Why do tourists love to visit Jaipur during Diwali?

The Pink City of Jaipur is extensively known for its culture and beauty. It is considered to be one of the most touristy places in the country & was even labelled as ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO in July 2019. The royal city of Jaipur is loaded with world-class architecture & monuments which is why it is a classic example of the Indian folklore.

But do you know, Diwali – The festival of lights also known as India’s biggest festival – is one of the best seasons to visit Jaipur is during the festivities of Diwali? Here’s why:

Diwali Decorations

During Diwali, the city gets decked up in the most unique manner, resembling a bride, with the make up being warm glowing lights. The decorations look astonishingly ravishing because all the malls and markets compete to win the ‘Best Decoration’ prize. From the old market to new streets, literally every corner looks unimaginable! As soon as you’d step here, you’d feel the festive spirit and would want to become a part of this celebration. The glowing monuments offer countless photo opportunities.

Staying in Heritage Hotels

Heritage hotels of Jaipur arrange for exclusive Diwali celebration, with diya-lighting ceremonies, prayers and blessings. One can settle down to witness a vivid firework display blaze across the Jaipur skyline while immersing into the royal life and culture. The heritage hotels are not only lavishly decorated during the festival, but they organise events in which you can actively participate and feel like a member of the family– an experience that you will cherish forever.

Indulge in Traditional Delicacies

There is no celebration without the celebration of food and when its Diwali, it plays a major role. From the traditional Dal Batti to the exotic delicacies, there are hundreds of varieties to treat your taste buds during this time of the year. All you have to do is just walk into the sweet shops and there’s absolutely no way of escaping them. They are a must try!

Live like Locals

The Jaipurites celebrate every festival with full of zeal and vigour. The women love to adorn colorful outfits such as lehenga and odhani while the men love to adorn traditional outfits such as safas and pagdis. They also love to flaunt their elaborate jewellery. The exhibition of such a rich culture is a sight to behold. To dress like them, you can buy traditional outfits from the local markets quite easily. Not only that, you can get a picture clicked to flaunt it on the social media for the world to see.

Feels like Home 

The first concern while travelling to a new city is safety. During the festival, all families in Jaipur go on tours for seeing the lighting in the walled city which is why you’d see people everywhere. There’s nothing shady about this city!

You’d get a very homely vibe here because we truly believe in ‘अतिथिदेवो भवः’ i.e., ‘The guest is God’.

Roadside Markets set up

For y’all shopaholics, roadside markets and stalls that are set up during the festival are the perfect places where you can spend some money on buying typical Rajasthani stuff. These markets not only sell items for Diwali Puja such as diyas and flowers, but also for home décor such as artefacts and potteries and traditional clothes. The best part about these markets is that even though the items are very cheap, they manage to maintain a relatively good quality standard.  You will definitely love the warmth of the vendors.

Last but not least, Witness the spellbinding view from Nahargarh

This is probably one of the best reasons for you to visit Jaipur! The view from Nahargarh Fort, which stands out on the hills of Aravali, is out of this world (no exaggeration!). During Diwali, you can see the whole of Jaipur figuratively looking like it is made of gold. It is so beautiful that you cannot take your eyes off it. It is definitely a rare sight that is worth visiting for!

 

The Spirit of Rajasthan’s Unchartered Territory: Momasar Utsav

Rajasthan’s majority of parts comprises of the desert and bare land. With a vibrant splash of colors and vigorous display of cultural galore, Fairs and festivals of Rajasthan infuse life in these barren surroundings.  Ranging from dance music festivals, camels shows to techno-electric events and literature gala, Rajasthan is the royal host to marvelous showcase of the art, performing arts and culture.

Unlike the regular yearly festivals, this year we came across this interesting festival called, “Momasar Utsav” Situated in Shri Dungargarh district of Bikaner, Momasar is a tiny hamlet which is popular for its wood handicraft and Papad Mangodi.

Momasar hosted a two days folklore of art, craft, performing arts and shopping on 19^th and 20^th October in the village. Momasar Utsav offered an opportunity to the tourists to visit this uncrowded village which is not yet touched by the touristy vibes.

The festival was a truly inclusive and barrier-free festival that welcomed people from all backgrounds and beliefs while showcasing the unadulterated culture, heritage, stories, art and cuisine of the local communities of Momasar.

The visitors of Momasar Utsav got an opportunity to connect with rural folks as well as performing artists. This festival brought together over 200 folk artists and artisans from seven cultural regions in Rajasthan. During these two days, they found their own space as they lose themselves to the unalloyed traditions of this rich land. The concerts, congregations, and exhibitions were organized at unpretentious venues – a haveli (traditional mansion), an old temple of village deity and an open field next to a traditional water harvesting structure. The festival was so structured that visitors mingled freely with artists and local residents, enriching experience for all of them.

The artists who performed at Momasar Utsav can be undoubtedly called as the torch-bearers of indigenous music and craft forms of Rajasthan. In fact, a lot of these are the last few men and women practicing these arts, on the verge of being lost forever.

Until next year, let’s flip over these interesting moments from this year’s Momasar Utsav 2019

Image credits: Sanjay Kaushik : https://bit.ly/31K8fnX

 

Timings changed for Elephant Safari in Amer

The Rajasthan forest department has asked the archaeology department to change the timing of elephant safari at elephant village and Amer Fort, amid complaints that the elephants were being used for taking tourists on a tour throughout the day. The new timing will be from 8 am to 12 pm. There will be no elephant safari thereafter.

The officials said that currently the elephants are being used for safaris throughout the day at Amber Fort as well as the Elephant Village.

“The animals have no time for rest, so they become aggressive. We have seen some instances of tourists getting hurt during elephant safaris. These incidents are few and far between, but they are definitely avoidable,” said a forest department officer.

He added that the elephant safari will not be allowed between 12 pm and 3 pm at Amber Fort and Elephant Village.

When tourists and tour agencies can’t get an elephant safari at Amer Palace, they go to the Elephant Village and pay mahouts for a safari on the village premises.

“This practice should be discouraged. We have written to the archaeology department to check in on this practice on Amer Fort premises as it exhausts the elephants. We will make sure that the new timing is enforced strictly at Elephant Village,” said the officer.

Ranthambhore Zone 1-5 closed for safari till 7th October, 2019

Owing to the heavy rainfall in some parts of Rajasthan, safari bookings for zones 1 to 5 have been stopped in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan till 7th Oct 2019 and can be extended to 15th October, looking at the heavy downpour in the area.

The bookings for safari will resume once the weather conditions improve and as the forest department instructs accordingly.

However, current bookings will continue for the safari in zone 6 to 10.