Camel Fair in Bikaner, India
April 28, 2018
The historical land of Rajasthan amazes all with its old palaces, forts and majestic places of historical as well as architectural significance. The Camel Fair of Festival is celebrated in Bikaner near the Fort of Junagarh in Rajasthan. Celebrated in the month of January every year, the fair is dedicated to the Camel, the Ship of the Desert. Every year, the Department of Tourism, Art & Culture of Rajasthan organizes this colorful and lively event in Bikaner. January is the perfect time for setting the festival mood in Rajasthan while Bikaner is the place of camels. In Bikaner, one can easily see the leviathans of the desert working at wells and pulling heavy transport and cart loads.
History
Bikaner has been the only place in the desert region where the camels are bred and this has been continuing since the times of Rao BikaJi, who founded the city. The innocent and tough animals who survive the harsh conditions of the desert are raised here and many of them are also enrolled in the Indian Army. Ganga Risala or the Camel Corps have served the country during the World Wars as well as the Indo –Pak war and these brave and loyal animals serve the Indian Army and help the Border Security Force.
Celebrating the Camel Fair
The two-day festival starts with a colorful procession of these loyal animals that are adorned beautifully with jewels and stones and the majestic Fort of Junagarh acts as the backdrop for the procession. Here, one can surely enjoy the spectacular sight of the wonderfully decked up camels with heavy anklets, traditional necklaces along with vibrant and colorful reins and collars. All of these together help the camels to show their awesome footwork on the sand dunes to various lovely tunes. Along with various other traditional and cultural performances, one can also witness different games of the camels along with the events of camel race. This traditional fair of Rajasthan not only provides a delightful ambiance with thousands of tourists and locals reveling the place but also provides absolute pleasure.
Besides glorifying the camels, the Rajasthani music and folk dances add a special charm to the fair. One of the most fascinating among them is the Fire Dance. Brilliant acts are performed by the fire dancers, exhibiting their skills boosting up the spirit and ambiance of the fair. With the mesmerizing folk music, amazing puppet shows also take place which narrates the local folklore. A spectacular display of firework illuminating the Bikaner skies bring an end to the festival.
Apart from enjoying the fair, the Camel Fair of Bikaner, here one also gets to enjoy the exotic opportunity to enjoy the unique sweets and tea made from camel milk. Apart from being associated with camels, the fair also offers the Rajasthani dishes and appetizers for foodies visiting the place and the stalls sell exquisite jewelry, handicrafts, pottery and some of the rare delights of the desert region. Celebrated in January the colorful festival is open to all.