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Monday, September 20, 2010

RAJASTHAN DANCE IN KOCHI

There was an exhibition conducted by the Tourism Dept. of Rajasthan in Kochi.Rajasthan is a State in India.Here are some bits and pieces of information about the State of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan is famous for the majestic forts, intricately carved temples and decorated havelis, which were built by Rajput kings in previous ages, they were the soul of pre-Muslim era Rajasthan. Jantar Mantar, Dilwara Temples, Chittorgarh Fort, Lake Palace, City Palaces, Jaisalmer Havelis are part of the true architectural heritage of India. Jaipur, the Pink City, is noted for the ancient houses made of a type of sand stone dominated by a pink hue. At Ajmer, the white marble Bara-dari on the Anasagar lake is exquisite. Jain Temples dot Rajasthan from north to south and east to west. Dilwara Temples of Mount Abu, Ranakpur Temple dedicated to Lord Adinath near Udaipur, Jain temples in the fort complexes of Chittor, Jaisalmer and Kumbhalgarh, Lodarva Jain temples, Bhandasar Temple of Bikaner are some of the best examples.

The Ghoomar dance from Udaipur and Kalbeliya dance of Jaisalmer have gained international recognition. Folk music is a vital part of Rajasthani culture. Kathputali, Bhopa, Chang, Teratali, Ghindar, Kachchhighori, Tejaji etc. are the examples of the traditional Rajasthani culture. Folk songs are commonly ballads which relate heroic deeds and love stories; and religious or devotional songs known as bhajans and banis (often accompanied by musical instruments like dholak, sitar, sarangi etc.) are also sung.

The main religious festivals are Deepawali, Holi, Gangaur, Teej, Gogaji, Shri Devnarayan Jayanti, Makar Sankranti and Janmashtami, as the main religion is Hinduism. Rajasthan's desert festival is celebrated with great zest and zeal. This festival is held once a year during winter. Dressed in brilliantly hued costumes, the people of the desert dance and sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy. There are fairs with snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats and folk performers. Camels, of course, play a stellar role in this festival.

Rajasthan is also noted for National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. There are four national park and wildlife sanctuaries named the Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur, Sariska Tiger Reserve of Alwar, Ranthambore National Park of Sawai Madhopur, and Desert National Park of Jaisalmer.

In connection with the exhibition some typical dances of Rajastan were performed by trained dancers from Rajasthan. I am posting some photos of one dance which I witnessed for your visual pleasure.Please click on the photos for a larger view.





15 comments:

  1. wonderful pictures joseph...neat to see the dancing...wish there was a video to enjoy it more..

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  2. This is what I like about blogging Joseph, learning about other cultures and customs.
    You have written an excellent post and I thought it most interesting.
    Then you spoil us all by those lovely photographs, it's a bonus and they too are excellent.

    Have a good week.
    Yvonne.

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  3. I like the pictures,Joseph, but to see the dance in real life must be wonderful.

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  4. Thank you for sharing this with me. I love to learn from you blog and share with others what i've learned from you.

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  5. Rajathan is a state I have to visit. I just love the culture, music , dance and their food is good too, very spicy.

    You really had a treat. North meets South. From next month we will have regular melas at our cultural centre and stalls and artists from Rajasthan come over at that time.

    I like thir dance in which they balance a tray with diyas on their head and dance.

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  6. What a nice way to show case other states in Kerala.
    All said and done, I have yet to visit the pink city.
    Like the photographs.

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  7. Hi! Joseph.
    Its wonderful that you could bring out every thing about Rajasthan in a single post. I could not have dared that. However I have several posts on Jaipur alone with borrowed photographs. Your photos come out very crisp. Thanks a lot for this nice post.

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  8. I really enjoyed reading this, I love to read other cultures and what went on. I also always enjoy the colorful costumes, which you always bring out in your pictures. Thank you Joseph and I will look forward to your next interesting post. Have a nice week.

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  9. Joseph, Come by and share this award with me. As usually thanks for another great post. God bless.

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  10. Hello Mr. Joseph,
    The traditional dancers dance very skillfully, the varied colours of pour nation get reflected in the varied, dances, customs and many more things that our country harbours...beautiful post..thanks a lot for sharing :)

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  11. Namaste....
    Lovely love photos. Thank you for the info very informative.

    Dont be a strange, stop by sometime and give me your take on entries. Its always a pleasure reading your take on things.

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  12. Hi Joseph, I enjoyed your pix and commentary. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Looks like you have not left anything about Rajasthan. Good photographs and writing too as usual. I enjoyed it.

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  14. Thanks for sharing this unique content in your blog.

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