Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan

Thinking about Rajasthan fills our minds with color and brightness, vibrancy, royalty, hospitality, celebrations and feasts, Cultural music and dance, tradition, history and heritage. Rajasthan’s majesty is reflected in effervescent lakes and deserts, spirited markets and mesmerizing palaces and fortresses of Rajasthan. Rajasthan celebrates its mesmerizing and vibrant culture through several fairs and festivals. These dazzling fairs and festivals of Rajasthan drag the tourists into the maestro arts, culture, traditions that are nicely interconnected with the Royal history of the state. The experience of Rajasthan is never complete without the myriad fairs and festivals it has to present in the true original “Rajasthani Style”. This is a part of the Land that believes in celebration of life, even with the very harsh climate and arid region of the desert. In order to savor the true flavors of this royal land, one should involve himself/herself during the festivity.

Some of the most elegant and cultural-rich fairs and festivals of Rajasthan are here follows-

Mewar Festival, Udaipur

With the welcome of the spring season, the city of Udaipur comes alive with all the colors. People from all over the world come attracted to Udaipur to witness and be a part of this glory of the town. The city is embellished with its beautiful local shops and markets and is beautified with their façade of ornamental lightings and colors. The air itself is filled with joyous mood.

Women are adorned with flaunting jewelleries and Mehendi on their hands and feet. They all dress up the idols of Lord Shiva and Parvati and carrying on their heads in a procession, they roam through the city. At the end of the Lake Pichola, the idols are immersed in the midst of lake. Witnessing this rituals series is truly a sight to behold.

Desert Festival, Jaisalmer

During the Desert festival, the scorching heat and arid Thar Desert comes to life with the one of the famous colorful festivals of Rajasthan. The atmosphere itself becomes alive with its song, dance, and artists dressed in bright colors and traditional finery.

Here, the Rajasthani folk culture is showcased through its dance, music, gymnastics, camel race, and other adventurous sports. This famous colorful Rajasthani fair and festivals spreads the euphoria in the sand dune of Jaisalmer for three days. As the festival progresses, Several Rajasthani competitions like turban tying, longest moustache, fire dance and Mr. & Mrs. Desert festivals binds the visitors for the whole three days. On the full moon day, this festival winds up with traditional Rajasthani folk music and promises for better new year’s journey.

Teej Festival, Jaipur

Being one of the biggest festivals of Rajasthan, Teej commemorates two points- a woman’s love for her husband and advent of monsoon. This is celebrated with a great zeal and enthusiasm. The women observe fasting, apply mehendis, enjoy long swing rides, and deck up with festive attire to celebrate the reunion of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Special songs are sung and Pooja is observed by women wearing red sarees. The elephants, horses and camels of the city are decorated and feasted upon. The two-day celebration of Hariyali Teej of Jaipur becomes worth-watching.

Bundi Utsav

This festival is one of the best attractions of Town Bundi. This town if filled with forts and palaces which resembles to the fairy tales we read in our childhood days. The marvelous carnival includes a majestic procession, ethnic sports, folk dance performances, cultural events and competitions which are the major highlights of this festival. This also hosts the turban weaving and moustache competitions. Various traditional food stalls, souvenir shops and traditional art shops are set up to attract the visitors. The most breath-taking event of this festival is the great fireworks.

Brij Holi, Bharatpur

Celebrated a few days before Holi, Brij Holi is celebrated, same like Mathura, with the worship of Lord Krishna, dance, music and splashing of colors. People come together in days and play Holi with gulals and kumkums throwing at each other and celebrate by merry-making, singing, dancing and traditional Dhol beating. In the full moon night, they lit huge bonfires and burn their residual dried leaves and organize singing and dancing events. Locals also take a holy dip in the Ghats of Banganga River offering their prayers to the Radha Krishna temple. Tourists from Rajasthan and other places of India come to be a part of this.

Gangour Festival, Jaipur

This festival is among the top festivals of Rajasthan and celebrated all over Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Nikaner and Nathdwara. Started in the subsequence of Holi, this festival continues for 18 days. Women, dressed up with ethnic attire and colorful jewelry, make clay idols of Maa Parvati and worship her every morning.

On the 7th day, processions take place all over city by women carrying the idols and participate in these processions, dances and folk songs and ends up with fireworks. The famous Rajasthani sweet Ghevar is prepared and distributed to all as a celebration.

World Sufi Spirit Festival, Jodhpur

Hosting artists from Mongolia, Afghanistan, Africa and Italy, Sufi saints and musicians come here to join the spiritual celebration here. Sufi culture represents a simple affair to sing hymns to the Almighty with the most peaceful and heart-touching ways. Some of the most delicious food and the holy ambience lits up your spirit with joy and tranquility. This will surely leave an impression in your mind to visit once more to this place.

Rajasthan International Folk Festival

Hailed as a “people’s platform for creativie and sustainable development, this festival was started by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. This is an annual music and humanities pageant for the merchandising of traditional folk tune and arts. This is celebrated on Sharad Purnima, the brightest full moon of the year at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. More than 300 musicians around the globe attend this festival and make it a treat for music and art lovers.

Matsya Festival, Alwar

This is celebrated in November over two days of all fairs of Rajasthan. It’s far discovered to glorify the prosperity, traditional values and colorful customs of Rajasthan. Famous for its colorful processions, cultural performances and conventional wearing occasions and artistic exhibitions, the elegance of this festival makes it extra pleasant setting for a flamboyant birthday party. Some of the interesting, adventurous sports including hot air ballooning, parasailing, zorbing, yoga and other stunning sports become the major attractions here.

Pushkar Camel Festival

The Pushkar fair is one of the spectacular five day celebrations of Rajasthani fairs and festivals including camel and livestock fair in the town of Pushkar in Rajasthan. Celebrated on the eve of Kartik Ekadashi in Pushkar Lake, made by Lord Brahma. This fair attracts lots of tourists and provides them with celebration and art, music, dance, puppet shows, gypsy dance, camel races, competitions with a host of vendors showcasing delicious traditional snacks made of cheese and cakes, jewellery, shawls and other foods. The entire festival in completely lighted up in the desert for five days.

Camel Festival, Bikaner

Organized in the month of January, in the honor of the ship of the deserts, the camel festival of Bikaner is a two-day long with a colorful parade of ornamented camels against the magnificent Junagarh fort. The Primary objective of this festival is to showcase the usefulness of the animal. This festival includes camel races, traditional folk dances and music, beautiful display of fireworks which illuminates the skies of Bikaner. This festival is a revenue-generator for the tourism broad in Rajasthan. This festival has increased promisingly the tourist influx of this city as well as from the national level and international visitors.

Kite Festival, Jodhpur

Celebrated in the month of January, the Kite Festival is one of the most unique fairs and festivals celebrated in Rajasthan. Thousands of flying colorful kites dots the skies during the time. A three-day festival of spirit of Makar Sankranti, the Jodhpur International Desert Kites Festival. Thousands of colorful kites seem like celestial birds that have descended onto the earth. On the day of the festival, people take bath in the Galtaji River and offer their prayers to the Sun God for good health and life. During this time, most of the establishments remain closed and everybody gets involved in flying kites. Some of the traditional and delicious sweets made of sesame seeds are made during this time.

Elephant Festival, Jaipur

The elephant festival of Jaipur is held annually in Jaipur on the eve of Holi. The elephants are decked up with ornaments, broad scarves, jhools and the most vibrant colors for this celebration. Like folk dances and music programs are arranged for total enjoyment of people. This festival of Rajasthan revives the royalty of Jaipur on Rajasthan. People witness the glorious elephant ride in the ground.

The hub of grand festivals and celebrations, Rajasthan, is the centre for specific and plenty awaited elephant pageant. Groomed to perfection and glittering in gold, the majestic stroll amidst an enthralled target market, with musicians playing the people songs. A number of the maximum adventurous elephant race, tug-of warfare and elephant ornament are the highlights of the festival. This commemorates with the people mounting on the elephants and gambling with colors. This is definitely an once-in-a-lifetime experience

Kolayat Fair, Bikaner

Also known as the “Kapil Muni Fair” that is an enthralling carnival. It is one of the most popular festivals in Rajasthan. During this occasion all the fifty two Ghats are stunning adorned. Humans offer sweets, milk pudding and sugar drops to the deity and devotees take holy dip in Koyalat Lake.