Tag Archives: Fairs of India – India Fairs and Festivals

Fair & Festivals In Rajasthan 

1. Camel Festival Bikaner:

The BikanerCamel Festival is organized in the beautiful city of Bikaner, Rajasthan by the state’s Tourism Department. The desert town of Bikaner is located in the Northern part of Rajasthan. The festival is organized every year in the month of January or late December to emphasize the value of ship of the desert – “Camel”. The two day festival is marked by different interesting activities. This
festival starts off with a magnificent procession of bedecked camels against the red sandstone backdrop of the Junagarh Fort (1588-1593) in the town.

2. Nagaur Fair:

Nagaur Fair is the second biggest fair in India. The fair goes on for eight days. NagaurFair, Rajasthan is held every year during the month of Jan-Feb.  It is popularly known as the Cattle fair of Nagaur. This is because the Nagaur Fair is mainly all about trading of animals. Approximately 70,000 bullocks, camels and horses are traded every year in this fair. The animals lavishly decorated and even their owners dress up wearing colorful turbans and long moustaches.

3. Kite festival:

Kite festival of Jaipur is observed on the day of Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan. Celebrated on 14th of January to mark the transition of the sun from dhanu rashi (Sagittarius) to makara rashi (Capricorn), the day is considered auspicious. It is said that Uttarayan or northward journey of the sun begins on the day of Makar Sankranti. A prominent one out of the festivals of Rajasthan is the Kite Festival. Certainly, it’s a festival that is unique in its own way. The colourful kites hovering over whole of Rajasthan brighten up the skies. This festival is largely celebrated in Jaipur and Jodhpur. The kites-with-lights flown add to the fancy of the festival. If you like kite flying, this is the festival for you.

4. Baneshwar Fair Baneshwar:

BaneshwarFair is a five days event starting from Shukla ekadeshi of Magh month, as per the Hindu calendar. This is the unique and biggest tribal fair of the country that attracts lakhs of devotees. This fair is annually held in Dungarpur, Rajasthan. The name Baneshwar is derived from the holy Shiva Linga located in the Shiv temple in Dungarpur. ‘Baneshwar’ in the local language Vagdi means ‘master of delta’. The fair is organised at the delta formed by rivers- Mahi and Som. The fair continues till Shukla Purnima of Magh. Baneshwar is situated 24 kms away from Aspur, which is in the Dungarpur district.

5. Gangaur Festival:

Gangaur is one of the most vivid festivals rejoiced with great enthusiasm and happiness all over the Indian state of Rajasthan. In the word Gangaur, ‘Gan’ is the synonym for Lord Shiva whereas ‘Gaur’ stands for Gauri or Goddess Parvati. But mainly, this festival is held in the honors of Goddess Parvati as she is regarded as the epitome of marital love, strength, courage, power and excellence. During the festivities, married women worship Goddess Parvati for the long life, well being and wealth of their husbands while the girls pray for getting a smart and an understanding life partner.

6. Mewar festival:

Mewarfestival is observed to welcome the arrival of spring season with all zest and dedication in Udaipur, Rajasthan. During the days of festival, the whole city of Udaipur gets drenched in colors of festivity. Local markets and shops beautify their frontage with bright lights and decorations. Coinciding with the Gangaur festival, Mewar festival is equally significant for the womenfolk of Rajasthan.

7. Elephant Festival:

The ElephantFestival is an annual festival which is held every year in the Pink City, Jaipur. This matchless event is organized on the full moon day of Phalgun Purnima which falls in the month of February/March. The Elephant-headed God, Ganesha, believed to be the remover of obstacles and foremost to all the gods, is revered and devotedly worshipped in all the parts of India. its venue got
changed in 2011 and has been shifted to Jaipur Polo Ground which is opposite to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

8. Urs Ajmer Sharif, Ajmer:

The DargahSharif Ajmer, located at the foot of a barren hill, is the place where the Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti mortal remains lie buried. The Dargah (tomb) with a marble dome is situated in the center of a courtyard and is surrounded by a silver platform. It’s believed that the shrine is a place of wish fulfillment for those who pray with devout and pure hearts. People of all religious faiths visit the Dargah and make offerings of rose and jasmine flowers to seek the blessings of the Khawaja.

9. Teej Festival:

festival is Teej, which falls in the monsoon months of July-August. On this occasion, married women pray to Lord Shiva and Parvati to bless them with happy and long married life. Celebrated in and around Rajasthan this festival of swings welcomes monsoon.

10. Kajli Teej:

As per the Hindu calendar, Kajli Teej is celebrated on the third day of the fifth Hindu Month ‘Saawan/Shravan’. On this day Lord Krishna is honored by the women by singing prayers and devotional songs and performing the scared ritual of ‘Neem Puja’. Kajli Teej celebrations in Bundi, Rajasthan is the most popular one. In Bundi, it is celebrated on the third day of the Hindu month ‘Bhadra’. This day is completely dedicated to the Goddess Teej. Although Kajli Teej takes place for two days, its celebrations are generally extended till Janmashtami (Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary).

11. Dussehra Festival:

Dussehra is the beloved festival that is celebrated almost all over India but Dussehra inKota certainly sets it apart with 75 feet tall effigies of the demons Ravana, Kumbhakarana and Meghnath that are burnt here on Dussehra day. Villagers dress themselves in colorful dresses and offer prayers to Lord Rama. There is a dazzling procession that mesmerizes the onlookers that come here from the surrounding villages and provide a ripe opportunity for the traders to display their wares. Cultural Programmers are organized and one can see the scintillating performances by the prominent artistes who come here from all over the country.

12. Marwar Festival, Jodhpur:

The most popular Jodhpur festival is the Jodhpur Marwar Festival. It is held every year in memory of the heroes of Rajasthan. Marwar Festival of Jodhpur, Rajasthan was originally known as the Maand Festival. The festival is held in the month of Ashwin. Ashwin is a Hindu month between September-October. The venue of this festival includes the famous Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mandore and Mehrangarh Fort.

13. Pushkar fair:

The sprawling annual festivities of the 100 year old Pushkar Mela through its dramatic collage of diversified pictures, mirrors the vibrancy of the gracious state of Rajasthan. It is celebrated for five days from the Kartik ekadashi to Kartik Poornima, the full moon day of Kartik (October–November) in Hindu calendar.

Fair & Festivalas in India

In a land of cultural and geographical diversities one gets to enjoy and experience wide varieties of cultures, fairs and festivals and India is the epitome of such experiences. A country where after every hundred kilometer you are embraced by a new cultural identity one gets to enjoy diverse backgrounds, beliefs and heritage. These fairs and festivals are part of the intrinsic cultural fabric of our society as well as a continuation of our heritage.  It is in this spirit that we bring to you some of the vibrant, fascinating and most beautiful fairs and festivals of India that are organized and enthusiastically celebrated across the country.

Modhera Dance Festival, Gujarat

 This dance festival of India, celebrated in the beautiful backdrop of the Modhera Sun Temple is an effort on part of the Tourism Department of Gujarat to bring back to life the ways of our medieval past. Today, this cultural festival held in January every year gets together the finest classical dancing talent of the country to celebrate the art and the place.

Car Rental Service –  Budget car Rental India

Tarnetar Mela, Gujarat

One of the most fascinating tribal fairs of India, Tarnetar Mela is a tribal fair held every year in the village of Tarnetar in Gujarat. This festival is fascinating for the simple reason that it is one of the largest “marriage marts” or swayamvars in India where tribal men come to the fair dressed eloquently carrying the most elaborately and beautifully embroidered umbrellas in the world. The woman folk choose their prospective husband based on the umbrella they find the most beautiful. Besides this is a cultural event with folk music and dance performances for general entertainment.

Best packages for Rajasthan desert tour

Konark Dance Festival, Odisha

The India’s biggest dance festival, Konark Dance Festival is the epitome of our Classical dancing heritage which represents itself in the most awe inspiring of settings. The festival is held in the backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Sun Temple. The festival organized in the month of February is one of the biggest cultural festival in the country as it witnesses the coming together of country’s best dance artists to celebrate the storied past of the temple and its traditions.

Indulge in the luxury trains in Rajasthan

Jaisalmer Desert Festival, Rajasthan

 The desert festival held in the month of February in the Red Sandstone city of Jaisalmer is a fascinating celebration of Rajasthan’s desert life for three days. It is a festival that brings to life the folk culture, the music, the clothes and the traditions of the nomadic life of the Indian desert. One can immerse themselves in three days of pure magic with folktales, music and dance performances. The camel, the most important animal in the desert, is one of the main attractions of the festival.

Find Tour By Theme in India

Goa Carnival, Goa

 Well the name Goa is synonymous with fun, beautiful beaches, laid back vacations and amazing beach shacks and continuing that tradition is the awesome Goa Carnival. This carnival of India is celebrated state wide with the help of the state government. It is part of the Portuguese heritage of Goa which sees people come out on the street to enjoy the fascinating parades full of creative floats, to dance and party all night. The carnival travels the whole state. This cultural event is held in the month of March just before the beginning of Lent.

Check India tour operator

Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan

Arguably the biggest fair in the state of Rajasthan and one of the biggest livestock fairs in the world, Pushkar Mela is a fascinating coming together of the nomadic culture and the most beautiful town of Rajasthan. It is primarily a place where the buying and selling of camels and livestock takes place but in recent times with its increasing popularity among foreign tourists competitions like ‘matka phodh’, ‘bridal games’ and ‘longest moustache’ have become popular events. The Pushkar Mela is the perfect opportunity for travelers to discover the nomadic lifestyle of Rajasthan.

Find India budget Tour Packages

Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

The Hornbill Festival is a unique folk festival celebrated in the North-eastern state of Nagaland. A region with rich tribal heritage and traditions, the Hornbill Festival is an effort on part of the Nagaland tourism department to bring to the world the culture and beauty of Nagaland. The festival celebrated every year from 1st to 7th December, is an amazing exhibition of Naga way of life attracting thousands of tourists to its doors.

Car Rental Service –  Budget car Rental India

Puri Rath Yatra, Odisha

One of the biggest religious events of the year in the country, the Puri Rath Yatra is a spectacle of the grandest scale. The Rath Yatra sees a coming together of over a million devotees every year near the famed Jagganath Temple of Puri. The yatra sees three huge temple shaped chariots being pulled to the Gundicha Temple and after nine days back to the Jagganath Temple. The yatra is held in the month of June or July and is supposed to be one of the holiest events in Hinduism.

Find Lake city Udaipur Tour Packages

Kumbh Mela

 The biggest gathering of human beings on the planet at a particular place every three years, that pretty much sums up Kumbh Mela. The most important and largest religious event in the country, the Kumbh Mela is a festival of mammoth proportion but also full of colors as the Naga Sadhus from various parts of the country travel with their Akhadhas to the site of the Mela. The festival is held in Allahabad, Banaras, Haridwar, and Ujjain. Hindus from all over the world come to take a dip in the holy river and listen to sermons from the various sadhus at the mela site. It is considered to be one of the most spiritually enlightening festivals in the world. The next Kumbh Mela known as the Ardh Kumbh is to be held in the beautiful hill city of Nashik.

Car Hire in Rajasthan During Rajasthan Trip

Hemis Festival, Ladakh

In the northernmost corner of the country amidst the cold deserts of Ladakh is held a festival of colors, beauty and worship known as the Hemis Festival. The festival which takes place to commemorate the death of Swami Padmasambhava is a great place to understand the culture of Ladakh and about Buddhism. The festival is held every year in June or July in the famed monastery of Hemis Jangchub Choling in Leh. The festival’s highlight is the masked dance performed by lamas who dress themselves in colorful costumes and wear dragon masks.

Find The Best Rajasthan Heritage Tour

Jaipur Literature Festival

Asia’s grandest literary event, the Jaipur Literature Festival sees the coming together of the brightest names in the world of literature and thought who converge at the famed Diggi Palace in Jaipur for three days of intellectual bliss and enjoyment. The festival has gained quite a reputation for itself for attracting the best authors who recite, discuss and present their finest work in front of an awed audience. The Jaipur Literature Festival is held in the last week of January and many people use it as an opportunity to discover the Pink City as much as to pleasure their literary senses.

Indulge in the luxury trains in Rajasthan

Elephant Festival, Jaipur

 

A royal festival for a royal animal, Elephant Festival held on the occasion of Holi in Jaipur is a special festival loved by the people of Jaipur. The festival which is dedicated to the Elephants sees them decorated in the most lavish ways from head till toe. The event begins with a procession of beautifully decorated elephants, horses and camels. The event is considered to be very prestigious with the most well decorated elephant getting an award. Besides the procession there are events such as elephant racing, elephant dance and tug-of-war between elephants and humans.

The fascinating pilgrimage Trip of Rajasthan

Bikaner Camel Festival

 

The Bikaner Camel Festival is the celebration of the most loved and dependent upon animal in the deserts of Rajasthan – the Camel. The ship of the desert as they call them, the festival sees camels decorated in beautifully embroidered costumes. It is held every year in the month of January in the presence of a large gathering. The festival begins with a colorful procession of the most beautifully decorated camels at the Junagarh Fort from there the procession moves to the Polo Ground where other events such as camel dance are held.

Find Budget Tour in Rajasthan

Car Rental Service –  Budget car Rental India

Rajasthan Tour Planner Offering exclusive rajasthan tour

Holi is colorful festival of India

Holi is the Indian Festival of Colors. It’s celebrated on the full moon. Holi falls in late March to early April in the western calendar. In 2015, it’s March 23. Holi is also called Phalgun Purnima or Pooranmash. It comes in the Hindu calendar month of Phalgun. Indians celebrate by tossing colored powder or spraying each other with colored liquid. Here are free printable Holi crafts, greeting cards and worksheets to help kids understand Holi. Teachers, use these for social studies. Home school parents, why not explore Holi with kids?

Colors of Holi

Holi celebrants can chose from natural colors such as tumeric, haldi, flower extracts, sandalwood and mehndi. These are cheap and can be prepared at home. Street vendors make it easy to be colorful and do a brisk business from their push carts. The use of colorful chemicals is discouraged for they can damage both the skin and the environment.

In India, Holi announces the arrival of spring and the passing of winter. The festival breathes an atmosphere of social merriment. People bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their worries to the wind. Every nook and corner presents a colorful sight. Young and old alike are covered with colors (red, green, yellow, blue, black and silver). People in small groups are seen singing, dancing and throwing colors on each other. Though liquid colors are used in India (where it’s warm) we prohibit them, as we don’t want anyone to catch cold on account of the festival. Dry is better for photographs as well.

Modern Adaptation

Holi has long traditional links with several legends. According to one popular legend, the word Holi is derived from the demoness, Holika. She was the sister of Hiranya Kashipu (the name meaning love of gold and a soft bed), a demon king, who having defeated the gods, proclaimed his supremacy over everyone else in the Universe. Enraged over his son’s ardent devotion to Lord Vishnu, Hiranya Kashipu decides to punish him. He takes the help of his sister, Holika, who is immune to any damage from fire. Holika carries the small boy Prahlad into the fire but a divine intervention destroys her and saves Prahlad from getting burned. Thus Holi is celebrated to mark the burning of the evil Holika. Her effigy is consumed in the fire!

Holi is celebrated with special importance in the North of India. It solemnizes the love of Radha and Krishna. The spraying of colored powders recalls the love sport of Lord Krishna and His devotees.

The color, noise and entertainment that accompanies the celebration of Holi bears witness to a feeling of oneness and sense of brotherhood. The festival brings home the lesson of spiritual and social harmony!!

Author is a professional content writer who has worked for over 50 brands across the globe. She has sound knowledge on festivals which are celebrated in India. She has written and published content on more than 30 festivals. In this article she has discussed about holi celebration. She has shared some ideas on how to celebrate holi.

Check our india budget tour

Check our india travel

Check india tour operator

Check  india tour planner