14 January is celebrated in India as Makar Sankranti - heralding
the transition of the sun into the Northern hemisphere. It is
also a big kite day in most parts of India when children from
6 to 60 can be seen with their heads turned to the sky. In Jaipur
kites virtually blot out the sky. Everyone joins in this riotous
celebration and shouts of " Woh Kata Hai !" reverberate
from rooftops to the accompaniment of drums as adversaries’
kites are cut down. And everyone’s an adversary! Any kite
in the sky is fair game.
The three-day festival starts with an inauguration at the Polo
Ground, which is the venue for some serious kite flying and fighting
for the three days of the festival. The festival includes two
kinds of celebrations. A massive extravaganza follows, with Air
Force helicopters releasing kites from the sky, and hundreds of
schoolchildren releasing balloons. Kites that look like wasps,
exquisite stained glass windows, graceful mythical birds soar
in the sky and the sky shimmers with magic.
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Fighting kites beautifully choreographed by the
wind look like poetry in the skies, written by kite flyers from
many nations. The three days of the festival are divided into
two sections. One is the Fighter Kite Competition and the other
is the more sober Display Flying and there are prestigious trophies
to be won in both categories. Every evening participants are provided
with dinner at an exotic location.
On the final day the venue of the festival shifts
to the exquisite lawns of the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the royal residence
of the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The finals of the Fighter Kite Competition
and the final judging of the Display Kites are followed by the
prize distribution ceremony, the valedictory function, and a farewell
dinner with the Maharaja. As the festival draws to an end, traditional
Indian kite craftsmen prepare to return to their humdrum lives,
selling handcrafted aerial art for the general public.
How to Reach
Jaipur and Jodhpur are well connected with rail, road and air
with rest of the country and they are 315 Kms apart from each
other.
Where to Stay
| 1 Jaipur |
Rajputana
Palace Sheraton, Raj
Villas, Rambagh
Palace, Clarks
Amer, Mansingh,
Chokhi Dhani,
Jaipur Palace,
Maurya Palace,
Mansingh
Towers, Holiday
Inn, Hawa
Mahal, Maharani
Palace,
Trident Hilton, Narain
Niwas Palace, Raj
Mahal Palace, Samode
Haveli, Alsisar
Haveli, The
Ramgarh Lodge, Bissau
Palace. |
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| 2 Jodhpur |
Umaid
Bhawan Palace, Taj
Hari Mahal, Novotel
Coralia Ummed,
Ratanada
Polo Palace, Ajit
Bhawan , Bal Samand Lake
Palace,
Best
Western Ranbanka, Karni
Bhawan. |
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