. There are camel races and camel dances, and onlookers are fascinated by the languid charms and grace of the decorated ships of the desert.

Desert Festival - Jaisalmer : One of the most popular of the festivals,the Desert Festival of Jaisalmer coincides with the full moon in February. A three-day journey into the heart of the Thar Desert and the golden city of Jaisalmer it is a true show on the sands. The desert pulsates with a myriad of Rajasthani dances: Ghoomer, Gangaur, Gair Dhap, Moria, Chari and Tehratal. The famous Gair dancers and the Fire dances are the special highlights of the festival. Folk performers like musicians, ballad singers, snake charmers, and puppeteers all exhibit their traditional skills.

Elephant Festival - Jaipur : Celebrated also in March around Holi (festival of colors) is the Elephant Festival of the capital Jaipur, a tourists' delight. The mighty mammals claim center stage and stride majestically parading their decorated trunks and tusks. The festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels and horses followed by folk dancers at their entertaining best. The god worshiped on the occasion, Ganesh or Ganapati, is the elephant son of Shiva and Parvati.

Urs Ajmer Sharif - Ajmer : Held according to the lunar calendar, in memory of the saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, helper of the poor, Urs Ajmer Sharif - celebrated at Ajmer - is one of the biggest Muslim fairs in India. The six days that the saint is said to have gone into seclusion, to shed his mortal coil off and fee his soul, are dedicated to his memory and pilgrims converge here from within India and al over the world.

Teej - All over Rajasthan but mainly in Jaipur : Teej, the festival of swings celebrated mainly in Jaipur, marks the advent of the monsoons. Celebrated on the third day of the bright lunar half of the month of Shravan (August) it is, like Gangaur, dedicated to the goddess Parvati, commemorating the day when she was united with Lord Shiva after an agonizing separation.

Pushkar Fair - Pushkar : Pushkar, separated from Ajmer by Nag Pahar, the 'Snake Mountain' is right on the edge of the desert. The town clings to the small but beautiful Pushkar Lake with its many bathing ghats and temples. An important pilgrimage center for Hindus, it is internationally famed for its huge Camel and Cattle Fair. During the fair, Rajasthani tribals, Indian pilgrims, filmmakers and tourists from all over the world converge here. If you are anywhere near striking distance at the time it's an event not to be missed.

Other Fairs and Festivals : There is an endless process of Rajasthan's fairs and festivals on the Indian calendar; the Chandrabhaga Fair in Jhalawar, Summer Festival at Mount Abu, Kapil Muni Fair along the Kolayat lake, Sri Mahavirji Fair of the Jains, Shitala Ashtami held at Chaksu near Jaipur, Ramdeoji Fair near Pokhran in Jaisalmer; al these in addition to the major Hindu festivals of Holi, Dussehra, Diwali and Raksha Bandhan.