Home Art/Culture Jaipur to host six-day Teej festival

Jaipur to host six-day Teej festival

By IANS

Jaipur : To promote tourism in the state, the Rajasthan government is holding a six-day-long ‘Sawan Teej’ festival here from Saturday.

“The Sawan Teej festival this year will have various cultural activities like dances, plays and songs,” Usha Punia, Rajasthan tourism minister, told IANS.

Eminent singer Shubha Mudgal, actor and singer Vasundhara Das, band Euphoria, a play “Rangili Bhagmati” by Ashok Rahi, a musical show by Veena Cassettes and a Kathak performance will delight the tourists during the mega event from Aug 11 to Aug 16.

The traditional royal procession of goddess Teej comprising of bejewelled elephants and camels, dancing folk artists, royal palanquins, chariots and bullock carts will be the highlight of the festival on Aug 15 and 16.

The ‘Sawan Teej’ festival is dedicated to goddess Parvati and commemorates the day when she was united with lord Shiva. Young girls, newly wed women and elderly women can be seen attired in traditional costumes or in special multicoloured striped (Laharia) saris and ornaments.

During the festival, the women can be seen decorating their hands with henna and singing songs of love while swinging on flower bedecked swings, which are hung on trees. The onset of monsoon is a time to celebrate in Rajasthan as rain brings water to the parched land.

With a record arrival of more than 1.2 million foreign tourists and 17 million domestic tourists during 2005-06, Rajasthan has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in India.

The rate of growth of tourism in Rajasthan has been phenomenal in the last few years. Annual rate of growth for domestic tourists has been seven percent and for international tourists five percent.