FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Desert Festival, Jaisalmer

Every year during the Desert Festival in Rajasthan, the barren land around Jaisalmer comes alive with the beats of traditional musical instruments, songs, colors and remarkable enthusiasm. The festival of Rajasthan displays the best of traditional Rajasthani folk culture that will leave you mesmerized. This attractions in this usual fair in Rajasthan include the breathtaking performances by the skilled jugglers and snake charmers. But the major attractions of the fair remain the camel acrobatics, camel races and decor, camel polo, tug of war and countless other such events.

Mewar Festival

Dedicated to the Goddess Gauri (Parvati), Mewar Festival in Rajasthan offers the best of Rajasthani culture. This festival in Rajasthan is celebrated to welcome the spring season with various rituals and fireworks. The grand climax is seen when group of women dressed in rainbow hues of scarlet, yellow, green and purple carry images to the Gangaur Ghat of lake Pichola and a stately boat procession starts from the Lake Palace.

Elephant Festival, Jaipur

Held every year around the colorful festival of Holi, Elephant Festival in Rajasthan unveils the majesty and grandeur of camels. The major attractions of the festival include a royal procession of sixty elephants in their best finery, a match of elephant polo, an elephant race and playing Holi on mammals. It will surely be a time to cherish for a long time to come.

Camel Fair, Bikaner

The Camel Fair in Rajasthan is popular in Bikaner and is held in January. The "ship of the desert", the camel, is adorned with colorful saddles, anklets and necklaces. A procession is carried out displaying the camels, while the camel owners hold their heads up in pride. Contests and shows are a part of the celebrations. The crowds cheer as the tug-of-war contests, the camel races and the camel dancing competitions are held.

Teej Festival, Jaipur

Held in Jaipur, the Teej Festival of Rajasthan commemorated the union of Goddess Parvati with Lord Shiva. As the desert scorches with the hot summer sun, everyone waits impatiently for the advent of the monsoons. Teej marks the arrival of the long awaited rains and is the festival of swings. Swings are decorated with flowers and young girls sing merry songs. The Teej idol is adorned and worshipped.

Pushkar Fair, Pushkar

The world famous Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan is a hit event among the tourists who tours india from across the world. The fair of Pushkar is held every year during the month of Kartik Purnima and countless devotees from all faiths gather to take a dip in the holy lake. Dance, music, gaily-attired folks and various cultural events enhance the fun of the occasion. Major attractions of the fair camel races, cattle auction and colorful shops displaying beautiful handicrafts.

Visit Rajasthan and spot the wildest of species in close proximity of the nature. Nature trails and eco-tourism parks in India have been developed as an attempt to reverse the damage done by territorial encroachment and to recreate a pristine environment. Explore the wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan and spend some time enjoying the peaks of adventure.

Desert National Park, Jaisalmer

The vast tracts of desert sands around Jaisalmer, with their wood fossils, have been designated the Desert National Park, there may be little about the desert that calls for �protection�, leave alone wildlife, but the desert has a fragile, eco-system that has a unique variety of wildlife species. This environment supports the spiny-tail lizard that lives in underground colonies, desert monitors that look like miniature replicas of dragons, sandfish that �swim� under the sand, chameleons, and of course, Snakes that includes the deadly saw-scaled viper and Sand krait. Other faunal species here include the Desert Hare, Hedgehog, the predatory Indian wolf, Desert Fox, and Desert Gerbil.

Sariska Tiger Reserve, Alwar

The 300 square miles of Sariska Tiger Reserve is one of the last sizeable remnants of the dry hilly country, which once stretched across the length of the Aravali hills. Located at the Kankwari fort, it is the royal preserve of the rulers of Alwar and was declared a sanctuary in 1955. This wildlife park in Rajasthan is famous for its population of tigers but there are also other wild species including panther, jungle cat, jackal, hyena, sambar, chital, wild boar, hare, nilgai, caracals and umpteen porcupines.

Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Madhopur

Located near the small town of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, the 392 sq km of Ranthambhore National Park is perhaps India's finest example of Project Tiger Reserve. A unique combination of history with forest makes it a totally distinct place to explore. The herbivorous population includes Chitals, Sambhars, Blue Bull, Chinkara and Tigers are the biggest attraction of the park. This national park of Rajasthan also offers ancient monuments that date back to ancient past. Drive through the rolling grasslands and rushing streams and have a time of your life.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur

Reputed as one of the most spectacular bird sanctuaries in India, Keoladeo Ghana or Bharatpur National Park welcomes you to a fascinating world of feathered species. The major attractions of this national park of Rajasthan include a variety of domestic, migratory and water-birds. Stretched over an area of 29 sq. kms, the park is also inhabited by sambar, chital, nilgai and boar. What is peculiar to Bharatpur, is that many of the species are specialist feeders, like the Siberian crane.