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Elephant
Festival
Elephant Festival
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 to make this festival an amazing one. The
elephants move with poise in pageant, run races, play the regal game of
polo, and finally participate in the spring festival of Holi. It is festival
time with elephants typically celebrated one day before the Holi, Indian
festival of colours.
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.
A magnificent
spectactle, it unveils the majesty and grandeur of elephants celebrated
around Holi. The Mahavats or owners proudly decorate their elephants with
bright colours, jhool., (saddle cloth) and heavy jewellary. A royal
procession of decorated elephants, a match of elephant polo, an elephant
race and playing Holi on elephants are main events.
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