Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan
The Rajasthani’s love for colour and joyous celebrations
is proved by the elaborate rituals and the gay abandon with
which he surrenders himself to the numerous fairs and festivals
of the region. In addition to the festivals celebrated by
the Hindus,Muslims and others,there are also the traditional
fairs.
There are animal fairs,there are religious fairs and there
are fairs to mark the changing seasons. Infact,celebrations
occur almost round the year and are a splendid opportunity
for the visitor to gain an insight into the life of the Rajasthani.
Other than the traditional fairs, recently established festivals
which involve elephants, camel races, dance and music have
been specially organised for the tourists. |
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Rajasthan, men and women traditionally wore necklaces, armlets,
anklets, earrings and rings. With the advent of the Mughal
Empire, Rajasthan became a major centre for production of
the finest kind of jewellery. It was a true blend of the Mughal
with the Rajasthani craftsmanship. The Mughals brought sophisticated
design & technical know-how of the Persians with them.
The ladies of the royal family of Rajasthan wore atleast half
a dozen kinds of hair jewellery at one time, each with its
own name and specific function. The most common head jewel
is the bindi, which has a central pendant hanging from a string
of fine pearls and is worn down the parting of the hair with
the pendant resting in the middle of the forehead A variant
of this is called the borla in which the central pendant is
semi-spherical and set with precious stones and a fringe of
fine pearls. Chains of gold, shaped like the lotus and other
flowers are worn across the length of the plait. There are
flower-shaped hair pins and hair combs beautifully enamelled
and set with stones.
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