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Gangaur 2010 – an Important and Colorful Festival for Women of Rajasthan

Mar 17

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Gangaur is one of the most important festivals in Rajasthan.

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It is celebrated in the month of chaitra (March-April), the first month of the Hindu calendar. This month marks the end of winter and the onset of spring. This year Gangaur festival will be on 18 March, 2010.

Honoring the Goddess Gauri

Gangaur is all about honoring the goddess Gauri. A manifestation of Parvati (Lord Shiva’s wife), she represents purity and austerity.

The word ‘Gangaur’ is literally made up of two words, ‘Gana’ and ‘Gaur’. ‘Gana’ is synonymous with Lord Shiva and ‘Gaur’ which stands for Gauri or Parvati.

It’s believed that Parvati returned to her parental home during Gangaur, to bless her friends with marital bliss. On the last day, Parvait was given a grand farewell by her loved ones and Lord Shiva arrived to escort her home.

The festival is predominantly for women, who dress up in their best clothes pray for a husband of their choice, or the welfare of their husbands.

Traditional Procession of Gangaur in Jaipur

A traditional procession of Gangaur commences form the Zanani- Deodhi of the City Palace, passing through Tripolia Bazaar, Chhoti Chaupar, Gangauri Bazaar, Chaugan stadium and finally converges near the Talkatora. The procession is headed by a colorful pageantry of elephants, old palanquins, chariots, bullock carts and performance folk artistes.

In Jaipur, a sweet dish called ghewar is popularly distributed amongst friends and relatives.

Boat procession in Udaipur

In Udaipur, there’s a boat procession on Lake Pichola, and fireworks. Women balance several brass pitchers on their heads add to the interest. The occasion ends with fireworks on the banks of the lake.

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Holi Celebration in Rajasthan – Festival History and Folk Traditions

Feb 27

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Holi, also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu festival celebrated in India.  ‘Holi’ falls on the full moon, in the month of Phalgun, which spans the end of February and the beginning of March on the calendar. This year(2010) Holi falls on 1st March.

History About Holi

The legend of King Hiranyakashipu is associated with the festival of Holi. This legend signifies the victory of good over evil, of devotion surpassing ambition.

The proud King was enraged by Prahlad’s (his son) disobedience and decided to punish him severely. He asked his sister Holika for help. It was believed that Holika was immune to fire and would never be burnt, so the King asked Holika to sit in the centre of a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap, so that the fire could devour him. The bonfire was lit, and young Prahlad sat in Holika’s lap, in its centre, praying to Lord Vishnu.

His devotion saved him, leaving him untouched by the flames, but Holika was burnt to ashes. To mark this legend, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Holi.

Holi Celebration in Rajasthan
The colourful state of Rajasthan plays Holi much the same way as Mathura. A night before the full moon, crowds of people gather together and light huge bonfires to burn the residual dried leaves and twigs of the winter. People throw coloured water and powders (gulal and kumkum) at each other and make merry. Singing, dancing and the traditional beats of dhol add to the gaiety of the occasion.

Folk Traditions on Holy  in Rajasthan

Mali Holi :

The colourful festival of Holi is played in many different ways. The ‘mali’ or gardener community of Rajasthan has a unique style where the men colour the women with water and women retaliate by hitting them with sticks or long pieces of cloth

Gair at Godaji:

Men from 12 villages collects at Godaji village near Ajmer in Rajasthan to play gair a few days after holi. Each village brings his own drummer and gair troupes. The picturesque location for it is a valley surrounded by hills on all sides. Thousands of onlookers and close to hundred players make a wonderful sight and a fond memory.

Dolchi Holi at Bikaner:

In Bikaner district, members of  ‘Vyas’ communities have been celebrating Holi by throwing water at one another with force for the past more than 300 years. A specially designed vessel called ‘dolchi’ made from camel skin is used for the purpose. But the water is thrown only at the back of an individual.

We have SPECIAL OFFERS running for HOLI Celebration, Mail your tour inquiry to [email protected] or use our Rajasthan Tour Inquiry Form

Image Source – Wikipedia

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Elephant Festival 2010 in Jaipur – Explore Traditional Elephant Procession, Folk Dance, Matka Race for Tourists

Feb 26

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The Elephant Festival is one of the most popular fairs of rajasthan.  It has its own charm and is celebrated every year on the occasion of Holi, the festival of colors. This year it will be organized on 28 February, one day before Holi.

elephant festival in jaipur

Decorated Elephants  – Center of Attraction

Jaipur Elephant Festival is perhaps the only festival where Elephants are given prime importance. Here, as you would expect from the name of the Festival – Elephants are the center of attraction.

The famous Chaugan ground of Jaipur makes the perfect venue for the occasion. It commences with a parade of decorated Elephants marching towards the ground and beautifully decked with floral motifs, make ultimate picture for the tourists. Being the time for Holi, tourists play Holi mounting on these painted Elephants.

History about Elephant Festival

The Rajput kings, treated elephants  with special enthusiasm as they not only during War times but also during royal festivities use the best which is Nishan-ka-hathi (the flag carrier) to lead the procession.

After the procession, King selects one elephant who entertain with their fights and other games in front of the royal guests including famous personalities of the British era and Maharajas of Indian dynasties. Latter, the flag carrying elephant rides up to Amber Palace.  Now this tradition is carried on till today as Rajasthan Tourism revived the tradition by including the Elephant Festival in the cultural calendar.

Attraction of Elephant Festival 2010

According to organizing committee, for grand finale this year, five elephants would enter the stadium from different entrances with their mahouts carrying a mashaal (torch).

They would then congregate at the center to form a chaupar and play Holi which would be a prelude to the fireworks. Beside this, five private bands have been invited which would lend archetypal Holi music with drums etc.

The festival will be running from 4 pm till 7 pm and will also see the traditional elephant procession, folk dance Chang’, matka race for the tourists, tug-of-war between locals and foreigners and the folk dance of Brij.

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Rail Budget 2010 – Rajasthan Gets 17 New Trains, Multi Functional Complexes and Hospitals

Feb 25

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Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the annual Railway Budget for financial year 2010-11. Presenting her second Budget in her current stint as minister, Banerjee left passenger fares untouched and service charge for AC tickets was slashed.

Benefits for Rajasthan

Rajasthan Gets 17 New Trains

In this Rail Budget, Rajasthan got 17 new trains apart from rise in the frequency of 3 trains. The tally got almost doubled to the last year when nine new trains gifted to the Rajasthan.

Duranto Express for Jaipur to Mumbai

The new trains include a bi weekly Duranto Express (non-stop train ) from Jaipur to Mumbai besides four Bharat Teerth trains to connect several pilgrimage centres to the religious places in Rajasthan.

Nine Express and Two Passenger Train

The railway minister also announced a new Janmbhoomi train connecting Ahmedabad and Punjab covering the interiors of Rajasthan. Apart from that,  nine Express trains and two passenger trains are also introduced for Rajasthan.

The Express trains include bi-weekly Hyderabad-Ajmer, thrice-a-week Ahmedabad-Agra and weekly Kolkata-Ajmer Express among others.

Multi Functional Complexes & Hospitals

The minister also announced setting up of multi functional complexes at Abu Road, Kishangarh and Sikar and set up outdoor patient department and diagnostic centre – one each at Medta Road, Naguar, Pali Marwar and Rani besides opening three tier multi speciality hospitals at Bandikui and Rewari.

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40 Tigers Sighted in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan

Feb 18

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Ranthambore National Park is one of the biggest and most renowned national park in Northern India. The park is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, which is about 130 km from Jaipur.

Considered as one of the famous and former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, today Ranthambore National Park terrain is major wildlife tourist attraction in India. It has pulled the attention of many wildlife photographers and lovers in this destination.

40 Tigers in Ranthambore

During the past few years, there has been a decline in tiger population in Ranthambore due to poaching and other reasons. However there were some tigers who succeeded in carrying on their genes even in such circumstances.

According to recent Forest department survey, there are 40 tigers in and around Ranthambore National Park and Sawai Madhopur wildlife sanctuary.  The survey done in the core division of these tiger project (from April 30, 2009 to May 10, 2009) reveals that there were 14 males, 16 females and 10 cubs.

According to Reports, January to November 30, 2009, only 1 tiger lost its life due to the struggle among the animals in Bakola forest area. Illegal activities in the protected areas have come down drastically and the department has collected Rs 74,000 as fine during the period.

Ranthanbore Fort

Ranthanbore National Park is not only about wildlife. There is a fair bit of history and legend too that somehow makes a heady cocktail of a safari viz-a-viz the impregnable Chauhan Fort which is strategically located at a height of 215 meter. One has to climb a flight of stairs to reach the fort.

Ranthambore Safari Booking

We do offer Ranthambore Safari booking. To book or for more information,  you can fill this form or mail us at [email protected] or call 0141-5102080.

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Industrial Plots Can Now be Converted into Hotels in Rajasthan

Feb 11

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Industrial Development Agency and Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd (RIICO) has approved conversion of industrial plots into hotels.

In this way entrepreneurs can set up hotels on industrial plots in Rajasthan without any changes in land use for commercial purposes of the plot.

Not Required Any Conversion charges

According to RIICO’s Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC), the allottee will not be required to pay any conversion charges. Earlier, allottee had to pay thrice the prevailing value of the industrial plot for the conversion.

The approval for the hotel project will be subject to technical norms and building parameters relevant for setting up a hotel.

The requisite clearances from the statutory authority will also have to be obtained before setting up the property.

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Jaipur Heritage International Festival (JHIF) 2010 in Jaipur, Rajasthan – India’s Leading Community Based Arts Festival

Jan 16

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Jaipur Heritage International Festival (JHIF) 2010, India’s leading community-based arts festival is being organized in jaipur.

JHIF_2010_website_1_01The JHIF 2010 was started on 14th Jan and it will run to 24 Jan 2010. In this period tourists and locals will be exposed to world class music, theatre, exhibition on built heritage, literature and lots more.

Activities in JHIF 2010

Some of the activities at JHIF includes cultural programmes by folk artistes, vocal recitals, stage shows, seminars, heritage walk and marathon, a car rally navigated by visually challenged people and exhibition.

Event Organizers

The management and delivery of JHIF 2010 is being handled by the Jaipur Heritage Citizens Festival Committee, Rajasthan CAN (Creative Alliance Network) and the Jaipur Virasat Foundation (JVF), based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Rajasthan.

Highlights of  JHIF 2010 Cultural Programme include:

  • (Jan 17th) ‘Banjaran – The Lore of Rajasthan’: A new musical composition by sitar maestro, Pandit Krishna Mohan Bhatt, inspired by love tales from Rajasthan and the many musical traditions that have roots this culturally fertile state.
  • (Jan 18th) Asia Electric: A high energy music collaboration featuring Jazz guru Louiz Banks on keyboards, multi-instrumental wizard Sivamani on world percussions and young virtuoso Ravi Chari on sitar;
  • (Jan 19th) ‘Ruhaniyat’: A programme of Sufi music conceived and presented by sarangi maestro, Ustad Sultan Khan, featuring Rekha Bharadwaj and Anwar Khan Manganiyar;
  • (Jan 20th) ‘Dharohar’: A new crossover band that recently rocked Mehrangarh Fort during Jodhpur RIFF 2009, featuring folk artists from Rajasthan with British-Asian beatboxer, Jason Singh;
  • (Jan 22nd) Salesman Ramlal: A contemporary adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic play, Death of a Salesman, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan;
  • (Jan 23rd) The Caine Mutiny Court Martial: A gripping post-World War II courtroom drama directed by Naseeruddin Shah and presented by Motley Productions.

For further details, please visit www.jaipurfestival.org

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Rajasthan Awarded 19th Position Out of 133 World’s Greatest Tourist Places

Nov 14

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It’s hard to describe Rajasthan in a few words; a State so vast and rich in art and culture, magnificent monuments, exquisite views, historic cities which have preserved their charming character through the centuries.

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Rajasthan on the 19th position in world’s Greatest Places

Rajasthan with its royal forts and palaces amid the sand dunes and the beautiful backwaters of Kerala have eclipsed India’s iconic Taj
Mahal in an international survey that rated the world’s top 133 tourist places.

In a list of 133 of “world’s greatest places”, Rajasthan is on the 19th position with a score of 64 while Kerala backwaters is 23rd with a score of 60 and Agra city lies at the 30th position with a score of 52.

The survey, conducted by National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, has appeared in the latest issue of Traveler magazine.

What Expert Says about Rajasthan

Talking about Rajasthan, the survey said improved tourist facilities in the area, coupled with the “strong sense of identity” and “remarkable appeal and mystique” had fueled an 8-point jump from a survey five years ago.

One of the panelists has opined that Rajasthan is India’s Tuscany, a region in North-Central Italy known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy.

If wish to know more, just have a look at  Expert Comments on Rajasthan.

Parameters of Selection

The conditions of destination has been rated on the basis of what  local   governments, residents and business can control such as pollution, cultural quality, authenticity, tourism management condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites.

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Bundi Utsav 2009 – Spectacular Culmination of Traditional Art, Culture and Craftsmanship of Rajasthan

Nov 5

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Bundi is one of the most picturesque spots situated in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan.

The Bundi Utsav held annually in the month of November has added to the glory of the place and has provided a worldwide exposure. This year Bundi Utsav will be held between 5 Nov – 7 Nov 2009.

Bundi Utsav in Rajasthan

Bundi Utsav in Rajasthan

Bundi Utsav is a spectacular culmination of traditional art, culture and craftsmanship which surprises every visitor with its grandeur.

Activities During Bundi Utsav

Vibrant Shobha Yatra

The Bundi Utsav begins with a vibrant Shobha Yatra (procession) and features arts & crafts fair, ethnic sports, cultural exhibition and folk, classical music & dance programme to entertain the discerning guests.

Some of the most renowned artistes from across the country come to perform and create a gripping atmosphere at the venue.

Traditional Rural Sports

It also features Deep Daan, sight seeing, traditional rural sports, turban competition, bridal attire, musical band competition and dazzling fireworks display, which attracts huge number of visitors and villagers from nearby regions.

Mini Pushkar

During Bundi Utsav, Keshorai Patan, a small town close to Bundi, epitomizes the glance of Mini Pushkar in the silver embrace of moonlit night. The villagers, elegantly dressed in their traditional attire, gather at the serene banks of Chambal River.

Women chant ritual songs, offer prayers and float lighted lamps into the river, creating a mesmerizing environment. Bundi Utsav offers a great opportunity to get a glimpse of appealing tradition & culture of Rajasthan and explore the magic of the Hadoti region.

How to reach Bundi

Bundi is around 210 kms by road from Jaipur and about 110 kms from Sawai Madhopur. Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar are all easily accessible by road from Kota.

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Chandrabhaga Fair in Jhalawar Rajasthan – Attracts Pilgrims From Across India

Nov 2

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Jhalawar or the land of the Jhalas, is situated on the banks of the holy river Chandrabhaga.

Chandrabhage Fair in Jhalawar

Chandrabhage Fair in Jhalawar

A three day fair is celebrated every year in the month of Kartik (Nov) at  Jhalarapatan 6 kms from Jhalawar in Rajasthan when an air of celebration pervades  the whole area. This year, Chandrabhaga Fair is being celebrated on 1-3 Nov 2009.

Activities and Celebrations at Chandrabhaga Fair

Chandrawati, located on the river bank is considered the most sacred spot by the devotees. Thousands gather on the full moon night of Kartik Purnima to take a holy dip in the river.

A big cattle fair which blends religion eith commerce is held here.  Livestock include cows, buffaloes, camels and bullocks. Traders from as fas as Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra converge here and brisk trading takes place.  The fair provides ample opportunity to the tourists to acquaint themselves with the people of this region, their culture and traditions.

Places of Interest in Jhalawar

Jhalawar exudes a special charm as seen in its pre-historic cave printings, formidable forts, forests and exotic wildlife. One of important place of interest around Jhalawar is Chandrabhaga temples which are situated 7 km from the main town. Sculptures here consist of the best examples of early temple architecture in Rajasthan.

Othe places worth a visit are : Jhalarapatan (6 kms), Gagron Fort (14kms), Buddhist Caves and Stupas (95 kms), Jhalawar fort and Government Museum.

How to Get There

Ramganj Mandi is the nearest Railway Station (25kms). Jhalawar is well connected to Kota, Bundi and Jaipur. National Highway No.12 passes through Jhalawar. Buses are available from all major cities.

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