Desert Festival on the Golden Sands

A three-day-long extravaganza of dances, music, and handicraft fairs and interesting competitions at Jaisalmer ‘Desert Festival’ make the desert come alive with colour, enthusiasm and happiness

The Jaisalmer ‘Desert Festival’ is an annual event organized by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation each February at the beautiful golden desert city of Jaisalmer in the state of Rajasthan, India, showcasing the cultural wonders of Rajasthan. This year it was held on February 21 to 23.

As the huge golden fort of Jaisalmer looms above the Thar Desert, remote, romantic, and unspoiled, the walls enclose a hive of palaces, temples and fine merchant houses, all carved from glowing yellow sandstone, hence the name “Golden City”. Bazaars overflow with the famous crafts of Rajasthan, and spectacular sunsets envelop the city with warm evening hues during this “Jaisalmer Mela”.

This three-day extravaganza was started as a marketing idea to attract local and overseas tourists interested in exploring the rich and colourful heritage of Rajasthan within a short span of time. The festival is more social than religious. Over the years, it has garnered so much popularity that thousands of visitors from across the globe flock to Jaisalmer to attend the festival. Nomads also trek across the desert to sell woven goods, silver jewellery etc in the fair.

The festival begins with a ceremonial procession locally known as ‘Shobha Yatra’ where local Rajputs and other clans dress in their traditional attire. Men carrying swords atop horses, camels, and elephants are cheered on, as they enter the Shahid Poonam Singh Stadium, one of the main venues of the desert festival.

Here, for two full days, dressed in vibrant and colourful clothes, the people of Rajasthan sing and dance to lingering ballads of heroism, romance and tragedy of yore. In the nights, fireworks explode across the sky, splashing the landscape with even more bursts of colour.

With events such as camel racing, turban tying, and the longest mustache competition, the festival is an eagerly awaited annual event. Against the backdrop of Jaisalmer fort, people taste delicious Rajasthani delicacies, dance to the rustic music and watch various cultural performances. Kite flying, dune bashing, tug of war between Indians and foreigners, Panihari matka race, Kabaddi matches entertain the crowds. Turban tying also features as one of the competitions as the one who ties his turban fastest, wins.

Mustaches and turbans aren't just symbols of masculinity in Rajasthan—they are symbols of honour. Judges assess mustaches based on a number of criteria, including length, look and quality. The ever popular ‘Mr. Desert’ contest is where the most handsome and traditionally attired man is selected and for the next 12 months, he gets to model for the tourism ads.

During the Desert Festival, the ‘ship of the desert’ (camel) is the star attraction. Camels feature in a number of events including camel races, camel polo, camel decoration, and camel dances. A special breed of camels from Jaisalmer is particularly known for their speed and agility. The camel polo match is held between the polo club and the BSF (Border Security Force). Strong men firmly saddled upon their equally sturdy camels captivate the audience with their camel riding skills.

Other interesting sights at the festival include snake charmers, puppet shows, balladeers, and lively folk music recitals. The folk music has been influenced by the bordering Sindh region of Pakistan and has evolved over many centuries. Performers, including the Langa and Manganiyar folk musicians, sing and dance about the triumphs and tribulations of their people over the ages.

In addition, traditional acrobatic performances are performed by local nomadic gymnasts, called Kalabaz or Nats. Kalbelia dance by the snake charmers is the most popularly enjoyed affair. The finale is on the third day, which falls on Maagh Poornima (full moon day) when the celebrations reach a crescendo. Against the backdrop of a full moon, on the desert sands in the Sam dunes (42 km from the city), the festival comes to an end.

People assemble much in advance, take camel rides, watch the glorious sunset in the horizon and enjoy the cultural performances into the night. But this year it was a different experience with film and popular songs dominating the scene and the absence of traditional Rajasthani folk dances on the final day (except just for a couple of songs). Many people who came from all over India and around the world were thoroughly disappointed with the new event management company’s mediocre fare that was meted out with total insensitivity and appreciation for the local culture.

The TV and film culture, which people experience a day in and day out, were repeated. The huge sound systems created an artificial atmosphere and the charm of the desert was lost. For a visitor, nothing like being a part of the local crowd, watch the dances against the backdrop of the full moon on the sand dunes, as the rich voices of the folk singers are carried by the desert air. Hope things will improve next year and go back to the old times, retaining the flavour and culture of the desert as it is meant to.

Fact file
Nearest Airport: Jodhpur: 4 hours away (300 km)
Rail: Jaisalmer is connected to the major cities of India through broad gauge and metre gauge
Road: Jaisalmer is connected to the rest of the state with well-maintained roads
www.rajasthantourism.gov.in