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.
Here is a well researched,well written,scintillating comment in my previous post by JL from REFLECTING ON THE BEACH.
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I feel today's atheists are getting far too arrogant and self-righteous. There are various reasons for this including: a revival of religion, especially in the developing world; unprecedented growth in prosperity in many western countries over the last few decades; advances in science that seem to disprove the biblical account of creation. Today's atheists like Richard Dawkins are hitting out at religion, particularly Christianity, with incredible gusto.
People are rightfully concerned about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, but atheists see all religions as the same. In the west, atheists only have experience of Christianity and since Christians are an easy target, their attack is primarily focussed on the Christian faith. They like to deny the all the positive impacts Christianity has made, which is a shame.
Science is the atheist's main weapon against Christianity. The theory of evolution seems to disprove the Genesis account. I don't agree with this. The theory of evolution is consistent with Genesis if you take into account the Hebrew word for 'day' could refer to a time period stretching 24 hours, a season or an era. A billion years is like a day for God. Evolution doesn't account for life suddenly appearing on earth. It doesn't account for man having a conscious or his sense of morality. We know the universe did come into existence at a particular point in time. What caused it? Scientists, who deny the existence of God, are still coming up with different theories but yet have no evidence to back them up. The evidence all points toward a supernatural creator.
If you look at the record of atheists over the last hundred years, it is not good. In fact, atheistic ideologies have led to far more people killed than religion. That's why you have to be concerned about atheists coming to power.
Man's urge to deify himself rather than God is the root problem. For now atheists may think they are winning against Christianity, but I'm sure in the end they will fail.
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It is time for all good Christians to reinforce their faith and guard themselves against the attacks of misguided atheists.
