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The Brij Festival takes place a few days before Holi, (the festival of colours) in the month of February-March in honour of Lord Krishna. This festival is marked by verve and zest - villagers, in gay, multihued attire, can be seen singing and performing the Raslila dance (dance depicting the immortal love-story of Radha and Krishna ).All of Bharatpur echoes the sound of folk melodies on this festival held on the eve of Holi. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor-all are touched by the spirit of this festival. Boisterous revelers spare no one during this festival and delight in splashing colour on everyone around. We at, Indian Festival Tours , have designed special Golden Triangle Tour including this colourful festival especially for you.

The Elephant Festival in Jaipur is a unique event organized on the day of Holi. Elephant has always been the Imperial Mount with kings, members of the royal family, nobles and dignitaries mounting it. There is a reference of the tradition of Hastimangala or the Elephant Festival in the Jataka stories of Buddhism. As the name suggests, the elephants are the center of attraction in the elephant Festival. A number of elephants, groomed in vibrant colored attire of embroidered velvets and glittering gold ornaments, parade before an entranced audience. The elephants participate in number of events like races, polo matches, tug-of-war, elephant fights and festival of Holi. The festival commences with the procession of elephants, camels, horses, chariots, canons and palanquins followed by performances of the folk dancers. The atmosphere is made lively with the sound of the bankiya or the trumpet. Most of the participants in the Elephant Festival in Jaipur are the female elephants. The mahouts or the elephant keepers take utmost care and great enthusiasm in decoration and grooming of the elephants, as there are prizes for the Best Groomed elephant as well. The elephants are painted on foreheads, trunks, foreheads and feet with floral motifs and adorned with ornaments and jewelry from tusk to tail. The spotlight is on the Game of Polo, considered a royal game on the elephant Festival. Polo players are dressed in saffron and red turbans and try to score goals with long sticks and a plastic football for their teams. The spectators are invited to mount the elephants and play Holi.

Come and be part of any of our programmes, which has Jaipur and plan your dates to see this spectacular event with Indian Festival Tours .

The annual fair of Kaila Devi, (Mahalakshmi or the goddess of wealth), is held at the village Kaila (24 kms to the south west) in Karauli district (170 kms from Jaipru city) in the month Mar-Apr, lasting for a fortnight. The temple of Kaila Devi is located on the banks of the Kalisil river in the hills of Trikut, 2 Kms. to the north-west of Kaila village. Another attraction is the small temple dedicated to Bhairon, situated in the courtyard and facing the shrine of Kaila Devi is a temple of Hanuman locally called 'Languriya'. Approximately 2 lakh devotees gather during the fair. The ritual of Kanak-Dandotis is observed by staunch devotees. They cover a distance of 15 to 20 Kms to reach the temple, not on foot but by lying prostrate, making lines with their hands in that position, advancing up to the line drawn and repeating this procedure till they reach the temple. While some eat food and take rest during the journey, others endure the rigours of the ritual without these. Groups of Mina tribesmen arrive in a spirit of gaiety dancing, singing and creating a lively atmosphere. The spacious courtyard becomes the venue for dances and songs sung in praise of the guardian deity. Indian Festival Tours is the only one specializing in taking you to this unexplored yet spectacular festival in India .

The Shri Mahavirji Fair is held in March-April to commemorate the memory of Shri Mahavir Swami, the 24th tirthankara (saint) of the Jains, in Chandangaon (180 kms from Jaipur). The Mahavirji temple is located in an enclosure known as 'katala' and houses the image of Mahavir Swami believed to have been dug out by a leather worker from Devta-Ka-Tila, a nearby hillock. There is a Man-Stambha (tower of glory) made of marble in front of the temple. The temple is maintained by the chief priest called Bhattarak and assisted by Brahmacharis (his disciples). The image of Mahavirji is washed followed by pujan and ashta-argha (eight oblations). In the evening aarti is performed. Ghee deepaks are lit and the offerings comprise of rice, white and yellow flowers, sandalwood, camphor, saffron, mishri (crystallised sugar), and dry fruits. The major attraction is the Rath Yatra. The fair of Mahavirji reaches its peak on Baisakh Krishna Dwitiya when the image of the deity is taken to the bank of river Gambhiri in a grand procession for Kalash Abhishek. The golden chariot (rath) is drawn by bullocks. Four persons wave chanvars (fly whisks) over the image and the site resounds with "bhajans" and religious songs with intermittent slogans of 'Shri Mahavir Swami Ki jai. After the ceremony, the procession returns with the same grandeur and the image is restored to the temple. The pilgrims gather at the temple to worship, meditate and seek the blessings of the saint with folded hands. During the evening offering the temple is illuminated. Permanent shops exist at the site, selling food grains, cloth and general merchandise. Temporary shops spring up at the fair and cater to the needs of the visitors. Lots of Rajasthan handicrafts are at a display during this fair.Chandangaon, the site of the fair, is 6.5 Kms away from Shri 'Mahavirji Railway Station of the Western Railway on the Delhi-Mumbai broad gauge line. It is 18 kms from Hindaun, 29 kms from Karauli and 176 kms from Jaipur. Buses are regular between Jaipur, Hindaun and Shri Mahavirji. Buses and tongas is the means of transport for the passengers to the temple.

Teej is one of the most widely celebrated festivals of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Swings, traditional songs and dancing are the unique features of Teej celebrations in Rajasthan. Women perform traditional folk dance dressed in green colored clothes and sing beautiful Teej songs while enjoying their sway on swings bedecked with flowers. On this day, women and young girls wear their best clothes and adorn themselves with fine jewelry. They gather at a nearby temple or a common place and offers prayers to Goddess Parvati for well-being of their husband.
On the occasion of Teej, markets in Jaipur are stocked with trendiest women accessories and clothes. Most of the fabric clothes display laheria (tie and dye) prints. Sweet shops keep different Teej sweets but ghewar is the main sweet of the season. At some shops malpuas and fenis are also prepared in great quantities. All over Rajasthan, swings are hung from trees and decorated with fragrant flowers. Women both married and unmarried love to swing on these swings to celebrate the 'sawan festival'. Come and be part of Teej Festival in Rajasthan with Indian Festival Tours .

Teej festival, the celebration of the monsoons (July-Aug), is celebrated all over the state with each region having its own unique touch. Kajli Teej of Bundi is different in several ways-while Teej is celebrated on the third day of the month of Shravana, in Bundi it is celebrated on the third day of the month of Bhadra. The festival starts with the procession of goddess Teej in a decorated palanquin from the beautiful Naval Sagar. It passes through the main bazaars and terminates at Azad Park . The procession has decorated elephants, camels, bands, performing artists and colourfuly dressed people. This is the time to renew the ties of fidelity for married couples in Rajasthan, and special sweetmeats, and swing rides are characteristic of it. The people who gather here from surrounding areas also get to watch and participate in the cultural programmes that are organised in the evenings. It provides a very good chance to see performances by local artists from Hadoti region.  Though the main function of Teej is held only on two days, the celebrations continue upto Janmashtami, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna. Come and travel with Indian Festival Tours to experience this unique festival of Rajasthan.

Dussehra is celebrated in Kota in Sep-Oct. This festival is celebrated all over the country but the Kota Dussehra is quite unique for it marks more than just the beginning of a festive period. More than 75 feet tall effigies of the demons Ravana, Kumbhakarana and Meghnad are burnt on Dussehra day to symbolise the victory of good over evil. Usually these effigies are filled with crackers. A young child dressed as Lord Ram is made to shoot an arrow of fire at Ravana and the huge figure is burnt. Villagers gather here dressed in multicolored clothes to offer prayers to Lord Rama and to celebrate his victory over Ravana. Prominent artists from all over the country are invited to participate in cultural programmes who enthral the huge audience with their performances. Rich in courtly splendour and age old traditions, the Dussehra festival here is marked by a glittering procession which attracts thousands from the surrounding villages. Dramas depicting the Armageddon is very common. Like all festivals in Rajasthan, it provides a good opportunity to the traders to display their attractive wares to the rural and urban buyers. Small effigies of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakhsman are very common works of sculpture. The fair lasts for about a fortnight . Plan yourself to be in Kota by taking Indian Festival Tours Rajasthan programme to experience this Festival.

The festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Ashwin (Sept-Oct) in Jodhpur , the former capital of Marwar Province . The festival has on display the music and dance of the Marwar region. The spirited folk dancers assembled here, perform with gusto and entertain the audience with Rajasthani folklore. These folk artists bring to life the myth and legends of the area and sing songs in memory of the brave heroes. Other attractions include of the festival include horse riding and horse polo. Various other competitions are also held during the festival. Come and discover Marwar Festival with our Indian Festival Tours and click here for a tailor-made tour package.

The Chandrabhaga fair is held every year at Jhalrapatan (6kms from Jhalawar) in the month of Oct-Nov. The River Chadrabhaga runs here and is considered holy by the people residing in this part of Rajasthan. On the Full moon night of 'Kartik purnima', thousands of pilgrims take a holy dip in the river. The fair, held on the last day of Kartik, attracts devotees who bathe in the holy waters at this spot which is known as Chandravati. A big cattle fair, which blends religion with commerce, is held here. Livestock like Cows, horses, buffaloes, camels and bullocks are brought from distant parts for sale. Traders from various parts of Madhya-Pradesh and Maharashtra converge here and brisk trading takes place. The fair provides an opportunity for the tourists to acquaint themselves with the people of this region and their rituals and traditions. Indian Festival Tours have designed special Holiday packages for you to witness the spectacular event.