Celebrate Heritage, Culture and Art with Red Earth

January 18, 2020 AdminLeave a comment

Jaipur has always been linked with culture, heritage and art. Over the last few years, Jaipur has witnessed innumerable art festivals that broaden our knowledge about its culture and heritage.

Adding to that Red Earth- an art organization is having a special program featuring Open Studio (art/sarees/design); Inner City Heritage Walks, and a Pink City Feast name RED EARTH x JAIPUR. It’s a 5 day festival that will take you to a journey towards a newer understanding of culture. Let’s have a look at what five-day festival has stored in for you!

Walk: Vastu and Urban Planning (23rd January)

Jaipur exemplifies a practical living model of the ancient Indian architectural doctrine of Vastu-vidya. This walk will explore the scientific and methodical approach underlying the founding of the city, guided equally by ancient Indian architectural / city building Vastu principles, as well as late mediaeval / pre-modern contexts when the city was founded.

Walk: The Hidden Vrindavan (24th January)

Jaipur is often regarded as the “Hidden Vrindavan” because of the benign presence of four important Krishna deities. The walk features a visit to Govind Dev Temple: the most prominent temple of Jaipur, located within the royal precinct; and the other lightmaps of Caitanya tradition: Radha-Damodar, Shri Radha-Gopinath, and Shri Vinodilal – located in varying neighbourhoods within the walled city.

Walk: Night Walk, Chaura Rasta (25th January)

The city at night, a special walk that explores the night-life of Chaura Rasta, one of the main streets of Jaipur. Aimlessly wandering through this beautifully lit up avenue, we revel in architectural delights, sip on street-side Chai, get lost in secret interior alleys, visit temples, and soak in the glowing pink beauty of the city, which takes on a radically different flavour as the day ends, and the night ascends…

A special feast featuring regional and local specials (26th-27th January)

A special vegetarian Sattvik feast, featuring local and regional specials, along with an eclectic mix of pan Indian flavours! This special home-cooked meal (supplemented by some items from specialist outlets), using largely organic ingredients, presents an intimate view of “Rajasthani” cuisine, radically different from the standard Rajasthani platters presented at restaurants.

Explore the unique taste of locally grown vegetables, savour delicate and not so delicate flavours, all together. A humble but special gastronomy experience- to give you a home-style experience of food in the Pink City!

Be a part of this unique and special program to discover one of the least explored facets of the Pink city!

Celebrations · Festival · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Makar Sankranti

Sankranti Shabdkosh | Jaipur Beat

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020 AdminLeave a comment

The most awaited festival of the year in Jaipur, Makar Sakranti is here and we can see the kites romancing the winds all across the city. While we all fix are music systems on our terraces and our mothers prepare steaming pakoras for us there is one more thing that defines the Makar Sankranti culture in our pink city and it is the unforgettable shabdkosh that springs up this season. Everybody, who has lived in this city have heard words like Pench Ladana, Wo kaata during this season. Just in case any of you have missed on the vocabulary that should be used during this season here’s a quick revision of the same.

1. Wo Kaata – While driving through the streets of Jaipur during this time very often you get to hear these words and the pitch at which these words are spoken you can obviously make out that they suggest victory over the opponent. In a ‘kite fight’ when one kite loses its battle and leaves the winds to take back its place on the ground that’s when the whole mohalla can hear the sound of, ‘wo Kaataaaa’

2. Tang Dalna – Before the kites take off for their journey, we peg them up properly with strings and so that it becomes easy to hook it up with manjha. We think that the term ‘tang dalna’ introduced by a young kid, who was quite upset with the fact that all he got to do during the event is to peg the kite when asked by his elders and who hardly ever got a chance to actually fly one. Hmm…makes sense.

3. Chutti Dena – Remember while you were young and preparing to learn kite flying. Yes at that time ‘Chutti’ given to your kite by your friend, cousin or sibling was enough to let your kite soar high. Since the term is mostly used by young kids the name of the term justifies itself.

4. Pench Ladana – Now what fun can be attributed to kite flying unless two kite flyers get a chance to show their kite flying skills by entangling their kites and managing to hold on to them while the kites battle to stay in the sky. Makar Sankranti sees a lot of ‘pench ladana’ both in the sky and on the roofs while young boys get to woo their beautiful neighbours.

5. Dheel dena – The most important person in the whole kite flying activity is the one who is handling your Charkhi. He is the one who is at the back and call of the kite flyer. Probably he is the one who hears this the most: ‘Zara Dheel Dena’

6. Lapetna – Another Sankrant terminology that is quite popular in the pink city is Lapetna. Unless you don’t know how to roll on the most important accessory of kite flying, manjha/sadda, then you are not a proper quite flyer. Apart from Sankrant the other place you hear the term ‘lapetna’ is when you are not able to swallow the big lies hurled at you by a show-off friend.

7. Thudda Modna – Remember how you need to shape up everything before you use it. Now that kite flying is such an important activity you definitely need to prep up your kite before it goes up to make its place in the winds. Remember how you see young kids placing kites on their heads and bending them by the sides. Yes, that’s called Thudda modna or getting your kites ready.

8. Dangal Ladane – Those who haven’t heard about this word have never been a part of an up class battle that people fight from high rise buildings and battle with others to let their kites soar high.

9. Patang Lootna – If you haven’t done this you are not a true patang baaz. All of us buy a plethora of kites during this time but that cannot match the happiness one gets from one looti hui patang !

10. Anti banana – Now this is one trick you need to learn if you wish to keep your manjha aur sadda in the proper place. Remember all you need is your fingers placed apart and rolling on the thread between them at ease but still at a fast pace. Who said that kite flying is an easy task? Yes, you have to learn all the tricks in order to place your accessories properly.

Although most of you must have heard of all these terms earlier we are sure that while reading this blog you must have realized that the festival of Makar Sankranti or for that matter kite flying is not as simple as it looks, there is so much science behind it. We have shared a few terms that we knew if you know some more then don’t forget to add them in the comments below.

Festival · Food · gajak · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Lohri · Makar Sankranti

Unfolding-what’s behind the celebration called Sankranti | Jaipur Beat

January 10, 2020 AdminLeave a comment

Did you know- Our body is capable of getting its Vitamin D reserves full with 3 full days of sunlight and the best quality of sunlight is the end of winter and beginning of summer.? See how wise our sages were of ancient India, who introduced the concept of flying kites in winter so that sunbathing wouldn’t add any kind of boredom! How exciting it is that along with the joy of flying kites, kids get direct sunlight and stock a good dose of Vitamin D for the whole year. Now you know, why we’re so enthusiastic about celebrating the festival of Lohri and Sankranti?

On a religious note, the day of Sankranti is celebrated to venerate the ‘Sun’ god and the best way to do that is to rise with the morning sun and visit the 16th Century Galta Ji & the Sun temple located on the outskirts of the old city.

On this day, the devouts trek up the small hill to the temple exiting the City through Surajpol & Galtaji gate and pay homage to the deities in the temple downhill.

On Makar Sankranti, it is considered especially auspicious to take a dip in the 7 holy Kunds / water tanks located in this stunning Complex. While you are there, you might as well do some Surya Namaskars & get your quota of Vitamin D and all the other health benefits from the blessed rays of the Sun. Maybe just for today, you can go a little easy on the Sun-Block 🙂

Makar Sankranti is also celebrated as the harvest festival of the country. The Rabi crop is harvested in the month of January and corn, mustard, peanuts, sesame etc. are the major crops harvested at this time. One day before Sankranti, i.e. on Lohri the new crop is offered to God through worshipping fire.

Lastly, how can we miss the most important thing about any festival in the city-Food? Makar Sankranti food is all about pakode, moongfali, popcorn, khichadi, gajak, feeni, ladoo and papdi-chat. Everyone loves to savour these special delicacies and the Children in the house go up and down the terrace for serving them. The youngsters become DJs playing the best songs the loudest on their rooftop.

Take in the spirit of this exciting festival, Jaipur’s style, this is special to hold on to in your memories forever.

art festival · Celebrations · Fairs & Festivals · Festival · Food · Forts & Monuments · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Jaipur Food · Jaipur Happenings · Jaipur Literature Festival · Makar Sankranti · Music Festival · Rajasthan Food · sambhar lake · winter

Here winter is not a season but a festival|Jaipur Beat

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020 AdminLeave a comment

The scent of winter fog, waft from tea stalls, hurried traffic crossing the mild sunshine, the sight of travellers exploring the hilltop Amer fort and locals wandering the narrow streets in traditional Rajasthani attire is a riot of delightful things for the senses at any time of year, but none more so than during the winter months.

We love the rush with which winter arrives and suddenly changes our lives with its aroma, and we never want these winter days to pass.
Winter is the best time to experience Rajasthan’s ‘Pink City’. For the people around, winter is just another season but for a Jaipurite it is a festival in itself.

Festival to indulge in the traditional delicacies, to enjoy gala events, to take pleasure in the legendary Polo game, to celebrate patang baazi, and to participate in the world’s biggest literature festival, the list goes on.

Winter Delicacies

Walk into any part of the city’s bazaars, the one thing that you cannot resist is the tandoori kulhad chai with pakoras.

Samosa, kachori, jalebi, Mirchi-vada and kadhai doodh at night is just the perfect ending note to the day. A true Jaipurite never leaves an opportunity to taste the variety served on its streets. Winters add an extra charm to almost everything we get on the streets and we don’t even miss the outdoors as the city has abundant rooftop bars and cafes.
Not to be missed, the winter chill is best enjoyed at bonfire nights.

Festivals and Events

The World looks up to Jaipur as it hosts some unique events and festivals, which no other city has to offer in winters.

This is the time for Jaipur Winter Polo Season, Children festival, kite festival, Jaipur Art Summit, Jaipur International Film Festival, Rajasthan International Film Festival and the one that needs no introduction- Jaipur Literature Festival and its Music stage. Too much on the platter, yeah?

Watch for Migratory Birds

The time for winged wonders. Gazing at the beautiful migratory birds, that travel from far lands to Mansagar lake, Barkheda and Chandlai lake is one of the kind experiences that we Jaipurites look forward to every year in winters.

Monument Hopping

The list is never complete without the three must-sees being the towering Palace of the Winds, the hilltop, marble-decked Amber Fort and the sprawling City Palace complex.
The mild winter sun makes the palace hopping a lot more fun.

Get closer to nature

This is the best time to enjoy Safari at Jhalana and enjoy the wilderness from close corners. You never know when you stumble upon a black panther.

Kite Flying

For a true Jaipurite, kite flying is not a game but a religion. When hundreds of kites dance in the sky and people dance on their terrace is a sight to behold. This is one of the most favorite and zealous festivals in Jaipur. And every Jaipurite has beautiful memories of Makar Sankranti.
So if you ever plan to visit Jaipur during winter, make sure you don’t miss the intoxicatingly enthusiastic vibe of Makar Sankranti!

Cafes · Christmas Party · Festival · Festive Season · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat

8 Bakeries In Jaipur To Get Your Yummy Christmas Cakes From

December 24, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

There’s nothing like the rich smell of cakes and cookies and other baked items when Christmas is around the corner. The mood is already set in the town for Christmas and everyone is looking for yummy Christmas cakes, cookies, etc. Christmas trees are all decorated with a star and kids are eagerly waiting for their Christmas presents from Santa can be seen. If you are looking for delicious cakes to get that sparkle to 2015 Christmas on your dinner table, here are the best bakeries where you can get sweet Christmas cakes.

Brown Sugar Bakers & Café

If you want to add that perfect sweetness in your life this Christmas, Brown Sugar gives you a wide range of cakes in all its three outlets. One can always find the bakery filled with youngsters as it offers some really nice unusual combinations of food and above all, an appealing ambience, all at a very reasonable price. Though it makes some outstanding fruitcakes.

Bake well

Bake well, is among the oldest bakeries in Jaipur. It has been serving the masses in Jaipur, especially the locality of Raja Park with some fresh and delectable home-made bakery items. Bake well also prepares pineapple, chocolate cakes and festive delicacies during the festivities. It prepares some delicious rum cakes and fruitcakes during Christmas.

Nibs Chocolate Boutique

As toys are to kids, Nibs are to chocolate lovers! Nibs is the perfect confectionary in the pink city where you can savour the really strong taste of coffee beans in everything, from cakes to pastries, to a dip of cookies in a cup of coffee.

Cakes ‘N’ Cookies

Catering the youth as well as the families, Cakes & Cookies in Raja Park definitely offers something crunchy and crispy Christmas items attracting the crowd from all around. Though the most tried and asked cake is the Chocolate Excess Cake, which can totally take you in the chocolate factory, it makes special cakes for Christmas celebrations.

Miss Bakers

With classic pink and white theme and open ambience, Miss Bakers is known for some of its mesmerizing looking designer cakes with finest decorations. If you really want the energy treat then go for the most famous and its speciality – Red Velvet Cake. It also prepares some delicious Oreo Cheesecakes and homemade chocolates, which simply are melt in the mouth. As they also specialize in designer cakes, if you really want to surprise someone this Christmas, just give Miss Bakers an idea and you will be surprised with not only the look but also with yummilicious taste.

Dzurt

With some unique and different varieties of cakes, patisserie, muffins, macaroons, Dzurt looks amazing and tastes super- licious! Jaipur got a patisserie shop with a totally new concept. Some of the speciality includes red velvet cheesecake, lemon drizzle cake, chocolate mud pastry, tarts, pies and the list is endless. Although it seems to be a little expensive patisserie but the cakes and above all the ambience surely attracts your attention.

Bake Hut

Bake Hut adds a sweet tooth to the pink city by giving some pleasing taste to each and every bakery item from the menu. You can find a number of cakes and cookies but, the chocolate fountain & live brownie station is the latest edition.

Last but not the least!

OVEN- The Bakery & Cafe

A great hangout cafe at Ahinsa Circle can be your one-stop bakery that offers a variety of delightful Christmas cakes. They cater to a wide scope of flavours, designs, and themes and can customize according to your taste preferences and choices. They have the most engaging cakes that would simply leave you hypnotized by their appearance.

Merry Christmas 😀

Cultural festivals · Fairs & Festivals · Festival · Food Festival · heritage · Jaipur · Pushkar Fair · Rajasthan events · Rajasthan tourism

Pushkar Fair has a lot more to offer than just camel fair

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

The greatly awaited Pushkar Fair is right upon us, scheduled to begin on 4th November and will culminate till 12th November on the day of Hindu festival Kartik Purnima. There’s nothing like Pushkar Camel Fair. It’s a celebration of the uniqueness of Rajasthan and experiencing the festival is the dream of every traveler. This is the time when Pushkar comes truly alive with multiple hues.

The small sleepy town comes out of its hibernation mode and becomes the playground of people from the world over. The history of Pushkar Fair is a hundred years old but the festival keeps not only that historic spirit alive but also has new age elements to it now.

Primarily, thousands of pilgrims and cattle merchants flock the town for holy rituals or the trade of cattle and livestock. But, that’s not all; Pushkar fair has a lot to offer to the travellers who are neither pilgrims nor traders. Buzzing markets, fascinating ghats and activity grounds are enough to catch the fancy of travellers and photographers.

Sunrise and Sunset: The vibes and the views of Pushkar switch within every hour right from the dawn to dusk, added to that the starry sky above ignited Pushkar Lake gives a heavenly chill in nerves. During early mornings and evenings, when the dust mixes with golden light falling from the sun it’s an absolute delight to watch the camels and the camel traders in the Mela ground. You not only get to see the heard of camels but also get a glimpse into the life of a rural Rajasthan, where the traders heat up the chullahs (a kind of stove used for cooking the food ) and prepare their food with minimum ingredients. Thousands of people from the world across come to capture only this spectacle.

Markets: The narrow streets and lanes of the town have hidden within themselves a whole world of intrigue; from the local artifacts and handicrafts to funky apparels and chunky jewellery, Pushkar’s cozy markets are the treasure trove for a shopping enthusiast.

Ghats: The Ghats in the holy land of Brahma are said to be nothing less than those of Varanasi. Roaming around the ghats with a soothing sound of hymns and bells renders tranquility to the visitors. While the night scene becomes even more fascinating when evening aarti is performed on these Ghats. Illuminated with multitude of lights the Ghats and lake take the spectators into a world of solace and peace.

Food: Pushkar is also one heaven for foodies. From street stalls to roadside cafes, wide range of cuisines waits for food lovers to visit and enjoy sumptuous cuisine of Pushkar. Special Masala chai in Kulhad, Authentic Italian pizza, unique Poha Dal Pakwaan and Ugma ji ki kachori are a few to dishes to tantalize your taste buds. However, as you walk down the streets of Pushkar amidst the aroma of freshly made baatis, puris and kachoris being fried right on the street, the whiff of gulkand and the sight of tempting malpuas dipped in sugar syrup will call out only one thing- pure bliss.

Adventure and Activities: Apart from the buying and selling of livestock, the fair has become an important tourist attraction. Competitions such as the ‘matka phod’, ‘longest moustache’ and ‘bridal competition’ are the main draws for this fair, which attracts thousands of tourists. In recent years, the fair has also included an exhibition cricket match between the local Pushkar Club and a team of foreign tourists. Pushkar Camel Fair has so many events and activities like camel cart ride, horse riding, bullock cart ride and giant wheel that your day will be full but we advise you to take out a little time to stroll in the narrow lanes of the town.

For your convenience, here’s a tentative impression of the flow of events at Pushkar Camel fair 2019.

4th to 9th November – Cattle Trading
Cattle trading is at its peak during these days along with a variety of cattle contests.

10th to 11th November – Cultural Galore
These two days will see some cultural activities like dance shows, music performances sponsored by the Rajasthan State Government.

12th November – Holy Dips
This is the Holy Day when people take dips in the Pushkar Lake, and other religious ceremonies take place.

How to reach Pushkar:

By Air

The nearest airport to Pushkar is in Kishangarh, which is 36 kilometres away. Apart from this, Jaipur Airport is the major airport, which is 140 Kms and well-connected to major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. Once you reach at the airport, you can hire a cab to reach Pushkar. The journey from airport to the city will take approximately 3 hours. You can either pre-book a cab or hire from any of the taxi vendors outside the airport.

By Bus

Regular buses between Jaipur and Ajmer ply every hour. However, buses from Delhi to Ajmer and further to Pushkar are easily available. The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation runs deluxe and semi-deluxe buses (both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned) connecting Ajmer to nearby cities and then transport you to Pushkar for a very nominal fare.

By Train

You will need to take a train to Ajmer and then take a 30-minute drive to Pushkar. The Ajmer railway station is well-connected with major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bhopal, and Bangalore. Some of the most popular trains that run daily on this route are Ajmer Shatabdi and Ajmer Rajdhani. Apart from these, other trains are Chetak Express, Aii Sdah Express, Aravalli Express and Bsb Express. Once you reach at the station, you can hire a taxi to reach Pushkar.

So what are you waiting for? Go and enjoy India’s Biggest and world’s famous festival Pushkar Fair.

Celebrations · Diwali · Eco-friendly Diwali · Festival · Festive Season · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat

Decoding the Significance of the Festival of Lights

October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

Diwali, as we all know, is the grand festival that is celebrated all over the country with new full zeal every year. It is also one of the most important festivals for Jaipur and Jaipurites, as here it is observed for a full 5 days. During this time entire Pink city is decked up, and all monuments and buildings are lit up which makes the city truly beautiful and full of splendour. The preparations start almost a month ago when Jaipurites starts cleaning the house, and decorating it because Diwali is not just a day-long affair for us but it is a complete five-day long event. And we believe to celebrate each and every day of Diwali with full passion. But did you know the significance of all these five days?

Let’s get a bit of knowledge about our favourite 5 Diwali days-

Dhanteras

Dhanteras which is also known as “Dhanvantari Trayodashi” is the first day of the five days of Diwali celebration. The legend behind celebrating Dhanteras is that the ocean was churned by Gods and demons to get Amrita or nectar. Dhanvantari (known as physician of Gods) had emerged out with a jar of elixir from the ocean. That is why this day is celebrated as Dhanteras.

It is believed that buying things such as gold or silver coins, jewellery, new utensils or other new things is the sign of Lakshmi coming home whole year. On this day Jaipur markets like Tripolia Bazaar, Johari Bazaar gets all bustled up with the people as everyone is busy buying the things.

Roop Chaturdashi

The second day is Roop Chaturdashi which is also known as Naraka Chaturdashi, Kali Chaudas or Choti Diwali. After a month-long cleaning of the home, it is time to deck up ourselves. It is believed that on this day it is very important to take care of one’s body and also improving one’s appearance through external means. In the old days, women used to apply ubtan to get that natural glow and now they go to parlours to get the festive look.

Whatever you opt for, this day signifies that you need to glow & shine like Diwali lights.

Diwali

This is the main day and marks the return of Lord Rama along with wife Sita to their kingdom from 14 year-long exile after defeating Ravana. When Rama, Sita and Lakshaman were back, the people of Ayodhya celebrated the return of their king by illuminating the earthen diyas and bursting firecrackers. Hence, Diwali is the celebration of Homecoming. We light up homes, wear new clothes, prepare lots of delicacies and offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi. No matter where you are Jaipurites love to come back home to be with their family, and this is the true essence of this festival of Diwali.

Govardhan Pooja

The fourth day is Govardhan Pooja or Annakoota, people show their gratitude towards Lord Krishna by offering various types of food. The story behind this day is that, once Lord Indra got angry for the villagers had stopped offering him lavish meals which in return he promised good rains for their crops. So he flooded the village and soon it was underwater. Lord Krishna then came to their rescue by lifting the huge Govardhan Mountain on his little finger.

Bhai Dooj

Last day is called Bhai Dooj which celebrates the love of brother and sister. On this day, women pray to God for the long and prosperous lives of their brother and apply ‘tilak’ on their foreheads. According to mythology, on this day Yamraj visited his sister Yami, where she welcomed him with an aarti, applied tilak and offered sweets. Moved by his sister’s love he declared that any brother who received ‘tilak’ from his sister shouldn’t be afraid of death.

Now, that you know the significance of the five days of Diwali, go ahead and take part in the rituals and celebrations this Diwali with great enthusiasm. But remember to play eco-friendly Diwali and avoid bursting crackers for the sake of our environment.

Wishing you all a Joyful & Safe Diwali!