The Spectacular Cultural Enchantment of Rajasthan

Rajasthan, the “The Land of Courageous Kings and Soldiers” is considered to be the most vivid and fascinating state of India. The state of Rajasthan is the dwelling of the valiant Rajputs families. This terrain of crowned heads is famous for its vivacious colors and lively cities that are vigilantly watched over by splendid citadels and forts. Obviously, the state of Rajasthan reminds the metaphors of the powerful Rajput kings who ruled this state for about 1000 years. Some of the popular Rajput warriors are Rana Sangha, Bappa Rawal, Prithviraj Chauhan and Pratap Singh. The huge Forts, palaces and Havelis in Rajasthan have vital constituents of tribute and courageousness imprinted in them. They are reflected on the wall paintings, frescoes and interior designing. The interesting and vibrantly colorful state of Rajasthan is festooned by the royal forts, imperial palaces, sand dunes, lakes, camels and Rajasthani’s who are colorfully dressed up in amazingly-colored outfits. Without a doubt, the state of Rajasthan remains as a major destination in the voyage of numerous day-trippers.

The liveliness in the people’s lifestyle along with their tradition that thrive with valor, romance complete this state with men who wear giant white colored turban and good-looking women who wear dazzling mirror carved skirts and beautiful jewelry that beautify them from head to toe. All these create a truly wonderful experience to watch. The citizens of Rajasthan celebrate each and every day of their life in sparkling ways. They liven up their traditions every now and then thorough various celebrations and festivities. As a matter of fact, Music, Dance and cultural events are entwined with the everyday lives of Rajasthanis.

When all's said and done, who can stand firm against the lure of exploring more about the breathtakingly stunning cultural extravagance of Rajasthan?

So, here we go!!

Continue to read to know more about the festivities, celebrations, culture and tradition of the marvelous state of Rajasthan.

Different forms of Cultural performances in Rajasthan

In point of fact, Rajasthani people live their life to the best. After a long day of hard work under the ruthless desert sun and the rock-strewn land, people take a break whenever and wherever possible. They simply let themselves chill out and unwind through lively dramas, merry dancing, joyful singing, puppet shows, astounding fire shows, devotional music and several other communal celebrations which transform the hard-working people into high-spirited and cheery human beings. Each province of Rajasthan has its own folk amusement. However, the forms and styles of the music, songs and dances may differ. It is fascinating to know that even the musical instruments differ from one area to the other in Rajasthan.

Specialized performances such as the Dholis, Bhaats, Nats, Mirasis, Bhands and Bhopas are ubiquitous all over Rajasthan. These performances are supported by the locals who take part in the shows enthusiastically along with the performers who travel to various cities of Rajasthan.

Buckle up to know about several well-known forms of Cultural performances of Rajasthan

The Amazingly ‘Blazing’ Fire Dance: The ancient “Jasnathis” of Chum & Bikaner are well-known for their magical powers. The astounding Fire dance is in accordance with the lifestyle of Jasnathis. In the Fire dance show, two to ten fire show performers will present the guests a radiating hot show with vivacious fire everywhere. A huge land area is prearranged with real logs, charcoal and firewood where the Jasnathi men and youth hop on to the flames while the energetic drum beats continue to be a foil for the event. Slowly but surely, the lively music and drum beats ascends in rhythm and reaches an upsurge while the audience feels like they are in a different world. The professional look of the fire dance performers accompanied by their brilliant sequence of dance steps makes the fire dance show a unique and special event that will remain in your memories for ever.

At the same time, the performers keep an eye on essential things like stage-presence, smooth flow of the performance and on both internal and external safety measures. Startling, coordinated dance movements of the performers are truly beyond belief. The duration of the amazing fire show would be anywhere between 15 minutes to 20 minutes. The fire show artists will create shocking performances with flaming chains. They create balls of fire by twisting and turning the fiery sticks. A basic metal will continue to burn continuously. This enables the fire show performers to swap their material rapidly. In the amazing fire show, the juggling of fire and dancing movements are combined to surprise the audience.

Typically, the fire dance shows that are held at the stages will differ from the open-air fire shows. Usually, the fire dance artist will receive the individual requests of the clients and make them realize the facts of the fire dance prior to the show. Also, the fire artists will work with the fire staff, fire torches, fire fans, fire ropes and fire special effects. On the whole, the fire show will broaden your perspectives and amass the interaction of various central characters or heroes. A miraculous fire show will be performed by the talented fire artists by taking all the safety measures into consideration. It is truly exhilarating to watch the outstanding fire show performances.

The Ghoomar Dance : In essence, the Ghoomar dance is a type of dance performed by a specific group of people or society. This gentle yet elegant dance is performed by a group of women particularly on the auspicious days or events. The word Ghoomar is derived from the word “Ghoomna” (spin). This dance is a very simple dance where women move gracefully and gently in a circle with poise.

The Drum dance : The Drum dance is basically a specialized form of dance originated from the place called “Jalore”. Actually, 5 men will round their necks with gigantic drums. A few men with giant cymbals will go together with a dancer who holds an uncovered sword in his mouth. He will dance energetically by twisting and turning the three colored sticks to the dynamic drum beats.

The Chari Dance : The Chari dance is well-liked in the Kishangarh district of Rajasthan. The Chari dance is performed by carrying a “Chari” (pot) on the head. On top of the pot, a lighted lamp is kept.

The Gait Ghoomar : The Gair Ghoomar is one of the numerous dance-forms of a specific Rajasthani tribal group known as the “Bhil”. The Gair Ghoomar is performed mostly during the Holi celebrations. This dance is a lively performance where both women and men dance in concert.

The Gait : The Gait is one more Holi dance performance that is performed exclusively by men. The Gair is known as the “Geendad” in the city of Shekhawati and “Dandia Gair” in the city of Jodhpur.

The Teerah Taali : The Teerah Taali dance is performed by the “Kamad society” of ‘Deedwana’ & “Pokhran”. They perform this dance in tribute to the larceny divinity, the “Baba Ramdeo”. The Teerah Taali is a unique dance performance where men play a “4 stringed” musical instrument known as a “Chau-tara”. A group of women sit with dozens of “Manjeeras or Cymbals” that are fixed all over their bodies. They hit the Cymbal energetically. At times, women also rest the pots with bright lamps on their heads or hold a sword between their teeth.

The Kacchi Ghodi : The Kacchi Ghodi dance is performed on the fake horses. The dancers wear intricate outfits and ride on the dummy horses that are decorated in the same way. The dancers will hold the uncovered swords on their hands and move to the beat to the energetic beats of the musical instruments and drums. While the dancers are performing the Kacchi Ghodi dance, a singer will explain how the city of Shekhawati was exploited by the ‘Bavaria’ robbers.

The Maand : The Maand is the most stylish and difficult form of folk music in Rajasthan. This ancient music has travelled a long distance from the old-world. In ancient times, the Maand music was sung only in front of the Rajput rulers to praise them in their imperial palaces.

The “Fascinating” Puppet shows : The puppets or marionettes are one of the admired forms of amusement in Rajasthan. The puppetry art is developed by a group of people of rural (agricultural) workers of Rajasthan. These people are called as the “Bhats”. They work together with Rajasthani puppetry to carry their traditional livelihood to the next stage. Even though the ‘Bhats’ belong to the ‘Nagaur’ province in the ‘Marwar’ district of Rajasthan, they take a trip throughout the rural areas of Rajasthan to display their unique puppetry skills. The Bhats also have one more name called the “Kathputliwalas”. In the main, the puppet shows are conducted in the late evenings. In this interesting puppet shows, there are numerous mannequin dolls (made of wood) that are dressed up in bright colored outfits. Then, the vibrantly dressed up puppets are joined with the strings or cords. The puppeteer will then use the attached strings to move the puppet dolls back and forth. Usually, a small stage is exclusively prepared by resting a cot horizontally to perform the puppet show. The puppeteer will fasten the decorated wooden puppets to the ropes that are attached to the legs of the cots. The cots are roofed with decorative sheets so as to hide the puppeteer from the vision of the audience.

Exciting Festivals and Celebrations of Rajasthan

Fire Dance show in Rajasthan Diwas celebrations : Basically, the Rajasthan Diwas is celebrated every year on March 30th with an endeavor to exhibit the unique heritage and culture of Rajasthan and to improve the conventional cuisines, folk-arts and sports. The unique and enlivening Fire dance show was performed on March 30th, 2013 at the Ravindra Manch Garden in Jaipur as a part of the Rajasthan Diwas celebrations. The glorious union of the former significant Rajputana states into Rajasthan state was made possible on 30th March, 1949. Since then, every year, this remarkable day is celebrated as the Rajasthan Diwas. On this day, the Pink City will observe a grand cultural lavishness through numerous folk dance and music performances all over the town. The Tourism department of Rajasthan will arrange various cultural events at key tourist destinations of the city for the public.

The Godwar Festival : The Godwar festival symbolizes the entire Religion, Art & Culture of the Godwar region that can be spotted in the Pali region of Rajasthan. Every year, the Gowar festival is celebrated in a grand manner in the month of March for 3 days. The Godwar Festival begins with the traditional folk dances and musical performances by trained folk artists in the famous Narwania Lake of Rajasthan. Several traditional sports such as tug-of-war, turban tying and a number of other races are held during the Godwar festival. The folk cultural programs are followed by devotional Bhajans that are conducted in the evenings. In addition to these celebrations and events, you can also watch a variety of safaris like camel safari, horse safari and jeep safari at the “Ranakpur” and “Kumbhalgarh” wild life sanctuaries.

The Kaila Devi Fair : Every year, The Kaila Devi festival is held in the months of March and April. This year, this fair is celebrated from April 7th to April 23rd. This fair is celebrated at the famous Kaila village that is situated in the Karauli region of Rajasthan. Goddess Kaila Devi is said to be the incarnation of Goddess MahaLakshmi who is considered as the Goddess of prosperity. People believe that Goddess Kaila Devi guards her devotees from all sorts of misery and financial problems in their lives. You can see a group of “Mina” tribal men joyfully singing and dancing to create an energetic ambiance during the celebrations. People will dance and sing in honor of the protector Goddess Kaila Devi. The impressive dance and song performances of the Mina tribal group will change the whole area bright and joyful. A lot of people from all over the country visit the Kaila Devi Fair to experience the animated ambiance throughout the fair. Just watching such interesting performances will be a superb experience for the travelers and

visitors to receive an authentic flavor of the inspiring civilization of Rajasthan.