Elephant Festival

Elephant Festival: The many entertaining events of the Elephant Festival and the wonderful sights of Jaipur make this Indian festival a can't miss stop on any spring tour of India. The present-day pageant that is the Elephant Festival of Jaipur originated only a decade ago and was devised especially with the tourist in mind. This festival of India gives tourists a glimpse of the royal heritage of Rajasthan and also provides an opportunity to take part in celebrating the Holi Festival (one of North India’s 3 major festivals).

The Elephant Festival in India is a unique event held annually in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. The festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels and horses, followed by lively folk dancers.

Elephants have been regarded as precious and majestic since the “Puranic” era in India. The importance of the elephant is well illustrated in Hindu Mythology. According to legends, at the time of ‘Samudra Manthan’, when the Demons and Gods were busy “churning the ocean”, the Gods were fortunate to receive an elephant called “Airavata” who became the Divine Vehicle (Vahana) of Indra. Since then, the elephant has become a symbol of royalty in Indian culture and there are many festivals in India that are associated with it.

Activities during the festival are:-

Gaj Shringar: Where the ornaments, textiles and other ornaments & decorations relating to elephants are displayed. The Mahouts take great pride in to decorating their Elephants on this particular occasion.

Live Performances: Live performances of folk dancers that include the Daph and Gair dances, both of which depict the joy of the Holi Festival.

Catwalks of Elephants: Elephants form a procession in front of the guests to compete for the prize of ‘Best decorated Elephant’.

Elephant Polo Matches: Dressed in saffron and red turbans, teams of elephant riders try to score goals with long polo sticks and a soccerball.

Tug of War: The tug of War is a competition between Elephants and men.

Playing Holi: You have the option to join in the festivities and celebrate Holi with the other spectators and among yourselves.