| Rajasthan Culture & Heritage |
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The terrain and the culture of the land restrain the entire life cycle of a baby in born in Rajasthan. The simplicity and the cheerfulness of the people of Rajasthan are admired as much as the pace of life and ways of living there. The religion and rituals form the basis of life of the dwellers of Rajasthan. Each occasion is celebrated with fun and frolic in the fantastic land of Rajasthan. The women in lively costumes and following all the customs always look brilliant in the sparkling gold and silver zari, gota and matching jewelry. The prominent moustaches, colored turbans and the ear studs of the men in Rajasthan do make them look unique. The styles of the turban in fact symbolize the class, caste and region of its wearer. The women of Rajasthan wear jewelry in style and abundance on their body including the nose, ears, hands, feet, neck, arms and waist. The hospitality of the people along with their talents in arts and crafts, love for dance and music all can be felt at each step of the trip to Rajasthan. Rajasthan, the royal state, is a true example of the cultural and varied heritage of India. The nomads and the caravans, the well-established people all will leave a print and smile on your face. The tourists just need to swing with the celebration called Rajasthan.
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Fairs & Festivals
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Rajasthan and its people
bring to life the state with its wide range of fairs and
festivals. The abundance of sun, sand and celebrations can be
felt by the tourists owing to the frequency of festivity in
Rajasthan. The colors of Holi, the light of diwali every
occasion is filled with fun and frolic. The packages and tours
concentrate on covering the various fairs like the Desert
Festival and the Camel Festivals are held during the months of
January and February, which are preceeded by the Pushkar Mela
organized in the months of Pctober and November. The Pushkar
Mela in facts succeeds the Marwar Festival enjoyed during the
months of September and October. |
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The ways of celebration the fairs and festivals in Rajasthan range from decorating the elephants to win a prize in the Elephant Festival to take out a procession of the camels in the Camel Festival of Bikaner. The camels display spellbinding footwork, dancing gracefully to the direction of their trainers. At the Camel festival human being participate equally and dance with swirling skirts and fire. The awesome fireworks light up the sky. The festivities are taken to the extreme with the combination of the folk dances and songs.
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Urs celebrated by the Muslims
is marked by the grabbing of milk pudding is an occasion worth being
at. The milk pudding is doled out to the devotees as the blessed
food. It is accompanied by the singing of Qawalis by the devotees.
Each fair and festival of Rajasthan is worth being a part of only
when the diversity is enjoyed whole-heartedly. |
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Food
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It is rightly said that
the Indians live to eat and the people of Rajasthan are no
exception. The cuisine of Rajasthan has its own fair share of
the traditional dishes and specialties. The ingredients in the
dishes are as per the availability of vegetation of the state.
The focus is on buttermilk and clarified butter instead of
water, owing to the latter's scarcity. Delicacies like the
kebabs and the curries were introduced into the royal menu as
a result of the influence of the Mughals. Even though most of
the dishes of Rajasthan are vegetarian, Khud Kargosh happens
to be an example of a
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watering item prepared with the meat of hare or a rabbit. Typically, all the members of the family sit together and the hot piping meals are served on the chokis by the females of the house. 'Dal-bhati' i.e. the combination of cooked lentils with the roasted balls of dough and pickles along with lassi or buttermilk is the most common feature in the daily menu of the families in Rajasthan. Come and enjoy the extravaganza of fun with food.
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Music & Dance
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The people of Rajasthan have
their own ways to celebrate the evening are the long day of hard
work in the sun. The much-needed entertainment is provided by the
folk music and dance. The females participate equally in these
refreshing activities. The performers who have inherited the talent
perform the soul stirring music of Rajasthan for the people. Both
music as well as dance is respected as skills by the dwellers of the
desert. The 'Dholis' or the singing community of Rajasthan are
popular both at the domestic and international levels. The Ghoomar
dance performed by the females of Rajasthan is another unique art
form. The elegant movement of the dancers in circles, making the
ghagra (long skirt like garb) flow both clockwise and anti clockwise
is stunning. The Chari dance involves the dancer holding a pot with
lighted lamp on their heads is a great act of balance. Another act
of bravery can be enjoyed at the fire dance when the boys and men
jump over the live wood and charcoal, the drumbeats in the
background add to the effect of the performance. The people of
Rajasthan play instruments like the sarangi, ghungroos and ektara to
bring soothing music to life to the audiences. |
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Art & Craft
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Even wondered what will
you wear with your achkan if not the jootis from Rajasthan.
The beautiful needlework done on the goatskin or sheepskin is
an example of the talent of the craftsmen in Rajasthan. Other
leather items like purses, sandals and belts also make great
gift items for the tourist to Rajasthan. Flower vases,
lampshades, jars and pots of blue pottery make the perfect
souvenir any tourist can carry back for family and friends.
Possessing jewelry made using various techniques like
kundankari and meenakari are every woman's dream. The
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and style come together in the containers prepared in terra cotta, whose origin can be traced to the Indus Valley Civilization. The brightly colored dresses worn by the puppets make them as popular and attractive as the other dolls and toys. Rajasthan pride lays both in textile printing as well as the wooden blocks that are used to print shapes on cloth. Religious and natural themes are frequently carved on the sandalwood. Artistic talents are displayed in abundance in the metal ware creations of Rajasthan. The often-used metals are brass and silver. Carpets and durries happen to be other artifacts of Rajasthan that are much purchased by the travelers along with the bright murals and paintings.
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