Gangaur Festival

The Gangaur Festival is the colourful and most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk during the months of July and August.

Gangaur Festival is one of the most important and widely celebrated traditional festivals of Rajasthan. The word Gangaur is derived from two words 'Gan' a synonym of Siva and 'Gauri' of his consort Parvathi. The festival commences on the day following Holi and continues for about 2 weeks. The festival is held in the honor of Gauri who is regarded as the symbol of virtue and fidelity and a mythological role model of married women. While married women worship Gauri for the welfare of their husband, the young unmarried girls worship her for being blessed with a spouse of their choice.

The festival commences with the ritual of collecting ashes from the Holika Dahan (Holi Fire) and burying seeds of wheat and barley in it. Then the seeds are watered every day until the germination takes place. The ritual is performed with the songs praising Isar and Gauri and the carrying of painted water pots on women heads.

The ritual is performed with songs of Isar and Gauri (Shiva and Parvathi) and the varying of pots of water on the head. Women folks also make clay images of Gauri and Isar. On the evening of the seventh day after Holi, unmarried girls take out a parade with ghudlia (an earthen pot with holes around and a lamp inside) on their heads. On the way they are gifted presents such as sweets, ghee, oil and cash. The ritual continues for a fortnight till the conclusion of the Gangaur Festival. The festivity reaches to its peak during the last three days of the festival. On the last day Colorful images of Gauri are taken out in procession accompanied by the camels, bullock carts, horses and elephants, decorated in traditional finery. Songs are sung about the departure of Gauri to her husband's house. The procession concludes with the girls breaking their pots and throwing all the consignment into a tank or a pond.

Another unique characteristic of this colorful festival is that on this occasion, tribal men and women have an opportunity to meet and interact freely. They can select a life partner of their choice and marry only by eloping.

We, Fascinating Rajasthan welcome you to this colorful and vibrant region of India. Come and experience the true colors of Rajasthan in its fairs and festivals on your Fascinating Rajasthan Festival Tour. Fascinating Rajasthan is an experienced and trusted tour operator providing excellent services to its customers for many years now.

Elephant Festival

The Elephant Festival is held every year during Holi, in Jaipur (Rajasthan). Here, as you would expect from the name of the Festival Elephants are the centre of attraction.

The Elephant Festival is a unique event held annually in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Groomed to perfection, glittering in gold, row upon row of elephants catwalk before an enthralled audience. The elephants move gracefully in procession, run races, play the regal game of polo, and finally participate in the spring festival of Holi. It is festival time for the elephants.

Activities
A festival where elephants are the centre of attraction. The festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels and horses, followed by lively folk dancers. Elephant races, elephant-polo matches and a most interesting tug of war between elephants and men, are all part of this spectacular event.

History
The Jataka stories of Buddhism refer to the tradition of Hastimangala (the Elephant Festival). A royal mount from time immemorial, the elephant has also been a symbol of strength and wealth. For the Rajput kings, the elephants were of especial significance not only during war but also during the royal festivities-a must at royal pageant. Nishan-ka-hathi, the flag carrier, led the procession. The king always mounted a caparisoned elephant. Special hunting programs and elephant fights were organized to entertain the royal guests. Jaipur was a favorite with the important personalities of the British Raj and the Maharajas always arranged for their guests of honor elephant rides up to the Amber palace. Even today, the mahouts take tourists up to the Amber Palace on elephant back.

Rajasthan Tourism revived the tradition by including the Elephant Festival in the cultural calendar. The present-day pageant, originated only a decade ago, was devised especially with the tourist in mind. The inclusion of the game of polo is more recent, being inspired by a cartoon in Punch magazine that showed the Indian polo team atop an elephant after it won all the international tournaments. Every year on the day after Holi, the old stadium at Jaipur, the Chaugan (originally planned for elephants), forms the venue for a spectacular jamboree.

Places to see
Jaipur is famous for Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, City Palace, Jantar Mantar and many more.
Jaipur city guide and travel information.

Getting there
By Air
Indian airlines, Jet airways and Sahara airlines have regular service to Jaipur. All the major cities are connected to Jaipur.

By road
Rajasthan Roadways have regular bus services from New Delhi, running deluxe and air conditioned coaches from Bikaner house, Delhi. Jaipur is also well connected with the other cities of Rajasthan. With good road conditions you can also travel by private car/taxi.

By Train
Shatabdi and Intercity connects Jaipur to Delhi. Shatabdi is fully air conditioned train starts from Delhi (5.55 AM) to Jaipur (10.35 AM), you can also try Intercity Exp starts from Delhi at (4.55 PM) reaches Jaipur (10.35 PM). There are other trains also to Jaipur from other metro cities, to know more click here.

Hotels
For your accommodation and hotel requirement, you can visit our Exclusive Rajasthan Hotel Directory. Jaipur hotel directory and accommodation guide.

Tour Operators
There are tour operators and travel agents to help you in planning and making arrangements to see the Elephant Festivals. Jaipur tour operators and travel agents.