RAJASTHAN FESTIVALS Highlight : Most Colourful Festivals. Major Festivals : Pushkar Festival, Elephant Festival, Desert Festival. Destinations : Pushkar, Jaisalmer, Mewar, Jaipur, Shekhawati. What To Do : Elephant Ride, Camel Safari, Camping in Sand Dunes.

Evening at Pushkar Fair

Pushkar Festival Arts And Crafts

Desert Festival, Jaisalmer Music And Dance

Camel Festival, Bikaner

Festive Moments of Rajasthan

The spirit of romance, valor and faith is quintessential to Rajasthan and is impeccably yet inseparably blended in its art, culture and hautingly addictive music and dance. Rajasthan's tradition can be best captured at its festive minutes at the fairs and festivals, which are dazzlingly theatrical and vivacious. In fact, in Rajasthan, every season is a reason to celebrate. And, wow! A fair for every religious episode. The mirth continues long after the days and nights of making merry. So, plan a holiday vacation in this ' Land of Celebrations' and blend yourself with the colorful fiesta of the ethnic traditions, which garnish every moments of the local life. The fairs and festivals of Rajasthan welcome its visitors to India from all over the globe.

The Real Extravaganza

When Rajasthan is dressed and set to perform for its guests, when tourists from all walks of life amass in this desert land, don't sit back and watch the screens. Come over to India and indulge yourself in the fun, frolic and gaiety of Rajasthan. Experience the true essence, celebrate the riot of colors and take back memories that will linger on....and on.

Festivals in Rajasthan is celebrated in one of the three forms; purely religious festivals, tourist-oriented festivals; and 'melas', or fairs, such as the Pushkar Fair, which provide villagers from remote regions a channel to trade livestock and socialise. It is a great fun to be in Rajasthan during the festive season. Walk along the interspersed passages amidst vibrant canopies and see the locals getting tattooed. You can even breath in the excitement of camel parades and races, performance by an animal that is an intricate part of Rajasthani life.

Girls at Teej Festival , Rajasthan

Plan a trip to Jaisalmer to celebrate life with hordes of colorful people. Held annually in February, the Desert Festival is a euphoric trip with traditional dancers displaying the rich cultural heritage of the desert land. Join in on the turban tying competition, who knows, you might emerge as Mr. Desert himself! Come the month of Phalgun (March) and its time for a jumbo of a fiesta. Witness the Elephant Festival, where the mighty pachyderms embellished with bright colored jhools (saddle cloth) and heavy jewellery, pass in procession accompanied by folk dancers. Enjoy a polo match, the elephant race and a spine-chilling tug-of-war with the elephants. When in Rajasthan, don't forget to attend the Teej Festival which heralds the onset of monsoons. The welcome rains sprinkle the barren land as women in colorful attire, sing and sway on swings and a procession is taken out of Jaipur for two consecutive days. Blend yourself in the celebration of love, the Gangaur Festival, celebrated by the women of Rajasthan. Interestingly, unmarried girls pay homage to Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva) in a hope that they will be blessed with a good husband. You can see women performing the 'ghoomer' dance in rhythm with the euphony of 'sarangis' and chimbals.

Bedeck Yourself In The Colorful Ambiance

The grand festivals of Rajasthan display some chosen and cherished moments of the glorious past and affluent traditional culture of the state, for its visitors. Vibrant colors, lively music rent the ambiance escorted by dances that have their origin in an adorned ancient culture; a confluence, you will find most enthralling. Walk along the cobbled pathways and you will see women in florid swirling skirts who spontaneously pull the ghunghat (veil) over their faces at the sight of a man. Walk beside the colorful canopies, and look at those rustic women passing by... bedecked with heavy silver jewellery around the ankles, waist, neck and the wrist, one cannot stop himself for another glance. Visit the local stalls at Rajasthani fairs and festivals which display a wide array of typical Rajasthani handicrafts and antique items. Adorn yourself with one of the ethnic ornaments dangling from the racks of the tribal stalls, trinkets which have now become a craze among the urban elite, both at home and abroad.