Kolayat Festival, Rajasthan

The most convenient and frugal way of exploration, both in terms of money and time is to attend some fair or festival in the state of Rajasthan. These fairs and festivals are the perfect eye-openers and help in perusing this vibrant state in the miniscule of time. My first introduction to the vibrant and varied colors of Rajasthan was the Pushkar fair in the year 2007. I got lucky second time, the very next year, when I found an opportunity to visit the Kolayat fair.

Kolayat (50 km south west of Bikaner)-originally known as Kapilayatan- is named after the sage Kapil Muni who is said to have done meditation here for the redemption of mankind. It is believed that spending a day at Kolayat is equivalent to spending 10 years at any other place of pilgrimage. The otherwise sleepy village of Kolayat bustles with life on Kartik purnima i.e. full moon of Kartik month that corresponds to the month of October and November of the English calendar. On this day thousands of pilgrims converge here to take a dip in the holy lake that has 52 ghats and around which there are temples of Kapil Muni, barah (12) Mahadev and panchmukhi temple. But this year was special as the Department of Tourism made its first endeavor to add a quotient of glamour to the fair. Considering that it was the first serious attempt of the government, I frankly did not expect much. But after the experience, I cannot help saying the effort was commendable. .

I reached there in the evening of the opening day (12 November 08). The vehicles have to be left at some distance from the lake and the ghats. The way to the venue was speckled with numerous temporary shops selling articles mostly of local interest like the utensils and other things of daily use. The scene at the lake was spectacular. While some people were still taking a dip others were preparing lamps to be floated after the Maha arti. The sages with mounds of offerings (from the devotees) in front of them had occupied strategic places. The place was teeming with devotees. Soon began the main event of the day – the Maha Aarti at the main ghat infront of the Kapil Muni temple. Dozens of cameras vied to click and record the panoply of lighted lamps & the soulful prayers sung in unison. .

This was followed by a series of fantabulous cultural programs that were staged with perfect sound & lighting. The ghat and panchmukhi temple formed the backdrop. Doyens of Rajasthani music and dance who have performed throughout the world, like Ghazi Khan, Virendra Singh and party, to name a few, showcased vibrant culture of the state. There was Chari dance in which ladies dance with urns (having flames) on their head, terah tali dance and desert symphony among the others. As I was the only girl capturing the events in my camera all the others came and enquired if I was from some newspaper or news channel.

 

The next day was the big day (full moon night) to purge oneself of all the sins by taking a dip in the holy waters there. Consequently there emerged a sea of people, mostly from the neighboring localities who gathered to wash their sins and open a fresh account of their karma. .

The events of my interest were to begin only after the noon so I reached Kolayat accordingly. Anticipating the venue to be the same, we left our car at the same place as the previous day. To escape the damage that the sun causes to my extra sensitive skin, I covered my face with a stole and marched ahead. Unfortunately the fair ground was not the same so we had to walk for about 45 minutes threading our way to the hot spot.

The sight of the decked up camels (contestants of camel decoration competition) was the first treat of the day for my camera. The roaring cheers of the crowd pulled us to the next action packed drama. It was wrestling between two men who, by physique, frankly did not look like wrestlers to me. However, to freeze those events for our website of Ashoka Holidays, I waded through the crowd, which I could do easily, to take a comfortable position. At such fairs and festivals good cameras work as VIP passes for the person carrying them. Only a few would bother to ask if you are media personnel. After watching 2-3 rounds, I seriously started enjoying it. It was probably the influence of the enthusiastic crowd. .

The next event of the day was a competition for eating rasgullas (a dessert from Orissa and Bengal consisting of balls of unripened cheese or cottage cheese soaked in sugary syrup). The contestants were supposed to gulp 20 pieces in 50 seconds. Someone among the organizers requested me to participate. But considering my official assignment and my weak stomach, I softly declined. Not many were eager to eat rasgullas on stage in comparison to those who were ready to enjoy them off stage after the contest.

While I was waiting for the announcement of the man with the best moustaches, one of the photographers, intrigued by the veil on my face, curiously asked if I was the same girl whom they had seen yesterday. I was however, intrigued by the winner’s 6 feet long moustache wondering about its management.

The other events of the day included women musical chair, Kabaddi (rural Indian sport), tug of war and lastly a fire dance late in the evening. But, unfortunately I had some other engagement so I could not relish them all and had to bid adieu to Kolayat and Bikaner. .

Since, the sightseeing in Bikaner is an affair of just 3-4 hours, if you are in Bikaner around this time of the year, giving it a shot would be a really nice idea. As Rajasthan is the rainbow state of India in terms of plethora of colors it palates, therefore opportunity cost of giving it a miss can not be erased.