Yet another season cycle is complete and the blessed season of spring is here and people throughout the country are ready to celebrate its arrival. One such celebration is about to take place in Udaipur, Rajasthan during the Mewar Festival. Located in the heart of the Aravalli Mountains, Udaipur is the former capital of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. The bounty of its natural wealth combined with the beauty of its enchanting manmade palaces lures tourists from around the world like bees to honey. Because of huge foreign tourist footfall the town has all the modern amenities. However, it still maintains its rich traditional Rajasthani culture and heritage and this is what makes Udaipur the perfect destination for celebrating the arrival of spring.

1. Celebrate India - Mewar Festival with Yatra.com
Yet another season cycle is complete and the blessed season of spring is here and people
throughout the country are ready to celebrate its arrival. One such celebration is about to take
place in Udaipur, Rajasthan during the Mewar Festival. Located in the heart of
the Aravalli Mountains, Udaipur is the former capital of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. The
bounty of its natural wealth combined with the beauty of its enchanting manmade palaces
lures tourists from around the world like bees to honey. Because of huge foreign tourist footfall
the town has all the modern amenities. However, it still maintains its rich
traditional Rajasthani culture and heritage and this is what makes Udaipur the perfect
destination for celebrating the arrival of spring.
During this festival, the already stunning city of Udaipur is transformed to show its true colours
encompassing all the beauty of their rich culture and heritage. Every shop and house is
decorated to reflect the true grandeur of the Rajput way of life. Going by what I saw and
experienced I can say that on the day of the festival the city becomes a photographer’s delight.
I saw hundreds of foreign tourists literally spellbound by what they saw around them. They
were hooked behind the huge lenses of their digital SLR’s so as to not miss capturing a single
moment. Being an Indian if I was captivated then I can only imagine how they must have felt
seeing all that they did for probably the first time in their lives.
The Mewar festival coincides with
the Gangaur Festival. It starts with women
dressing the sculptures of Isar (Lord Shiva)
and Gangaur (Goddess Parvati), and then they
take the procession to the streets. The
procession finally makes its way towards
the Pichola Lake where the sculptures of both
the deities are placed in a boat and then
submerged, marking the end of the religious
rites. However, at the end of the submerging the real celebrations begin when people take to
the streets in large numbers and the air is filled with the sound of local dance and music. Plenty
of other cultural events take place that you can enjoy and the day finally ends with a stunning
display of fireworks over the city. This, I considered a befitting end to such a spectacular
ceremony.

2. Apart from the festivities, there is much to see and experience in Udaipur. Therefore, I’ll
recommend a few tourist destinations that are definitely worth your time and energy. First and
foremost will always be the Lake Palace followed by the City Palace. The palaces are huge by
any & all standards. These places contain everything from hanging gardens to luxury heritage
hotels to museums to temples and more. Within their walls I felt as if they were an entire city in
themselves. Then there are the lakes of course, the most popular of the five being, Pichola Lake
and Fateh Sagar Lake. You can also indulge your cultural self by visiting local puppet and
theater shows and of course go for a desert safari.
I think that will be more than enough for you first trip. In my opinion I found the city to be very
royal, elegant and yet so close to nature. Therefore, if you are planning a vacation filled with
cultural extravaganza, this might just be the right place to set off to. On this thought I’ll take
your leave.
Until next time,
This is Joy signing off,
Ciao.