Famous Fairs and Festivals of Royal Rajasthan

The incredible state of India, Rajasthan is synonymous with so many terms– culture, heritage, tradition, loyalty, hospitality, celebration, music, dance, and many others. Since culture is given due importance in Rajasthan, the state observes several fairs and festivals throughout the year. These fairs and festivals are celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm and include a lot of music and dance along with rituals and ceremonies. By attending Rajasthan fairs and festivals, one can gather a lot of information about the colorful culture of the state, feast the taste buds by having delicious local dishes and also indulge in exciting activities. Some of these events are cultural in nature while some others are related to nature or season. Moreover, a trip to Rajasthan cannot be deemed a complete one without attending these colorful and captivating fairs and festivals.

Most Popular 10 Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan

People of Rajasthan believe in celebrating every occasion of life- may it be the onset of a new season or may it be related to some historic legend. Everything gets so lively in and around the town during Rajasthan fairs and festivals. Although Rajasthan is host to numerable fairs and festivals, the most famous ones have been discussed below:

Teej Festival, Jaipur:-

One of the most important festivals of Rajasthan is Teej. This festival is celebrated due to two reasons- one is to celebrate a woman’s love for her partner and the other is the onset of the monsoon season. Although the festival is celebrated almost all over India, the most notable celebrations take place in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. Teej Festival involves colorful celebrations, during most of which women are involved. On this occasion, women dress in colorful attires, observe fasting, meet with friends, get involved in singing and dancing, apply henna on their hands as well as enjoy swinging by the trees. It is often believed that women observe fasting to pray to Goddess Parvati so that she blesses them with a happy married life. During this festival, several interesting activities are organized in the temples. A procession of beautifully decorated idol of Goddess Parvati is carried through the city of Jaipur. Thousands of devotees join in the procession, making it a flashy sight to behold. The procession also includes chariots, bands, antique palanquin, and people soak themselves in folk music and dance performances. Moreover, people also enjoy having Ghewar with their near and dear ones. Ghewar is a special type of Rajasthani sweet, which is quite popular in Jaipur.

Marwar Festival, Jodhpur

Celebrated in Jodhpur, Marwar Festival is an embodiment of the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan. This festival is observed to commemorate the heroes and warriors of the land. Folk music and dance performances make up for the major attractions of this festival. These performances represent the battles that had been fought and the sacrifices made by warriors. Camel tattoo show, magic show, horse riding, and polo show are other highlights of the event. Although the celebrations of the event take place at several venues, the most famous ones occur at Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mandore and Mehrangarh Fort as these places are symbols of valor and might of the Rajput rulers. The folk singers sing songs in the praise of heroes and put new life into the culture and traditions of the region. Held in the Hindu month of Ashwin for two days every year, this festival was originally known as Maand Festival.

Pushkar Camel Fair, Pushkar

The largest cattle fair in the world is the famous Pushkar Fair. It attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. Although the main objective of the fair is trading of livestock (donkeys, cows, goats, sheep, camels, horses), it also holds religious significance as several people visit Pushkar to take a holy dip in the Pushkar Lake on the holy occasion of Kartik Ekadashi. Pushkar Cattle Fair becomes a flashy sight to behold for visitors due to several competitions like horse and camel races, wrestling, turban and mustache competitions, beauty pageants, matka phod, longest mustache, bridal competition, and many others. Besides these, this fair of Rajasthan is an event full of music and dance. Camels are dressed up and decorated beautifully to participate in the races and competitions. Several folk dancers and musicians perform to entertain visitors. Interesting performances are also given by magicians, puppeteers, acrobats, comedians, etc. Another fact that sets this fair apart from all others is that domestic as well as foreign tourists are allowed to compete in the races and competitions along with local people. People can enjoy many other activities like camel safari, quad biking, horse riding, hot air balloon ride, camping, photography, etc. If you happen to be shopping freak then you would definitely love visiting Pushkar Fair as a lot of stalls selling jewelry items, artifacts, traditional clothes, etc. feature in the fair. Pushkar can also be visited for the tourist attractions like Savitri Temple, Pushkar Lake, Rangji Temple, Brahma temple, Lake Foy Sagar, etc.

Also Read:-  Everything you need to know about Pushkar Camel Fair

Bikaner Festival, Bikaner

Celebrated as a dedication to the ship of the desert- camel, Bikaner Camel Festival is observed with great pomp and show every year. Just like the occasion of Pushkar Fair, camels are dressed up and decorated on the occasion of this cattle fair also. The main venue of the festival is Junagarh Fort. The festivities include camel races, camel games, and various cultural performances. Besides exhibiting the camels in their best form, this fair of Rajasthan also showcases art, craft, tradition, and culture of the region. Bikaner Camel Festival gives you a golden opportunity of witnessing colorful folk performances, puppet shows, etc. You can also relish in the sweetmeats prepared from camel milk and shopping can be done from stalls selling handicrafts, pottery, jewelry, etc. If you have time in your hand, you can also explore other tourist destinations, namely Junagarh Fort, Devi Kund, Bhandasar Jain Temple, Deshnok Karni Mata Temple, Prachina Cultural Centre, and Museum, etc.

Jaipur Literature Festival, Jaipur

The world’s largest free literary festival takes place in the capital city of Rajasthan, Jaipur every year. This literary fest brings together all literature enthusiasts from all over the world- Booker prize winners, local language writers, Nobel laureates, debut novelists, etc. This fiesta serves as a platform to share and develop ideas. Jaipur Literature Festival also features live music sessions and interactive workshops. Since the festival is a gathering spot of the who’s who of literature, the festival is a learning platform for the budding poets and writers. It gives them the opportunity to express themselves as well as encourages them to keep on dreaming and imagining through literature.

Nagaur Cattle Fair, Nagaur

Another famous cattle fair organized in India is Nagaur Cattle Fair. During this festival, cattle along with camels and horses are traded in large numbers. Animals are dresses up and decorated beautifully. Even the cattle owners also carry colorful turbans. There are several competitions and races in which animals participate and show their excellence. The Nagaur Fair also includes several cultural music and dance performances together with jugglers, puppeteers, and storytellers. The red chilly market is one-of-its-kind and is also the largest spice market in India. It is another charm of the cattle fair. One can also buy crafted wooden items, iron crafts, leather items, etc. from the fair. Sporting events also feature in this Rajasthan fair, most popular of them being cockfighting.

Also Read:-  Festivals in India 

Baneshwar Fair, Dungarpur

Held in a small district of Dungarpur, Rajasthan, Baneshwar Fair is a tribal celebration. The festival is celebrated as a dedication to Baneshwar, which is another name for Lord Shiva. Baneshwar also signifies the delta formed by the convergence of River Mahi, River Jharkhand, and River Soma. While prayers and rituals are performed in the morning, celebrations including cultural performances and feasts take place during the evening. The tribal people from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh take part in this fair. The tribals sing folk songs and have a merry time in the company of visitors and pilgrims. One can take joy in shopping, local games, and cultural programs. In all, Baneshwar Fair is a captivating sight to behold.

Desert Festival, Jaisalmer

As the name indicates, this Rajasthan festival is all about the deserts. During the Desert Festival in Sam Sand Dunes of Thar Desert, deserts get lively every year. The festival is host to innumerable activities like camel races, camel polo, tug-of-war, turban tying, etc. Visitors can also relish in gymnastic stunts sitting on camel backs. The event concludes with Rajasthani folk concert following an Air Force display, parachuting as well as cricket. Tourists can shop for souvenirs, handicrafts, and artifacts from the stalls. A festive tour to Rajasthan cannot be said a complete without tasting the delicious local dishes. During the Desert Festival, you will also be able to know more about the culture of Rajasthan by interacting with locals. Several folk singers and dancers perform for the entertainment of tourists. If you wish to sleep in the golden desert under the starlit sky then you are at the right place as you can opt for camping during your stay in Jaisalmer and have an unforgettable experience.

Also Check:-   Rajasthan Travel - Places to visit in Rajasthan

 

Gangaur Festival, Jaipur

Gangaur is one of the most important and colorful festivals of Rajasthan. It derives its name from the words “Gan” and “Gaur”. Gan signifies Lord Shiva while Gaur signifies Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife and together they represent marital bliss. This festival is considered as a celebration of marriage and love. In terms of season, it marks the end of the winter season and the onset of the spring season. Women celebrate this festival as a dedication to Goddess Parvati, who is believed to bless women folk with marital bliss. Irrespective of being married or unmarried, all women worship the goddess. During this festival, women apply henna on their hands and feet and observe fasting for the entire period of 18 days. They also dress in colorful attires as well as carry the finest jewelry. The celebration of the festival starts with the collection of ashes from the Holi fire. The seeds of wheat and barley are sown in grounds. These seeds are watered on a regular basis until they germinate. During all these, women using different types of traditional folk songs dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. On the evening of the 7^th day after Holi, unmarried girls carrying ghudlias (earthen pots) on their heads with a burning lamp inside, singing Rajasthani folk songs go around the streets. On their way, they collect many things like jaggery, ghee, oil, cash, etc. This activity continues for the rest 10 days of the festival. Women prepare images of Lord Shiva and his wife Gauri (Goddess Parvati) with clay and adorn them beautifully. Images made of wood exist in some of the Rajput families and every year before the festival, they get them painted by famous painters, also known as Matheran. The images that are created at this festival do not possess canopies, unlike the images prepared on other occasions. The festival reaches its gist on the last day with the immersion of clay idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. On the terminating day of the festival, the girls break their pots throwing the debris into the well. It is considered as the match-fixing day in the tribal communities as men and women get to interact with each other on this day and pick their partners for the rest of their lives. To mark the culmination of the occasion, processions are organized with town bands playing, decorated horses and colorful palanquins which are destined to the gardens/ lakes. Though the Gangaur Festival is observed in all regions of Rajasthan, the most notable celebrations occur in Jaipur, Pink City.

Mewar Festival, Udaipur

This festival of Rajasthan is observed in Udaipur, the Land of Maharajas to welcome the spring season. During this three-day Rajasthan festival, the whole town of Udaipur gets lit with decorations and lights. On this joyous occasion, one can find exhibitions, cultural events, stalls, traditional processions and so on. The celebrations of Mewar Festival include dressing the idols of Isar and Gangaur and carrying them to Lake Pichola in a traditional procession passing through several parts of the city. The colorful culture of Rajasthan comes into existence through dance and music performances. The festival also includes a gleaming display of fireworks and fun-filled sports activities. Thousands of people flock the City of Lakes to have a merry time in this event. During this festival, one can also savor the local dishes of Udaipur. Moreover, this three-day festival is a captivating sight to behold.

Apart from all these fairs and festivals, Rajasthan hosts several others also. Now that you have all important information related to the famous fairs and festivals of Rajasthan, brace up and get ready to soak in the vibrant culture of the princely state, i.e. Rajasthan. No matter during which month you are visiting this state, it is always bustling.