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Jodhpur Kite Festival

“Soaring high is my nature”, this is the slogan of my school which I used to proudly tell my friends and relatives. I would always take pride in it and I still do. This slogan sits smug on the colorful and wonderful Desert Kite festival of Jodhpur.

Fairs and Festivals are inherently woven into the colorful fabric of the rich culture of Rajasthan. After a delicious breakfast I was all set to fly on the wings of entertainment in the wonderful Desert Kite festival of Jodhpur. It is one of the most famous festivals of the city which attracts scores of tourists and locals from far and wide. Youth takes the lead and make the festival a memorable event.

As I reached the Polo Ground, the venue of the festival, my senses were greeted with the sights of several kites flying high in the sky. Oh! It was so overwhelming to see the colorful kites fashioned into wonderful designs. The sight reminded me of a quote which I cherish a lot.“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” My sincere apology to the author of this quote as I don’t remember his name. This festival is truly uplifting as it unfolds many different meanings to many different people.

The kite festival is celebrated with great fervor on the occasion of Makar Sankranti in Jodhpur. Makar Sankranti marks the end of winters and beginning of Spring bringing people great joy. Stretching for 3 days, this festival culminates at the stunning Umaid Bhawan Palace. It is an international kite festival which draws spectators from across the globe. Kite makers and fliers had gathered here from countries such as UK, US, Belgium, South Africa, Germany and Malaysia.

I had never seen such a colorful sky before. No wonder children eagerly wait for this festival which I could sense from their faces brimming with bright smiles. Children released colorful balloons in the sky and the Air Force helicopters released numerous beautiful kites. There was one more message that was being conveyed by the festival. The sky has no boundary, it is limitless. Similarly we as the human beings should embrace all without building the walls of cast, creed, color, social status, religion and nationality. We should broaden our thinking like the horizon of the sky.

The International Kite festival of Jodhpur packed my day with entertainment, fun and adventure and the memory of the event will surely linger on and on.

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Jodhpur

The royalty in the air and cultural richness oozing out of every structure are the alluring temptations of Jodhpur, the Sun city. When it comes to Rajasthan I never hold myself back and this time with two days in my hand I came to see Jodhpur with some of my friends. I had been to some of the other cities of Rajasthan but this is for the first time I was visiting Jodhpur. I was more than excited as we reached there one day before the Kite festival.

Jodhpur is a famous tourist destination of Rajasthan. It is the second largest city of this state which was once called Marwar. It is popularly known as the Sun City as it is blessed with sunny weather throughout the year. It is also called the ‘Blue City’ as most of its structures especially houses are painted in blue. It is the destination where tourists can see the perfect marriage between the Mughal and Hindu architecture, art and culture. From heritage structures to colorful fairs and festivals, everything reflects royalty in plenty in this city.

The Mehrangarh Fort is one of the most fascinating attractions of the city. Dominating the city, it is located atop the Bakharchiriya hill. This majestic structure was built by Rao Jodha ( the founder of the city) in 1459. While walking through the fort our guide Rampal Singh told us that at one point of time the fort had eight gates for defensive purposes. And for confusing the enemy the fort also had a maze (complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost). We saw several beautiful structures within the fort which were decorated with wonderful carvings and paintings. The ones I like the most were Phool Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Moti Mahal, Daulat Khana and Sileh Khana. The fort sprawls over an area of 5 km.

In the museum inside the fort we saw a rich collection of miniature paintings, howdahs , Kilkila canon, palanquins, music instruments, ivory shields adorned with precious stones and royal cradles.

It was such a wonderful experience to explore the Mehrangarh fort. After that we gorged on Rajasthani food and left for shopping in the bustling markets of the princely city. I bought a beautiful miniature painting and tie and dye fabric. When I retired to bed at night I was thinking about the kite festival we would participate in the next day. I was excited!

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To pamper my shopaholic heart, I decided to go

Shopping in Jodhpur

on a shopping spree in Jodhpur. Being a famous princely city of Rajasthan, Jodhpur has a variety of colorful handicrafts to offer. And no wonder shopping at such a destination is such a pleasurable and satisfying experience. For shopping the city offers several bazaars, pavement stalls and handloom houses. Explore them and pick up some wonderful handicrafts. The city is well known for its antiques, bandhini, footwear and red chillies.

Once one of my friends told me that whenever I visit Jodhpur, I must get Jodhpuri Suit. I scanned a few shops and could finally select a beautiful Jodhpuri Suit for myself. It is a purple colored suit designed with zardosi and cutdana beeds.

I wanted to buy some saris for my mother and friend. My guide Shankar suggested me to go to the Sojati Gate as it is famous for wonderful tie and dye saris. The shopkeeper showed me bandhini saris in cotton, chiffon and silk. The saris were available in many vibrant colors and it was really difficult for me to choose as I liked all. Finally I could choose four beautiful saris.

Next I made my way to the Station Road, which is famous for leather articles, embroidered footwear and utensils. I bought embroidered jutti for myself and a leather bag for my mom. I also bought two beautiful paintings and a carpet.

Now was the time to pamper my stomach with typical Rajasthani food. I sat at one of the good restaurants to dig into the famous dishes of Jodhpur. I ordered the famous mawa kachori of Jodhpur along with a big glass of lassi. It was simply delicious.

The next item on my shopping list was spices. Knowing that the Clock Tower is the best place to buy spices in Jodhpur, I headed for it. I bought a variety of spices and decided to go back to the hotel as I realized that if I stay at the market for some more time, I will surely end up with no money. Well I think its not my fault as the enchanting Jodhpur has so much to offer.

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“A blessing in disguise”, this is what I would call my trip to Jodhpur. For some official purpose I was told by my boss to visit Jodhpur. I was scheduled to stay there for two days for a business meeting but when I reached there I got to know that because of some unavoidable reasons the clients who I had to meet would be one day late. So my good fortune sneeked me one whole day to pursue my passion-travelling.

Popularly known as the “Blue City”, Jodhpur has amazing attractions to offer. On our way to the famous Mehrangarh fort, my guide Rakesh told me that Jodhpur is called a blue city because during the bygone era blue color was used to demarcate the houses of the Brahmin castes. And the other interesting reason he told was- blue color keeps the biting ants away. Interesting!

Dominating the landscape of the city, Mehrangarh fort is dramatically perched on a hill. As we were moving inside the fort, Ramesh told me interesting legends associated with the fort. The fort was built by the founder of the city, Rao Jodha, in the year 1459. Inside the fort I saw several mesmerizing structures with exquisite carvings and embellishments- Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana, and Daulat Khana and museum. It was great to visit the museum where I saw a collection of royal cradles, music instruments, miniature paintings, palanquins, howdas and the famous Kilkila cannon.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

My next halt was the grand Umaid Bhawan Palace (now a heritage hotel), one of the India’s fascinating palaces. Sprawling over 26 acres of land, this palace was once the largest residence in the world. I went to see its museum where I saw a variety of weapons, clocks stuffed leopards, and a huge banner presented by Queen Victoria.

In the evening I explored the colourful and bustling bazaars of Jodhpur. The bazaars were spilled with a variety of handicrafts such as tie and dye fabrics with silver and golden embroidery, paintings, leather crafts, wooden articles, furniture, silver jewelery and juttis. I bought two beautiful paintings. This marked the end of my short but sweet journey to Jodhpur. For the next two days I remained busy with the clients for offical purposes.

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