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!

Cultural festivals · Fairs & Festivals · Festive Season · Food · Food Festival · Jaipur · Jaipur Food · Jaipur Lifestyle · Makar Sankranti

Why Makar Sankranti In Jaipur Is Absolutely Not-To-Be-Missed

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

Hundreds of kites dancing in the sky, and us- on our terrace. That’s the memory every Jaipurite has of Makar Sankranti. Kite-flying is one of the most favourite and zealous festivals in Jaipur. It’s not just about flying kites but also about the battleground that the sky becomes and the way the whole group of family and friends gather up on their terraces and hoot and shout along with the music.

But this is not all! There’s so much more to this festival and the day marks as one of the most auspicious occasions of the year. Here are some of the reasons Jaipurites put their heart and soul into celebrating Makar Sankranti.

1. Pavitra Snaan and Daan
While lakhs of people take dips into the Ganges on Makar Sankranti around the nation, scores of people also arrive at Galta Ji Temple in Jaipur to bathe in the seven holy kunds there. The day is celebrated to worship the Sun God. It is considered that taking dips in the kund at Galtaji on Makar Sankranti absolves us of all our sins.

To take a dip in the kund at Galta Ji Temple, you might as well trek up the small hill that exits the city from Galta and Surajpole gates. It’s a sight to behold when you see the amount of faith that Jaipurites put into worshipping on Makar Sankranti.

People around the country also believe that donating clothes, jaggery, corn, ground peanuts and sesame is a good omen and brings prosperity.

2. Harbinger of spring
Makar Sankranti falls on the equinox and the day and night are equally long. After this day, the days start to get longer and nights shorter. It also marks the onset of spring season. This also brings a welcome relief from the cold wave of the bygone winter.

3. The Harvest Festival
Makar Sankranti is celebrated every year 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.

4. Kite Buying
Kite buying is a serious affair in Jaipur. People don’t just by any random kites. They especially head to kite markets like Handipura, Haldiyon Ka Rasta, and Kishanpole bazaar to buy the best kites. It takes an understanding of the science behind the designing of kites in order to buy the best ones. You can find hundreds and thousands of kites in all shapes, sizes and designs according to your preference. Some of the popularly known designs of kites are Chaand-dara, Glass-dara, Mangal-dara, Aankhal-dara, Tripatta, Dadhiyal etc.

5. Kite- Flying

A true jaipurite knows how to fly a kite and the science applied behind it.

It takes a lot of patience, time and effort to prepare for kite flying. The night before Sankranti the whole family sits together to put ‘tang’ in kites with white saddha.

On Sankranti, everyone’s duty is sorted! Makar Sankranti food is all about pakode, moongfali, popcorn, khichadi, gajak, feeni, ladoo and papdi-chat 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.

And oh! What an art kite flying is. As soon as the ‘Dangal’ starts in the sky, you can hear “Woh kaata” every five seconds from a terrace or two around!

The evening sky

As the day sets in, the kites start to come down and gradually the whole sky is lit up with fireworks and paper lanterns known as “Tukkals” or “Kandeel.” The night view on Sankranti is absolutely mesmerizing and one of those experience that is hard to get over!

So if ever you plan to visit Jaipur during winter, make sure you don’t miss the intoxicatingly enthusiastic vibe of Makar Sankranti!

Book Fair Jaipur · Hawa Mahal · Hawa Mahal Bazaar · Jaipur · Jaipur Beat · Jaipur Food · Jaipur Literature Festival · Travelling

Things to remember when you visit Jaipur for the first time

January 5, 2019January 8, 2019 AdminLeave a comment

Winter is the best season to visit Jaipur- the land of heritage cocooned in colours of Rangeelo Rajasthan and blessed with a warm climate. With a boom of travellers and tourists around the city at this time, Jaipur Beat makes sure that the guests in Jaipur do not go disappointed. Here are a few things you need to remember before you come to Jaipur.

Jaipur is not so hot after all!

The most important thing you need to remember is that although situated in Rajasthan the desert state, Jaipur is not and hot as it is assumed to be. The days are pretty warm but the nights and early mornings are chilly. You don’t want to miss the early morning and night views in Jaipur while sneezing in your blanket. So do carry your woollens.