Ram Barat
Rambarat is one of the important festivals of Uttar Pradesh, the festival is mainly celebrated in the city Agra. The festival celebrates the marriage of Lord Rama. Festivities are marked by marriage procession of Sri Ram during Ramlila celebrations in the city.
Celebration
Every year a new place of the town is chosen as Janakpuri, the bride�s place, which is ornately decorated for the royal wedding to welcome the procession.
The procession includes different tableaux or jhankis of local people dressed as Lord Rama and Laxman, mounted on beautifully decorated elephants. The grand procession starts from Lala Channomalji Ki Baradari for the Janakpuri venue and passes through different parts of the town.
The stunning ambience of the town attracts large number of local population as well as tourists to witness the portrait of divine wedding.
Time to celebrate:
The Festival of Royal wedding procession called Rambarat is celebrated every year in the month of October or September during the celebration of popular Ramlila.
Kailash Fair in Agra
India celebrates all its fairs and festivals with a great deal of joyful enthusiasm. A visit to Agra gives you the opportunity not only to witness one of the Seven Wonders of the World but also to be a part of the unrestrained merriment of the fairs. Agra hosts some of the most famous fairs of the country. The Kailash Fair is a colorful carnival and you will surely enjoy being a part of it. It is held at Kailash which is at a distance of merely 12 km from Agra.
Description of the Kailash Fair in Agra, Uttar Pradesh
In this country with a rich spiritual legacy, many religions are followed. Consequently a large number of religious festivals are celebrated. These festivals come with their fairs. Either the premises of the temples or open areas near the temples get converted to fair grounds and bustle with a lot of activity.
The Kailash Fair is also celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva. According to popular legend, Lord Shiva himself appeared here in the form of a stone lingam in Kailash. The devotees of this god of the Hindu pantheon remember his visit, offer prayers to him and participate in all the fun and mirth of the fair.
The ambience is very cheerful. The joyousness of the large crowd which gathers on the occasion of the fair is great. Many shops are set up and it is indeed a visual delight to see the colorful people in this state of great happiness.
Time for celebrating the Kailash Fair in Agra, Uttar Pradesh
The Kailash fair is celebrated each year in the months of August and September.
Lathmar Holi
Holi, the festival of colours, began in India on 9 March with Lathmar Holi celebrations in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh.
Hundreds of people from across India and world came together in UP and Bihar where the festival of colour is celebrated with great fervour. Holi marks the end of winter and beginning of spring.
The festival begins with Lathmar holi played in Barsana, a small village in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.
Lathmar Holi usually takes place around a week before the main Holi day. During the Lathmar Holi celebrations, women from Barsana village wait with wooden sticks to beat the men who come from the adjacent village of Nandgoan, the hometown of Lord Krishna.
Hindu Mythology says that Lord Krishna along with his friends visited Barsana, Radha’s village, to tease her and other gopis by throwing coloured water on them. In retaliation, Radha and gopis chased him and his friends to beat them up with sticks.
It is believed that Krishna was jealous of Radha because she was fairer than him. He pestered his mother Yashoda about Radha’s fair complexion so much that she asked him to put colour on Radha’s face and change her complexion.
Holi is celebrated for more than two weeks in Vrindavan and Mathura, where lord Krishna was born and grew up.
Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, Barsana and other places in the country attract tourist during this festival.
Bateshwar Mela
Every year late Oct. to Early Nov. a large cattle fair is held at Bateshwar (the exact dates depends on the lunar calendar and vary each year). Coincides with the most auspicious period for praying at Bateshwar and is an important fixture for saints, sadhus, tradesmen and villagers alike. The fair attracts large numbers of Camels, Horses, oxen, elephants, goats, and other cattle, as well as a multitude of tradesmen selling everything from traditional cooking utensils and spices to locally made furniture, handicrafts and cosmetics. The fair provides a colourful, vibrant and entirely authentic glimpse of rural Indian life.
Bateshwar Cattle fair is one of the largest fairs in Northern India. It stands similar in style and magnitude as compared to the Pushkar Fair in Rajsthan. This fair usually starts two days prior to DEEPAWALI (a festival of lights) for a period of three weeks. The first week has the animal fair starting with cattle followed by the camels and horses and ending with the donkeys and goats. And the last week the village fair starts with a multitude of shops and fair ground rides and attractions as well as special ceremonies in the temples.
HOW TO REACH : –
Come to Agra and drive approximately 2 hours (70 Kms) on Agra to Bah Road and take a turn to left from Fare a Tri Crossing drive another 10 Kms, you will reach to Bateshwar.
Taj Mahotsav
This cultural bonanza was started in year 1992 and since then its grandeur has reached to greater heights. In the year 2014, we are celebrating the 23th year of this Mahotsav. This festival also figures in the calendar of events of the Department of Tourism, Government of India. A large number of Indian and foreign tourists coming to Agra joins this festivity in the month of February. One of the objectives of this craft mela is to provide encouragement to the Artisans. It also makes available the magnificent work of art and craft at the most reasonable and authentic prices that are not inflated by high maintenance cost.
Arts & Crafts
Here at Taj Mahotsav about 400 legendary artisans from different parts of the country get an opportunity to display their exquisite works of art. To name a few among them are the wood/stone carvings from Tamil Nadu, Bamboo/cane work from North East India, Paper mash work from South India and Kashmir, the marble and zardozi work from Agra, wood carving from Saharanpur, brass wares from Moradabad, hand made carpets from Bhadohi, Pottery from Khurja, Chikan work from Lucknow, silk & zari work from Banaras, shawls & carpets from Kashmir/Gujarat and hand printing from Farrukhabad and Kantha stitch from west Bengal etc.
Culture
Apart from the exquisite craft work you can experience the majestic and magnetic performances by artistes from every walks of life. The soul-stirring performances will engulf you to the extent of casting a spell. Throughout the Mahotsav, one can experience a profusion of folk & classical music & dances of various regions, especially the Brij Bhumi, performed the way they used to be centuries ago. The experience is so enthralling that you would not stop yourself from joining with the folk dancers. Besides the folk, the Mahotsav also exhibit the performance from the world renowned artistes from classical, semi-classical and popular art forms.
Cuisines
Beside being the right destination for the arts & crafts, the Mahotsav is also a delight for the connoisseurs of good food as it is the ideal place to pamper the taste buds of the visitors with endless varieties of scrumptious dishes. Some of the oldest exponents of the cuisine-art prepare the lip-smacking dishes. One can also relish the typical preparations from the interiors of Uttar Pradesh.
Fun Fair
Funfair is the biggest attraction for children in the festival. It is a complete family entertainment which offers thrill and amusement for every one. Teenagers and adults enjoy various rides and roller coaster while children are happy with small ride such as merry-go-round, Train-rides and Ferris wheel. So have fun at Taj Mahotsav with your whole family.
Sources –
http://images.jagran.com/inext/rambarat_t1_11013.jpg
http://spark404.xtgem.com/images/Janakmahal03.jpg
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http://www.indianholiday.com/photo-gallery/uttar-pradesh/gallery/tajmahotsav/taj-mahotsav-3-1592.jpg