CULTURE OF WESTERN INDIA-RAJASTHAN CONT...

Festivals

Rajasthan International Folk Festival

It is celebrated around Sharad Purnima, the brightest full moon night of the year and is a unique celebration of Indian as well as international music at Jodhpur's Mehrangarh fort. More than 200 musicians from around the globe attend this festival, making it an absolute treat for music and art lovers. It coincides with the Marwar festival.

Desert Festival

A three-day event organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation in the month of February, it is an absolute bonanza that celebrates the delights of the desert. The atmosphere is alive with song and dance, with the artists dressed in bright colours and traditional finery, depicting the tragedies and accomplishments of the desert. A showcase of desert rituals and life, camel races, gymnastic stunts, several competitions like longest moustache, turban tying, Mr Desert etc, delicious food and interesting stalls selling handicrafts and other souvenirs will make it a memorable 3 days of your life.

Pushkar Fair

The Big Daddy of all desert festivals, Pushkar Fair is a spectacular five-day camel and livestock fair held in the town of Pushkar, on the banks of the Pushkar lake in Rajasthan. It also coincides with the religious celebration of Kartik Ekadashi, when the Pushkar lake was supposed to be created by Lord Brahma. Primarily a livestock fair for the buying and selling of camels, the Pushkar fair attracts hordes of tourists making it a true cultural bonanza of art, music, dance, puppet shows, gypsy dance, races, competitions with a host of vendors selling delicious snacks including camel milk cheeses and cakes, jewellery, shawls and other titbits. The entire festive and spiritual atmosphere completely lights up the desert in these five days.

Teej Festival

One of west India's biggest festivals, Teej commemorates two things , a woman's love for her husband and the advent of the monsoon season. The festival is marked by colourful celebrations where the womenfolk observe fasting and apply mehndi designs on their hands, enjoy long swing rides, song and dance with other women, tell stories and deck up in festive attire to celebrate the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The markets and bazaars of Jaipur are filled to the brim with attractive clothes, jewellery and sweets like Ghewar and Malpua. A procession of a decorated idol of Goddess Parvati is carried through Jaipur, and thousands of devotees and tourists throng to see the procession and the antique palanquins, chariots, bands, folk music and dance and soak in the cultural revelry.

Other famous festivals of Rajasthan-

• Gangaur Festival
• Jaipur Literature Festival
• Nagaur Fair
• Summer and Winter Festivals
• Kite Festival
• Camel Festival

Clothing

Costumes of Rajasthan are extremely lively, reflecting the true spirit of the people, their culture and religion. The clothes of Rajasthani people are designed by keeping weather and local conditions in mind. Bright and fresh shades directly from the land of camels, wonderful wildlife and sand dunes- that’s the real crux of Rajasthani attire, be it contemporary or traditional. Attractive jewellery and costumes of these desert inhabitants are not meagre ornaments for them. Everything from head to toe including footwear, turban, clothes, ornaments establish the religion, identity and the social and economic status of the population of Rajasthan.

Women’s attire

Women of Rajasthan wear a long skirt known as Ghaghra, Kurti or Choli and Odhni. The Ghaghra needs no introduction due to the popularity that this attire has gained. the Odhni is a speciality of Rajasthani traditional dress. With one corner of Odhni tucked properly inside the skirt, the other end is worn over the right shoulder or the head. The tribal women of Mina, Bhil and Gayari wear different types of jewellery.

Men’s attire

Soaked in the bright shades of red and yellow, the pagri is an integral part of men’s costume in Rajasthan state. Varying styles of turban indicate caste and region from which an individual belongs. A garment mostly made of cotton is basically a body protector. The two main types of Angarakhas are long Angarakha and Kamari Angarakha. At the time of festivals and special occasions, people can be seen wearing printed Angarakhas of the traditional tie and dye design. Dhotis are used for covering the lower part of the body. An earring or a pair of studs paired with a gold chain or a pearl necklace, silver Hansli is common amongst Rajasthani men.

Jootis or Mojaris designed from camel, goat or sheep skin are worn by both females and males. The camel leather shoes are very soft and are only suitable to be worn inside the house. Whereas, the shoes made of sheep and goat skin are stronger and can be worn outside. The shoes for both men and women are beautifully crafted with stunning embroidery over velvet or brocade. Jootis of Ramjipura, Jaisalmer, Jobre and Jodhpur are famous worldwide.

Tourism

 Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, for both domestic and international tourists. Rajasthan attracts tourists for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture with its slogan 'Padharo mahare desh'. Every third foreign tourist visiting India travels to Rajasthan as it is part of the Golden Triangle for tourists visiting India.

The palaces of Jaipur, lakes of Udaipur, and desert forts of Jodhpur, Bikaner & Jaisalmer are among the most preferred destinations of many tourists, Indian and foreign. Tourism accounts for eight percent of the state's domestic product. Many old and neglected palaces and forts have been converted into heritage hotels. Tourism has increased employment in the hospitality sector. The main sweet of this place is ghewar.

Following are some of major palaces in Rajasthan:-

• Umaid Bhawan Palace
• Lake Palace
• Hawa Mahal
• Rambagh Palace
• Devi Garh Palace

By-

G.Abirami