Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan (India)
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Rajasthan
is at its colourful best during the festivals. Some of these like the
Repubilc Day, Holi, Dussehra and Diwali are observed in Rajasthan in the
same way as in the rest of the country. Others, exclusive to the region,
such as Gangaur and Teej, have distinctive local colour.
The spring festival of Gangaur, symbolie of the ripened harvest, is held
in honour of Gauri, the goddess of abundance. The image of the deity is
carried in a procession of gaily dressed men and women. A more imposing or
exhilarating singht can hardly be imagined than the entire population of a
city thus assembled for purpose of rejoicing, the countenance of each
individual wreathed in smiles.
The Teej celebrates the advent of the monsoon. Traditionally, this day is
sacred to goddess Parvati whose image, clad in red and gold, is borne on a
palanquin in a procession with caparisoned elephants, horses and camels.
The procession presents a grand spectacle of colour and gaiety
Fairs and
Festivals hold a prominent place and reveals the culture and day to day
life of the people of Rajasthan. In Rajasthan festivals are celebrated
with zust and zeal with dance and music which make the golden sand come
alive. For every religious event, for every harvest and for every change
of season there are different fairs and festivals in Rajasthan.
While some of these are traditional festivals, there are also a large
number of festivals that have been recently started by the tourism
department to display the custom and tradition of the area. The fair and
festivals are celebrated almost all parts of Rajasthan throughout the
year. These festivals provide an opportunity to the visitor to come across
the lifestyle of the people of Rajasthan. Various adventure sports are
organised especially for the tourists is some of the fairs and festivals
like horse polo, camel races, elephant race and elephant polo. If you wish
to include any of the festival in your Tour, then we would be glad to
include that fair or festival in your Tour. The Team of Rajasthan
Visit keeps update from time to time the dates of the important fairs and
festivals which are celebrated in Rajasthan, So please check the dates of
the festivals, before finalising your trip. Some of the popular fairs and
festivals of Rajasthan are as follows:
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Camel
Festival, Bikaner (January) |
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Camel
festival is celebrated in Bikaner, a very amazing desert city and the
only camel breeding farm in the country in the month of January.
Camel festival is a very famous festival of Rajasthan. Camel
dances and Camel races takes place during this festival. Important
attractions of this festival are the Dance and Music of Rajasthan.
Folks performances are also played during the festival and fire dance
is also organized during the festival in the night. |
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Desert
Festival, Jaisalmer (January) |
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Desert Festival is one of the most prominent and famous festival of
Rajasthan. Desert Festival takes place in the month of January, it is
celebrated on the Sam Sand Dunes which is about 24 kms from the city
of Jaisalmer. Camels from all over Rajasthan assemble here during the
festival and perform an amazing show on the sands of the desert. This
festival is celebrated for 3 days and during the time of this festival
all the area of Jaisalmer is filled with joy with the colourful
dressed people. The Desert Festival gives a cultural platform for the
rich tradition of music and dance of the state. Some of the prominent
attractions of this festival are camel races, puppet shows, Gair and
fire dances, turban–tying competition, Mr. Desert contest, the
tug-of-war, ballads etc. As darkness falls, the Sam dunes come alive
to the balladeers’ emotional songs of the soldier-kings and their
companions as the puppeteers dramatise the epics. At the end of the
festival, the prize is awarded to the best dressed camel. |
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Nagaur
Fair, Nagaur (February) |
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Nagaur Fair also known as cattle fair is celebrated annually in the
month of February in Nagaur. Nagaur Fair is the 2nd biggest
trading fair in India, about 70,000 cattle are traded in this fair. Nagaur becomes a busy town when the cattle,
horses and camels are accompanied by their owners and buyers who come
here from all over to buy and sell them. Beautiful and regal horses,
Nagauri bulls and the long-lashed camels are traded in this fair.
Other prominent attractions of Nagaur Fair are the Rajasthani women,
in their flowing skirts and vibrant beads, and men, wearing gold
earrings and colourful turbans and hawking leather and wooden
handicrafts. The hides of the animals, cut into amazing patterns, are
very exciting. One of the largest market for red chillies, Mirchi
Bazaar, takes place during this fair. |
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The day
begins with the buyers and sellers who are involved in earnest bargains
and ends with the dances, songs and amusement. The camel races, cock
fights and the attractive tug-of-war also take place during this fair. It
provides a chance to local people and also to the foreign tourists to know
the rural life and take part in various activities and enjoy the festival. |
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Baneshwar
Fair, Banswara (February) |
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Baneshwar
Fair is celebrated in Baneshwar in Banswara in the state of Rajasthan in
the month of February during the time of Shivratri. This sacred tribal
fair takes place on the banks of the Som and Mahi rivers in the forested
region around the border of Rajasthan that it shares with Gujarat and
Madhya Pradesh. During this fair tribal people from Rajasthan and from the
nearby states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh assemble in a large number and
offers prayers to Lord Shiva and set camps in large groups. |
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Chaksu Fair
(March) |
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During
the Chaksu Fair a huge crowd of rural people assemble in Chaksu from all
over Rajasthan. Chaksu Fair is also known by the name of Shitla Mata Fair
or Basoda. This fair is one of the most vibrant and colourful occasion in
the fair calendar of Rajasthan. This large fair is held to satisfy the
goddess of war whose anger can be the dreadful scrouge of smallpox unless
calmed by her followers. On the day of Chaksu Fair, the food which is
prepared on the previous day is eaten. |
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Brij
Festival (March) |
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Brij
Festival is takes place in the month of March, a few days before Holi. It
is celebrated around Bharatpur in the Brij area. This festival is
celebrated at the time of the arrival of spring season with dance and
music. |
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Elephant
Festival (March) |
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The
Elephant festival takes place in the month of March, on the day of
Holi in the city of Jaipur. Prominent highlights of this festival are:
elephant race, elephant polo, the tug of war between elephants and men
and women and other cultural programmes. The most vibrant and
colourful part of Elephant festival is the Holi which is played on the
back of elephant. During this festival, the horses, camels, elephants
and folk dancers go in parade and participate in various competitions.
In this festival, the tourists can look at the cultural programmes of
dance and music and also enjoy the festival of colors. The scene of
the elephants which are dressed very wonderfully and moving royally in
a pageant is certainly a sight to behold.
The mahawats or owners adorn the bodies of the elephants with heavy
jewellery, jhools and vibrant colours. In the end, the prizes are
given to the elephant who is decorated wonderfully.
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Gangaur
Festival,
Jaipur (March / April) |
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The
Gangaur festival is a very important festival of women in the state of
Rajasthan. This festival is mostly celebrated in Udaipur, Jaipur and
Mandawa in the month of March or April. This festival takes place for
almost two weeks after Holi is over. This festival is dedicated to
Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva.
During
this festival the women and young girls wore their traditional dress
of ‘Lehnga’ ‘Choli’ and ‘Odhni’, sing and dance and pray Issar and
Gangaur, demonstrations of Shiva and Parvati, for grooms of their
choice while the married women pray for the safety of their husbands.
During this festival various activities are organized in a grand
procession which reveals the arrival of Lord Shiva to take his bride
home.
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Mewar
Festival, Udaipur (March / April) |
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Mewar
festival takes place in the month of March or April in the city of Udaipur
and coincides with the Gangaur festival. This festival is celebrated to
greet the spring season. During this festival, the entire city turns out
to mark the end of the 18 day festival and there are religious music shows
and presentations by the artists.
The main attraction of this festival is the procession of colourfully
dressed women carrying images of the Goddess Gauri to Lake Pichola and the
parade of the floats on the lake. |
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Ajmer
Urs, Ajmer (May) |
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Ajmer Urs takes place in the memory of the Sufi saint
Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer. The date of this Ajmer
Urs is not fixed, and it is takes place according to the
moon. The Urs honors the symbolic union of the saint with
God. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world
assemble at the temple and offer their prayers to the holy
saint during this festival. This festival is celebrated
for about six days with continuous music and other
programmes and Qawwalis (poems) are sung in the honour of
the saint. On the last day of the festival, womens
wash the tomb with their hair and then squeeze the rose
water into bottles as medicine for the ill person. During
this festival the entire town of Ajmer is adorned with
buntings, and wears the spirit of festivity. |
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Summer
Festival, Mount Abu (June) |
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Summer Festival is celebrated in Mount Abu which is the
only hill station of Rajasthan. Summer festival takes
place in the month of June. This is the only festival
which is takes place in the summers. Important attractions
of the festival are Cultural Programmes and Folk dances
which are performed by the Bhil tribes of the region.
These folk dances and cultural shows makes atmosphere of
happiness in the town so that the tourists can relax and
enjoy the festival with enthusiasm. |
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Teej
Festival,
Jaipur (August) |
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Teej is a
prominent festival of Rajasthan. Teej festival takes place at the
beginning of the monsoon season during the month of August. This
festival is devoted to the worship of goddess Parvati. The Teej
festival is celebrated all over the state, but, it is mostly
celebrated in Jaipur, where the idol of the goddess Parvati is taken
out in colourful parade alongwith dance and song, for two days.
The
women and young girls assemble in large groups, dress up in colourful
clothes and spend time on swings adorned with flowers and enjoy the
festival by dancing and singing.
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Marwar
Festival, Jodhpur (October) |
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Marwar Festival is devoted mostly to the dance and music
of the Marwar region. This festival takes place during the
month of October in the city of Jodhpur. This festival
truly reflects the art and culture of the Jodhpur region
and the Maand festival is an important part of this
festival. During the Marwar Festival the tourists can
enjoy the folk music and dance of Jodhpur and also of
whole Rajasthan. |
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Pushkar
Fair, Pushkar (November) |
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Pushkar is famous all over the world due to its Pushkar
Festival which takes place in the month of November.
During this festival the whole of Pushkar is changed into
a magnificent fair ground where thousands of pilgrims come
to take bath in the holy water of Pushkar lake and pray at
the Brahma temple.
Pushkar fair is also the world's
biggest cattle and camel fair where farmers, breeders and
camel traders buy and sell.
It is also a time for families and friends to assemble together at
one place, entertain each other with folk dances and
songs, camp in the desert, cook meals over camp fires, and
also do shopping in the fair.
Special
tented camps are set up on this occassion for the visitors
in Pushkar.
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Festival Calendar of
Rajasthan |
