Desert Festival

Activities
The perfect time to visit the golden city is during the Desert Festival, held in Jan/Feb. every year, when the city reverberates to the sound of melodious tunes and rhythms. Folk dances, exciting competitions an contests, especially the turban-tying contest. Mr. Desert contest and camel races enliven the festivities. Colorful craft bazaars are set up for the occasion and a sound and light spectacle is organized wit folk artists performing against the splendid backdrop of the famous Sam sand dunes on the full moon night. Surely a not-to-be missed event.

History
The city has an interesting legend associated with it, according to which, Lord Krishna-the head of the Yadav Clan, foretold Arjuna that a remote descendent of the Yadav Clan would built his kingdom atop the Trikuta Hill. His prophecy was fulfilled in 1156 A.D. when Rawal Jaisal, a descendent of the Yadav Clan and a Bhatti Rajput, abandoned his fort at Lodurva and founded a new capital - Jaisalmer, perched on the Trikuta Hill.

Bahti Rajputs of Jaisalmer were feudal chiefs who lived off the forced levy on the caravans laden with precious silks and spices that crossed the territory enroot Delhi-or-Sind. These caravans earned the town great wealth.

Rituals
Camels are not just beasts of burden but an integral part of the desert life and the camel events confirm this fact. Special efforts go into dressing the animal for entering the spectacular competition of the best-dressed camel. Interestingly, there is a folk song to describe the making of the camel's necklace-the Gorband. Camel owners vie with each other for winning the camel races and a feeling of pride is discernible both in the eyes of the owner and his mount that wins. To add some more fun and color, the camel show has two unique events - the camel polo and the camel dance.

Other interesting competitions on the fringes are the moustache and turban tying competitions, which not only demonstrate a glorious tradition but also inspire its preservation. Both the turban and the moustache have been centuries old symbols of honor in Rajasthan.

Keeping the moustache twisted upwards meant keeping the pride intact while drooping moustaches conveyed complete surrender. Tying a turban is not only an intriguing tradition but an art as well. Varying styles of tying the turban and colors describe the caste, region and also the occasion. To the viewers, it appears complicated but those who have inherited the tradition tie a turban out of meters of cloth at the blink of an eye.

Legends
Unlike the major festivals of Rajasthan, the desert festival has no legends to recount. It is a created event but the music traditions of the desert are so fascinating that conceiving the musical festival came as almost a natural solution for facilitating their preservation. It was also inspired by the Music Festival of Salzburg-though totally different in concept and content. Both the towns exude music and have a heavy inflow of tourists. But unlike the Salzburg Festival, the shows of the Jaisalmer Festival are not ticketed. Sponsored by the state tourism corporation, it has been designed to promote tourism in the enigmatic Thar Desert.

Once the festival is over, it certainly leaves behind a nostalgic feeling. Some connoisseurs of music have been to the festival more than once and there is a tourist from Holland who has attended the festival four times.

Today, this traditional extravaganza is a coveted event for music lovers-the performers as well as the listeners. For the performers, it has become a prestigious event to participate in. It has also helped find new talent and expended patronage to many artistes.

Regional Celebrations
Jaisalmer is the only place where this desert festival is celebrated with great zest and zeal. Rajasthan being a popular tourist destination, the festival adds to its color.

Places To Visit
In order to witness its colorful festivities, one must visit Jaisalmer, the golden sand dunes where the festival takes place every year.

GETTING THERE
One can reach Jodhpur from any of the major cities by air and from Jodhpur one can go to the venue of the desert festival by taking any of the road transport options that are easily available there. Jodhpur is the nearest big city to Jaisalmer, which is well connected to the venue of the Desert Festival. It is also well connected by train and buses.