Elephant Festival - Jaipur
The
Elephant festival is truly the day of the pachyderm. This unique festival
is celebrated with much fanfare each spring, a day before the festival of
holi which is also known as the festival of colours. The festival begins
with a cavalcade of groomed, beautified and well decorated Elephants being
paraded through the streets of Jaipur. In this ceremonial procession
caparisoned elephants are accompanied by lancers on horses, chariots,
camels, cannons, and palanquins. Elephant races, elephant-polo matches and
even a tug of war between elephants and men, are all part of this
spectacular event.
This festival celebrating the might of the Elephant was recently revived
by the royals of Rajasthan, but in olden times the elephant commanded a
special degree of respect and also symbolized strength and wealth. For the
Rajput kings elephants were a must during the royal festivities and at
royal pageants. The Nishan-ka-hathi or the flag carrier always led a
procession. The king always mounted a caparisoned elephant. Special
hunting programs on elephant back 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
elephant rides up to the Amber palace for their guests of honor. Even
today, the mahouts take tourists up to the Amber Palace on elephant back.
In fact for the maharajas of yore special howdas ( seat placed on the back
of the elephant) were created, made of silver and gold and studded with
precious jewels, these ornate and resplendent artistic creations can still
be found in the many museums of the erstwhile royalty.
Rajasthan
tourism in a bid to capture the lost glory of this festive occasion has
revived it in a big way and placed it firmly on the cultural calendar. On
the day of the festivities the Jaipur chaugan comes alive with dancers,
musicians, elephants and onlookers from around the world. The Festival
starts with an impressive procession of the majestic animals lovingly
painted and tastefully attired with glittering ornaments and embroidered
velvets. They greet the visitors, offer garlands to the guests and walk
past the ramp before a jury of experts and tourists to select the best
amongst them for the title of 'Best decorated Elephant'. A fascinating
game of elephant polo takes up the next few hours of the celebration. The
game sees players seated atop elephants maneuver the enormous pachyderms
as well as the plastic ball with which they try to score goals. Nothing
like the fast paced blood-curling excitement of well bred polo ponies
thundering down the fields nevertheless great fun and equally absorbing,
especially with a hilarious on the spot commentary that keeps the players
motivated and the audience in splits. You don't have to be just another
passive onlooker, if you so wish you can volunteer to join in and be a
part of the fun and games. One such opportunity is the massive tug of war
that happens between elephantine strength and enthusiastic mortals. You
could join hands with the gang of adventure seekers who dare to take on
the might of the elephant. A lot of elaborate, artistic, amazing and
sometimes simply strange elephant paraphernalia is also on exhibit at the
unique 'Gaj Shringar' exhibition , here one can find everything connected
with the elephant - ornaments, textiles (Jhoo), ornate howdahs and
carriages, paintings, medicines and food. The evening leaves the floor
open for music and dance, the ghair is traditionally performed and women
swirl in unison to rhythmic beats. A dazzling display of fireworks brings
the festival to a colourful and memorable end.
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