RAJASTHAN FAIR AND FESTIVALS TOUR

Rajasthan is a place where tradition and royalty meet against the enchanting hues of a desert landscape. It is a land of festivals and fairs. The people of this desert state celebrate many a festival with gay abandon throughout the year. There are festivals to go with every religious occasion, every change of season and every harvest and with people of different religions and creeds having made Rajasthan their home, life in Rajasthan is one long festival. These festivals provide a unique opportunity for tourists to gain a fascinating insight into the life of its inhabitants. Many of these festivals include elephant, camel races, dance and music specially organized for tourists.

DESERT FESTIVALS

The Desert Festival of Rajasthan is a colourful, joyous celebration of the rich heritage of Rajasthan. Once a year in winters and on the middle of the continually rising and falling stark yellow sands of the great Thar Desert, the empty sands around Jaisalmer come alive with the brilliant colour, music and laughter of the Desert Festival of Rajasthan. You will never forget marvels like the famous Gair and Fire dancers that are the major attraction of the desert festival celebrations. Interesting contests including a tying competition and a Mr. Desert contest further enhance the fun of the occasion. A trip to the Sam sand dunes marks the grand finale, where you will enjoy camel rides and brilliant performance by the folk artist under the full moon against the backdrop of picturesque dunes.The three-day event stresses more on local elements and heritage. For example, this no-nonsense festival will only showcase Rajasthani folk songs and dance. These are presented by some of the best professionals of the art. Similarly, local customs such as Turban tying etc have been added to make it more exotic and colorful in its outlook. 'The moustache competition' is very popular among foreigners. This is simply because of the surprise value attached to this event. Foreigners can be seen posing for pictures with the winners. This is truly a moment worth preserving. Interesting contests including a tying competition and a Mr. Desert contest further enhance the fun of the occasion. The sands around Jaisalmer are adorned with vibrant hues of music and dance of Rajasthan, accompanied with sounds of laughter and joy. The Jaisalmer Fort of Rajasthan provides an ethereal backdrop to the annual Desert Festival celebrating the traditional performing arts and creative crafts of Rajasthan. The otherwise barren landscape is splashed with vibrant colors marking the opening of the Desert Festival of Rajasthan. Over the years, the desert dwellers in their solitude have woven a fascinating tapestry with threads of music and rhythm and the Desert Festival of Rajasthan is a celebration of their heritage. It is a chance of a lifetime to see the folk art forms against the landscape of Rajasthan that has nurtured them for hundreds of years during your Rajasthan tour.

CAMEL FESTIVAL IN BIKANER

India is known for being the largest democratic country of the world and there by the country has number of fairs and fests that makes it happening on the world map. Some fest are just weird and some are deep rooted to the heritage and culture. Bikaner Camel Festival is weird and yet deep rooted. Held in Bikaner Rajasthan, Camel Festival in Bikaner festival is organized by Department of Tourism, Art and Culture. Bikaner Camel Festival is charming fest that showcases the culture of Rajasthan in subtle way. A great way to experience something raw straight from the rustic village of Rajasthan. Bikaner Camel Festival also give opportunities to shopaholics who could indulge in shopping some handicraft material from this place. As the name suggest the major attractions of the Bikaner Camel Festival are the camels. They are at their best and display some unusual stunts that you wouldn't find it happening on any other days. Bikaner Camel Festival includes the Camel Race, Dances and even a beauty peagent!, exclusively for camels. Evenings of Bikaner Camel Festival also adds charm to the fest. Various musical concerts, dances and puppet show increase the interest of the traveller by many fold. See the above colorful picture of Bikaner Camel Festival.

PUSHKAR FAIR

The holy city of Pushkar is located in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan, India. Pushkar is one of the five sacred dhams or pilgrimage sites for devout Hindus. One of the oldest cities of India. Pushkar lies on the shore of the sacred Pushkar Lake. The sacred waters of the Pushkar lake are considered at par with the waters of the Mansarovar lake situated on way to Mount Kailash the abode of Shiva. The date of actual origin of Pushkar is unknown, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation. Pushkar is also referred to as "Tirtha- Guru" - the Guru of pilgrimage sites or "Tirtha-Raj " the king of all pilgrimage sites. Pushkar clearly qualifies for this title as it meets all criteria of the 4 categories of Hindu pilgrimages, " The Deva - Tirtha", "Asura-Tirtha", "Arsha Tirtha" and "Manushya-Tirtha" It is said that Brahma performed penance here for 60,000 years Pushkar has many temples. Most of the temples are not very old, since many were destroyed during Muslim conquests of the area. Many of these destroyed temples were re-built. The most famous among all is the Brahma Temple. Today Just a few temples dedicated to Lord Brahma exist . Temples dedicated to Brahma are also located, Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh , Asotra near Balotra in Barmer district of Rajasthan , Besakih in Bali and Prambanan in Indonesia. The Pushkar lake has 52 ghats where pilgrims descend to the lake to bathe in the sacred waters.
Every year Pushkar plays host to the Pushkar Fair which is now well known world over for its Religious fervour ,festivities and the camel , Cattle fair that takes place along the sidelines of this annual gathering. The Pushkar fair occurs every year in the Hindu month of kartik (October /November). The first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak is believed to have bathed in the sacred waters of the Pushkar lake, the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh also visited Pushkar in 1705 and a ghat " Guru Gobind Singh Ghat" is named after him. At Pushkar

ELEPHANT FESTIVAL IN JAIPUR

Elephant Festival is observed in the city of Jaipur, which is located in the Indian state named Rajasthan. The festival is observed in the day of the festival named Holi. Various amazing activities are being performed by the elephants to give the Elephant Festival a complete look. Various books and videos on the web can be found with the mention of the festival greatly. It has also become a part of tourist attraction these days.
he elephants are regarded as holy animals by the Hindus. Therefore, these animals are often seen being the parts of the Indian festivals, especially the Hindu festivals. The elephants are also seen playing major roles in various sculptures and holy scripts of Hinduism. Not just for fulfilling the purpose of enjoyment, the people also take care of the elephants in various ways.
The main features of the Elephant Festival in Jaipur concern elephant dance and elephant polo. The festival commences with the amazing procession of the folk dancers and the bedecked elephants. The camels and the horses also make parts of the festival. The saddle cloth or the jhools and the astonishing heavy jewelries are mostly seen on the elephants. The tug-of-war between an elephant and 19 people consisting of both the genders is another notable activity

TEEJ FESTIVAL

The moon’s cycle determines when Teej is celebrated each year. The festival is celebrated in July or August annually, in India’s monsoon season. The festival is celebrated in numerous states, primarily in central and northern regions of the country – though only in Haryana is it an official public holiday. It’s celebrated in states such as Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital city, is home to some of Teej’s most well-known festivities.
Teej represents the ties between wife Parvati and husband Shiva. The festival commemorates Parvati’s unwavering dedication to her husband. When Indian women look for her blessings during Teej, they do so as a means of achieving a strong marriage — and quality husband. Not only does Teej center around a strong marriage, but it also focuses on the happiness and health of children.
The name “Teej” is thought to be a reference to a tiny red insect that comes out from the ground during monsoon season. Hindu myths believe that when that happened, Parvati visited Shiva’s residence. This sealed their connection as man and woman.
During Teej, women put on their best accessories and attire. They also often get henna or mehendi decorations on their hands. They sing many songs that are associated with the festival. They swing on swings that are fastened to big tree branches. They experience a combination of fasting and lavish, sumptuous feasts, too. Dancing is yet another typical Teej activity. Not only does Teej focus on marriage and family ties, but it also focuses on the monsoons. Monsoons give the people welcome rest from the intense heat of the summer months