No
visit to the royal state of Rajasthan can be called complete
without attending one of the fairs or special festivals. These
festivals give an incredible insight into the Rajasthani life.
The Elephant Festival is an inimitable event held annually in
Jaipur. Groomed flawlessly, rows of elephants do a catwalk before
an enthralled audience liked best fashion models.
Staged at Jaipur Chaugan Stadium elephants put up a variety
programme and the arena is brought alive with musician and dancer.
The crowd, which includes sizable presences of foreign and Indian
tourist, electrify the atmosphere. The festival starts with
an impressive procession of the majestic animals lovingly painted
and tastefully attired with glittering ornaments and embroidered
velvets. There are deadly and fierce elephant fights.
A ceremonial procession is recreated with caparisoned elephants,
lancers on horses, chariots, camels, cannons, and palanquins.
Elephant is the centre of attraction in the many races and beauty
pageants.
Most of the participants are female elephants. The mahouts
(elephant keepers) take great care to decorate the elephants
painting their trunks, foreheads, and feet with floral motifs
and adorning them from tusk to tail with interesting trinkets.
Female elephants wear anklets with and make music as they
walk.The game of polo forms the highlight of the festival.
Dressed in saffron and red turbans, the teams try to score
goals with long sticks and a plastic football.
Finally, the tourists are invited to mount the elephants
and play Holi. Participants dance with great vigour and the
excitement rising to a crescendo.
The Rajput kings had extraordinary implication for elephants
not only during war but also during the royal festivities-a
must at royal pageant. Nishan-ka-hathi, the flag bearer, led
the procession. The king always mounted a caparisoned elephant.
Special hunting programs and elephant fights were organized
to entertain the royal guests. Jaipur was a favourite spot
with the important personalities of the British Raj and the
Maharajas always arranged for their guests of honour elephant
rides up to the Amber palace. Even today, the mahouts take
tourists up to the Amber Palace on elephant back like shuttle
taxis.
Rajasthan Tourism revitalized the ritual by including the
Elephant Festival in the cultural calendar. The present-day
pageant, originated only a decade ago, was worked out especially
with the tourist in mind. The inclusion of the game of polo
is more recent, being inspired by a cartoon in Punch magazine
that showed the Indian polo team atop an elephant after it
won all the international tournaments. Every year on Holi,
the old stadium at Jaipur, the Chaugan (originally planned
for elephants), makes the setting for a stunning fete. |
