Kota, the hub of Hadoti in Rajasthan is famous for its Doriya sarees, stones and the spicy namkeens and as an education centre. Though different places have evolved their own distinctive way of celebrating the festival, Kota is unique.
Located on the Delhi, Mumbai route, the ever busy town of Kota presents a distinctive flavour of Rajasthan. The art and craft fairs and exhibitions are a perennial feature of this town and the annual Dasara festival holds an unusual lure for everyone.
Rich in courtly splendour and age old traditions, the almost 15-day-long Rashtriya Mela Dasara extravaganza is marked by a glittering procession which attracts thousands from the surrounding villages. A special cattle fair held on the occasion is also very attractive. Villagers from the nearby places display their cattle on the occasion.
Like all festivals that are celebrated in this desert state, this one provides a good opportunity too to the traders to display their attractive wares to the rural and urban buyers.
The tourists have a wonderful time imbibing the riches on display. It is held usually from October 9 to October 25.
This year, it is again a major tourist attrcation. For the visiting guests, it is a wonderful opportunity to explore Rajasthan and enjoy this cultural fiesta simultaneously.
Spokespersons from Nagar Nigam, Kota, (that organises the fest) inform, “ This event has transformed into a famous festival and has become almost as famous as the well known Pushkar fair and the Desert Fest of Rajsthan.”
It is not hard to see why this festival is so popular. The deliberations are marked by a glittering procession which attracts the locals and the foreign tourists alike. The colorful ‘procession’ starting from the palace to the Mela ground features decorated elephants, camels, horses, Kanjari folk artistes. Such a colorful presentation marks the beginning of the joyous fiesta.
The special charm for the tourists, besides the festivity, is the presence of numerous villagers from the surrounding places who throng the venue in their traditional attires to participate in the cattle fair.
The display of their rural jewellery, dresses, innocent smiles and decoratives make the foreigners ecstatic and they click the special moments for posterity.
This year the traditional sports , the thematic handicraft shops and elaborate decorations at the three pavilions are proving to be attractive. The tourism departments are also holding special cultural programmes.
The entire atmosphere is colorful and spirited and is quite unique for it marks more than just the beginning of a festive period. Villagers gather here to offer prayers to Rama and to celebrate his victory over Ravana. Prominent artists from all over the country are invited to participate in cultural programmes that dazzle the huge audience with their performances. Traders of commercial goods participate in large numbers .
The festival integrates business, tourism and culture in a seamless whole. Local trader Madhuri informs that, “This long extravaganza with sumptuous cultural evenings filled with shopping, eating and special lighting is just too good to resist for anyone who experiences it once.”
A housewife from Kota, Gulshan says, “ There is so much to see and enjoy. Many exotic sights, local designs in fabrics and artfects, household items to haggle over, right from small clay items to big electronic goods. ” The extravaganza at the Shri Ram Rang Manch and the Vijay Rang Manch includes elaborate Kavi Sammelans, community programmes, ghazal evenings, cultural performances by school children, Rajasthani folk music and dance programmes organised by the Department of Tourism , classical music shows, qawwali nights and more.
The events reach their grand finale just before Diwali and culminate with the dazzling fireworks show. The fair gradually fades away into the glitter of the festival of lights, only to come back to life, next year.
