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The Nagaur Festival is held every year in the period between
January-February in the quaint Rajput town of Nagaur. The
Nagaur festival is essentially a cattle fair and every year
close to 75,000 camels, bullocks and horses are traded. In
fact the sheer volume of trading is astonishing to the first
time visitors.
To add spice to the festivities, fun events like tug-of-war,
camel and bullock races and cockfights along with enchanting
folk music of Jodhpur add a surreal charm to the whole festival.
One of the most amazing feature of Nagaur Festival is the
vibrant red-chilly market that is exclusively set up at the
festival premises. By all accounts this red-chilly market
or "mirchi bazaar" as it is popularly referred to
in the local parlance is the largest in Asia.
The Nagaur Festival is organised by the Department of Animal
Husbandry in co-operation with the Department of Tourism,
Government of Rajasthan. As per the latest statistical records,
approximately 80,000 cattle owners participate in this festival
with more than 2,10,000 cattles being traded.
The town of Nagaur has been the bastion of the Rajputs. Here
you can hear the jingle of bells as camels or sheep wend their
paths from village to village. And with them go the hardy
people of these parts. The men with their proud moustaches
and brightly colored turbans. And the women, in their gaily
printed skirts and heavy silver jewelry. And centuries of
tradition follow in their steps.
At the festival there is fierce bargaining as far as buying
and selling of cattle is concerned. The seller skillfully
enumerates the merits and intrinsic worth of the animal until
the buyer is fully convinced about these merits and strikes
a deal.
As dusk descends on Nagaur, the folk musicians come into their
elements. Their songs eulogizing the inherent Rajput heroism
and bravado as well as their tragedies and misfortunes reverberates
to the distant horizons. As the torrid heat of the day gives
way to the chilly wind of the night, one snuggles closer to
the warmth of the embers of the camp-fire at the Nagaur Festival
in Nagaur Rajasthan.
India Rajasthan Tours offers online booking
for Rajasthan Fairs and Festivals. For more information
or to book a tour, please enter your query in the form below.
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