Known as the Land of Kings and also popularly called as the city of Forts and palaces, Rajasthan peculiarly offers vibes of royalty and a rich history laden with fables of legends and Kings and queens, the legacy of which still continues in some Rajput families in the state.
Different landscape features in the state adorn with them a unique different set of customs, attire, cuisines, and languages etc which lend a very colorful diverse variety to Rajasthani culture.
Folklore, folk music and dance of each region in Rajasthan are special in their style and content. Large variety of musical instruments such as dholaks, manjira, flutes, trumpets etc are used in these areas which make the songs more titillating and interesting to listen. The rich folk songs are usually ballads and narrate myriad sagas of various mythical stories, current issues, heroic deeds of warriors, love stories etc. Similarly the folk dance comprises of eye catching forms and movements helped with colorful props. Flowery and stylistic woven bright attractive costumes and accessories of dancers make the whole experience worthwhile. The Ghoomar dance of Udaipur, Kalbeliya dance of Jaisalmer, Bhavai, Chari, Fire Dance of Jasnathis etc are world famous. Some of the traditional communities pass on their dancing and music skills to succeeding generations.
Puppets or kathputlis are another form of entertainment unique to this State where hand woven stuffed animal or human like figures are attached to strings with their different body parts and moved by the puppeteer.
The cuisines here are made with rich variety of ingredients and spices found locally. Due to lack of water in this to and dry state most of the dishes are made with buttermilk, milk and ghee. As cereals form the staple diet of the local residents, most of the cuisines have wheat, millets etc an important main ingredient in them. Delicacies like gatte ki sabzi, khata, pakodi are made of gram flour. The tangy flavor of the food items makes one yearn for more.
The annual fairs and festivals in Rajasthan are celebrated with grand pomp and vigor attracting crowd from far and wide across the State and country. Some of the important ones are Pushkar Fair, Elephant Festival, Gangaur, Desert Festival, Teej etc.
A very important feature of festivals and fairs here is the involvement of adorned and decorated animals like elephant, camels, cows etc. All the different religions in the state celebrate the spirit of their festivals by praying to deities performing spectacular rituals. Most of the magnificent temples in the state belong to Jains like Dilwara temples though Hinduism is also one of the main religions in the State. Muslims are also present in large numbers.
Another breathtaking aspect of Rajasthan rich culture is the art which can be seen on the splendid textiles, handicrafts and paintings. The hand block printing, tie and die technique of coloring fabric, bagaru prints, zari embroidery etc are the major techniques to prepare clothes with beautiful patterns and designs. Handicraft items like wooden animal figures of camels, elephants etc, furniture, carpets, and potteries are some of the main export items of this state. As far as paintings are concerned, they can be found on the walls of palaces, forts and the house structures of common people. They exquisitely depict Lord Krishnas legends and other princely tales. The colorful attire of the people comprises of full sleeved shirts with matching turbans on mens heads and Ghagra choli by women adorning their eyes with surma, mehndi on palms, large nose ring, ear rings and necklaces making them superbly beautiful.
Hence, all these factors make it imperative to definitely go on just cultural tour to Rajasthan.
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