Shila Mata

The Shila mata (Stone Goddess) temple at Amber fort (Jaipur, Rajasthan) is dedicated to the Goddess Durga. Thousands of people from Jaipur and surrounding areas come here to pay offerings to Shila mata.

 Although Jaipur is known for its Murtikars (idol carvers), this particular idol was not made in Jaipur, but came to Jaipur from far away Bengal. It is believed that Maharaja Mansingh brought the statue of the Goddess Shila mata from Jessore (now in Bangladesh) in 1604. Legends say that Maharaja Mansingh received a defeat at the hands of king Kedar. Humiliated and depressed, the Maharaja worshipped goddess Durga to bless him. Goddess appeared in his dreams and asked him to recover her statue lying under sea near Jessore (now in Bangladesh) and install it in a temple. The idol was recovered from the sea in the form of a shila (slab) and brought to Amber, when cleaned and washed, the present idol appeared. This is why the goddess is named as Shila mata.

It took 10 long years to build the temple. The temple is made out of white marble and the idol is black in colour. An idol of Lord Ganesha is carved here out of a single piece of coral. Extremely beautiful is the whole conception of the temple. Adherence to the principles of vastu has made it as ideal work of architecture. The fort and the temple are on a hill and are cozily nestled in the lap of Mother Nature. The surrounding hills of Amber reverberate when special pooja is offered and drums are beaten. The visitors and tourist find that moment a most memorable life time experience.

For more blogs visit https://www.ethnicrajasthan.com/blogs/blog

Immerse yourself and your loved ones in the spirit of Rajasthan with a wide range of vibrant outfits, home furnishing and accessories choices at Ethnic Rajasthan (www.ethnicrajasthan.com)

Kalbeliya- Dance of Rajasthan

Rajasthan has been a heaven of various folk art forms. A medieval history includes the existence of princely states, which provided patronage to these art forms and their artists. Vibrant, vigorous and graceful the dances of Rajasthan evoke the desert in all its moods. The desert comes alive when the local Rajasthan performer performs the folk dances that leave the people amazed.

The kalbeliyas, is a snake charmer community from Rajasthan, which performs Kalbeliya dance. They are renowned dancers, musicians and snake charmers and are identified as ‘gypsies’ in modern Indian culture. Kalbeliya is a nomadic community who sometimes introduces themselves as Saperas or Sadhu. Their traditional business is to catch snakes and to trade snake venom. Traditionally Kalbeliya men carried cobras in cane baskets from door to door in villages while their women sang and danced for alms. They revere cobras and advocate non-killing of the reptiles. Since the enactment of the wildlife act,1972 the Kalbeliyas have been pushed out of their traditional profession of snake handling. Today, performing arts are a major source of income for them and they have received widespread recognition within and outside India.

The kalbeliya dancers are exceptionally flexible, they perform beautiful stunts as they twist and turn their bodies in myriad ways, as is humanly possible. Sometimes they balance utensils, one or several upon their heads, or use swords and blades to carry out difficult maneuvers. The dancers are women in flowing black skirts who dance and swirl, replicating the movement of a serpent. The male participants take care of the musical part of the dance. They use the different instruments such as the pungi (a wooden wind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes), dufli, been, khanjari, morchang, dholak to create the rhythm on which the dancers perform. The dancers are tattooed in traditional designs and wear traditional jewellery, bangles, armlets, vibrant bindis, garments richly embroidered with small mirrors, silver thread and colorful ribbons. As the performance progress the rhythm becomes faster and faster and so does the dance. The harmony of their performance is amazing! These songs and dances are part of an oral tradition that is handed down  in generations and for which there are neither texts nor training manuals.

In 2010, the kalbeliya folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were declared part of its intangible heritage list by the UNESCO.

For more blogs visit https://www.ethnicrajasthan.com/blogs/blog

Immerse yourself and your loved ones in the spirit of Rajasthan with a wide range of vibrant outfits, home furnishing and accessories choices at Ethnic Rajasthan (www.ethnicrajasthan.com)

Mount Abu's Summer Festival

Oasis in the deserted land of Rajasthan,a pilgrim spot,a land of serene lakes,waterfalls,green forests,stunning monuments-Mount Abu is the only hill station in Rajasthan as well as north west India which makes it a perfect spot for the summer festival. The summer festival is held every year during the month of may. It celebrates the warmth and cheerfulness of the people of the hill station-Mt. Abu who welcome the tourist from the depth of their hearts.

At the time of British rule in India, Mount Abu was one of the favorite summer destinations,since it was a kind of an escape from the heat of Rajasthan. So, it also become a famous summer resort for the kings of Rajasthan. Since then the people started this three day festival showcasing their colorful culture and tradition becoming the major source of entertainment for the tourists in summer. It offers ample time to the tourist to relax, enjoy and entertain themselves.

This summer festival commences with the singing of ballad and proceeds with a ceremonial procession,which starts from the RTDC hotel SHIKHAR and gathers at the Nakki lake chowk where folk performances of Rajasthan and Gujarat are mainly organised.

 Out of all the festivities the rowing competition at the Nakki lake is the most famous and the most awaited. The second and third days are more exciting and attractive since various competition and activities take place such as skating race,skaters show,camel polo, CRPF band show,boat race,horse race,tug of war, panihari matka race and an outdoor shaam-e-qawwali performnace in the evening adds to the extravagance. The audience is captivated by these mesmerizing vocalists from all over the country. People enjoy a host of dance styles of Rajasthan- ghoomer, daph, gair, kathputli, kalbelia, bhavai, countless Rajasthani food .and they also float hundreds of lighted diyas on the lake in the evening, which makes it an enchanting sight. The grand finale of the summer festival is a display of  dazzling  fireworks which catches the fancy of every tourist.

For more blogs visit https://www.ethnicrajasthan.com/blogs/blog

Immerse yourself and your loved ones in the spirit of Rajasthan with a wide range of vibrant outfits ,home furnishing and accessories choices at Ethnic Rajasthan.