Elephant Festival

Jaipur hosts the Elephant Festival each year during the Hindu Festival of Colors, Holi. Elephants have been used by the royals in war and peace. During this festival, the immaculately groomed Elephants with their colorful caparisons and howdas look even more attractive. The Best Decorated Elephant shield is strongly contested over.

For this colorful festival, elephants are groomed months before and then decked up with colorful and embroidered velvets rugs. Heavy ornaments and colorful body paints add to their beauty. Their tusks are adorned too with jewellery which adds to their royalty.

This festival starts with a huge enthralling procession of the royal elephants. The procession not just includes elephants but also camels and horses mark the commencement of this festival. Elephant races, elephant polo and even a tug-of-war between elephants and men make this a thoroughly enjoyable festival. The Elephants greet the visitors with garlands. There is even an exhibition called Gaj-Shringar, wherein the textiles, jewelery, paintings, medicines and even elephant food are displayed.

The Festival ends with the elephants in the festival of Holi and a display of fireworks.