Ah, we love Holi! Let’s get drenched in mouth-watering delicacies |Jaipur Beat

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 AdminLeave a comment

With the outburst of Coronavirus, everyone is rethinking about their Holi plans. Who would know that the disease will spread like a bushfire and blot out every major event leaving us all bummed out, especially when Holi is around the corner?

The first festival of the New Year that excites every soul in India thinking of ways to play Holi with friends and family, targeting that one person who refuses to play, all and all having a ball of a time. The children too are super excited to try their colour-filled hands on everyone’s faces but alas all the enthusiasm has been washed out by the sudden outbreak of Corona Virus.

But if we look at the bright side we all got a chance to play Holi like we used to in our childhood days. Yes, you guessed it right, Pichkaris! As the infection spreads with touching you can avoid playing with your hands and instead use pichkaris and water balloons.

Still, if you want to be on the safer side and avoid playing Holi this year, well worry no more because where there is a will, there is definitely great food! As with the celebration, we also look forward to binge eating all mouth-watering delicacies unique to this occasion prepared by our sweet mommy.

No one can imagine Holi without the ever delicious sugar syrup dripping gujiyas. Native to Rajasthan, gujiyas are sweet dumpling filled with yummy cardamom flavoured mawa and dry fruits are specially made on Holi.

Along with gujjiya’s you can also prepare moong dal ka halwa, gulab jamun and shahi tukda that’ll just make your festival hip and happening.

Another Holi munching treat is stacking up the plates with crunchy besan garlic papad to balance off all the sweetness. As Indians are very fond of Papads it is a perfect snack to indulge in.

No one can miss the classic Holi special recipe made with milk, nuts and spices like saffron, fennel– Thandai!

Don’t miss to try some colourful mocktails perfect for the spring season.

Everyone’s favourite ‘Kheer’ always hits the right notes no matter whatever the festival is.

Steaming hot puris with aloo ki sabzi is quintessential to this festival.

Ah, how can we not celebrate Holi! Let’s get drenched in most mouth-watering delicacies.

Jaipur Beat wishes you all a Happy Holi 🙂

adventure · clothes · comedy · Decathlon · events in february · Events in Jaipur · Exhibitions · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Jaipur Book Club · Jaipur Happenings · Jawahar Kala kendra · Lifestyle exhibitions in jaipur · photography

Fabulous February Ahead| Jaipur Beat

January 31, 2020 AdminLeave a comment

As we enter into the new month of February with the feeling that the Jaipur Literature Festival and Jaipur Music Stage is over, here we look forward to super-thrilling events that will take place in February. The most romantic month is upon us with Valentine Day coming up and also it has 29 days so people who were born on 29^th Feb will celebrate their actual birthday 😛

So people, brace yourself up cause below we have listed down super-fun events to be a part of and make February a happening month.

Travelling Trunks

Date- 1^st February 2020

Time- 10 am – 8 pm

Venue- Holiday Inn

Bachpan- A standup Solo by Rajat Chauhan

Date- 1^st February 2020

Time- 6 pm – 8:30 pm

Venue- Club Colaba

AU Jaipur Marathon

Date- 2^nd February 2020

Time- 6:30 am – 9: 30 am

Gnosis

Date- 2^nd February 2020

Time- 4 pm

Venue- Maah間, S-18-19, Adinath Nagar, Jaipur

Chess Tournament- Little Millennium

Date- 2^nd February 2020

Time- 11 am onwards

Venue- Little Millennium Pre-School, Hathi Babu Marg, Behind Radha Damodar Temple Bani park

The Jaipur BookClub Meetup

Date- 2^nd February 2020

Time- 4pm – 5:30 pm

Venue- Indian Coffee House, Jawahar Kala Kendra

Zidien- Animesh Chaurasia

Date- 7^th February 2020

Time- 6 pm – 8 pm

Venue- Tribe, J-1 Jamnalal Bajaj Marg c scheme

Ada-E-Ghazal

Date- 8^th February 2020

Time- 6 pm – 9 pm

Venue- Jawahar Kala Kendra

Dahleez Valentine Lifestyle Exhibition

Date- 11^th-12^th February 2020

Time- 10 am – 9 pm

Venue- Fort Lounge, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg

Jaipur Fashion Fest

Date- 14^th– 15^th February 2020

Time- 11 am – 9 pm

Venue- Café Lazy Mojo

Kavishala Presents Aaghaaz

Date- 15^th – 16^th February

Time- 7 pm – 9 pm

Venue- Jawahar Kala Kendra

Locals Districts Festival 2020

Date- 21^st– 23^rd February 2020

Venue- Castle Kalwar

TraWork Jaipur Photography Tour

Date- 23^rd – 26^th February 2020

Fantastic February

Venue- Clarks Amer

Grand Floral Affair – The 13th World Flower Show

Date- 27^th Feb – 1^st March 2020

Venue- Diggi Palace

If you know any other event do let us know!

Mail us at- jaipurbeat@gmail.com

Keep following us on

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jaipurbeat

Twitter https://twitter.com/

Instagram- http://instagram.com/jaipurbeat

clothes · Events in Jaipur · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Jaipur Literature Festival · JLF · Rajasthan events

6 tricks to survive the greatest literary show JLF | Jaipur Beat

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 Admin3 Comments

After a long one year wait, JLF is back with a bang. Readers, writers, authors, intellectuals, columnists, celebrities, fashion evangelists and the citizens will be in action for the next 5-days of the biggest literary show in Jaipur.

Date- 23-27 Jan 2020

Venue- Diggi Palace

1. Most of you must have done the online registrations. If not, then there is no scope. Just reach the venue and get on the spot passes. (Be prepared to pay from your pockets)

16179095_1334689956553683_332046190779555767_o

2. Having a pass does not secure you a seat 😉 Reach the venue early and grab your seat.

All the sessions are jam-packed; secure your seat well in advance or be ready to stand at the back.

27021908_1742948822394459_7947067886698176907_o

3. Be aware of the different venues in advance to avoid rushing at the last minute for your most awaited session. Take a note that session hopping is not going to be an easy task.

4. Be ready to capture – You might run into your favourite celebrity author while strolling around the cafe or bookstalls. Don’t miss to click a selfie with them and a copy of your own book signed!

12510432_1048826558473359_3529990383851847323_n

5. Dress smartly yet comfortably as you will be spending the whole day at the festival, standing, walking and loitering.

But, it’s fun to dress quirky. Because you never know, when your style became the talk of the town the next day on print and social media!

6. Take a cab or an auto to reach the venue. Avoid taking your own vehicle for the parking woos as so many literary and fashion enthusiasts will flock the venue in huge number every day. And, if it happens to be the day of a popular celebrity’s session then own vehicle is a definite no no.

Art · art festival · Events in Jaipur · Festival · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Jaipur Happenings

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 · Events in Jaipur · Fairs & Festivals · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Jaipur Literature Festival · JLF

Why you shouldn’t miss out on Jaipur Literature Festival 2020

December 26, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

The Jaipur Literature Festival, famously known as ‘greatest literary show on Earth’, is all set to return for its thirteenth edition from 23^rdto 27^thJanuary 2020. The five-day literary extravaganza promises to bring together a line-up of exemplary speakers from India and across the world at the historic Diggi Palace.

Jaipur Literature Festival is a sumptuous feast of ideas and the past decade has seen it transform into a global literary phenomenon having hosted nearly 2000 speakers and welcoming over a million book-lovers from across India and the globe. For five days, the Pink City is infused with enthusiasm, a riot of colour and infectious energy as literature and art-enthusiasts flock to Jaipur for the Festival. During the Festival days, there are endless places to see, and things to do, some of which include insightful sessions and an exciting and buzzing carnival encapsulating a bookstore, food stalls, a bazaar along with artists at work, and multiple parties hosted on the Festival’s fringes.

Here are some reasons why you would not want to miss out on the thirteenth edition of the festival.

Listen to some of the greatest minds of the world

Jaipur Literature Festival hosts some of the world’s best literary minds and brings them together for several panel discussions and interactions. Experts from diverse fields such as literature, economy, environment, food and science take the stage for stimulating and thought-provoking conversations. Eminent speakers such as recipient of the 2010 Man Booker Prize Howard Jacobson, Pulitzer-winning authors Stephen Greenblatt and Dexter Filkins, celebrated culinary expert Madhur Jaffrey, acclaimed author Elizabeth Gilbert, and leading Indian film director Vishal Bhardwaj, are amongst the first few announced speakers at the Festival for the 2020 edition – so be there to be a part of some life-changing and inspirational sessions!

Book-signings and an opportunity to meet your favourite authors

For all those literature enthusiasts who have spent days glued to books, turning one page after another captivated by the magic of a well-written novel- the Jaipur Literature Festival offers the perfect opportunity to meet your favourite authors in person. Besides attending noteworthy sessions and witnessing book launches, the Festival also has book-signing kiosks at all venues where you can grab that rare signed copy and earn bragging rights!

Art, Culture – Memories Galore!

In addition to being a platform for conversations related to literature and books, the Festival also gives the opportunity to its visitors to experience various forms of art and music. From fascinating art installations to beautiful backdrops for the perfect Instagram shot- there is something for everyone. Dance and music performances make the Festival even livelier. For shopping enthusiasts, the annual Festival Bazaar is a must visit as several craftsmen, designers and entrepreneurs display and sell a vast array of hard-to-resist collectible items. Amongst the many things to be bought are embroidered shawls, exquisite minakari jewellery, funky stationery, edgy accessories, spiffy footwear, and exciting home décor.

Morning Music

For those passionate about music, the Festival begins each day with the calming strains of Morning Music. The stage will be graced by acclaimed artists such as BC Manjunath, an exponent of Konnakoland the mrindangam; sitar maestro and recipient of the President’s Award for the best instrumentalist, Purbayan Chatterjee; leading Carnatic veena-player Saraswati Rajagopalan, and Supriya Nagarajan, a renowned Carnatic vocalist and founder of ‘Manasamitra’.

Heritage Evenings

The Festival will also host a power-packed Heritage Evening at an iconic and historic venue in Jaipur. Supported by Rajasthan Tourism, this majestic evening at Amer Fort will feature a mesmerising performance by Pandit Rajendra Gangani, one of the leading practitioners of the Jaipur Gharana of Kathak. He will pay tribute to the age-old classical dance form, along with an ensemble of Kathak dancers. Les Souffleurs or The Whisperers, an artistic group created by Olivier Comte, will enthrall audiences with a unique production where they whisper poetic secrets into each other’s ears, using a hollow cane. To end the evening on a musical note, world-renowned sitarist Shubhendra Rao will present ‘East Marries West—A Legacy’ as a celebration of his Guru, the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s 100th birth anniversary. He will be joined by his wife, Saskia Rao-de Haas, who is hailed as a pioneer for introducing the ‘Indian cello’ to classical Indian music.

iWrite at Jaipur BookMark

For all aspiring authors and poets with multiple drafts scribbled behind every notebook and diaries filled with words that you hope will one day be read by the world- ‘iWrite’ by Jaipur BookMark is the perfect platform. After a very successful first edition last year, iWrite is back to inspire literary aspirants. Shortlisted participants get a platform to share their work and receive constructive guidance from international publishers, literary agents, translators and other industry experts in a pitching session at Jaipur during JBM.

Blogging Competition

If you can write compelling copy and want to get close to where the action is, the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 Blogging Competition is your chance to make that leap. Highlighting the Festival’s core aim to support and promote artistic expression through writing, the Blogging competition will give ten chosen writers a chance to inspire audiences through their words on the Festival’s official blog site. The winners will also be invited to the Festival and cover various sessions from the 23^rd-27^th of January 2020.

The Delegate Experience

While the Festival is open to all, specially-curated Delegate packages guarantee an experience to remember. Delegate-only lunches serve as an opportunity to meet and mingle with like-minded literary enthusiasts and make new connections. The well-stocked Delegate Lounge provides a luxurious reprieve and priority seating on special occasions ensures a close-up view of the Festival. The Delegate package also includes an invitation to attend the beautiful Heritage Evening at Amer Fort, and a tote to take home. These Delegate Packages range from INR 6,300 per day to INR 23,800 for five days.

Website: www.jaipurliteraturefestival.org

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!