Faithful Bond Between Man And Animal

By: Rita Jain
Submitted: 2007-12-31 14:40:03
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Rajasthan is unique in more than one ways. Be it cuisine, culture, traditions or festivals, there is always something that is out of the ordinary and captures our imagination. This uniqueness is most visible in the many festivals celebrated in the colorful state of Rajasthan. One such festival is the 'Ashwa Poojan' celebrated by the Royal Mewar Family of Udaipur. Though Ashwa Poojan is one of its kind in India today, but this concept is not at all new to Indian culture. In Mythological texts, there is reference found on similar celebrations called Ashwamedha Yagya. Though the rituals in the text are completely different from what we see today, but the logic and the reason remain the same.

'Ashwa' means Horse and 'Poojan' means worship. Since ages, the Mewar Family has been celebrating the wonderful bond between man and horse, and the ritual is continued till date. Presently, Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar is the 76th custodian of House of Mewar. Every year, at the end of Navaratri Festival, the services of the horses to the Mewar Family are acknowledged by offering prayers to the royal horses. These horses are considered to be sacred as their faithfulness and services are thought to be the reasons why many Rajput families still live on. Be it the time of war or peace, these royal horses have fulfilled their duties to the fullest.

The palace band is arranged in front of the stage where five royal Horses Raj Tilak, Raj Roop, Ganesh, Raj Swaroop and Tarangini are worshiped. All these horses belong to the famous Marwari breed recognized as one of the best in the world. They are bred at The Imperial Stud Farms in Shikarbadi. 7 The rituals are all done by the Maharaja himself symbolizing the importance of this one of a kind celebration. Ashwa Poojan take place on Ram Navami marking the end of Navaratris. Most of the people who come to witness the event are invited by the king himself. Although one can also become a spectator by taking a ticket which obviously is priced too high. But after attending the event, i think it's worth it. The main highlight for me of the festival was definitely the food. Rajasthani cuisine is always mouthwatering, when there are so many dishes, it is really a dream.

Rita Jain is an eminent writer who has the experience of writing on many varied topics. Recently she has witnessed many Festivals of Rajasthan, of which Ashwa Poojan is the most recent one. To find more of her exclusive works, log on to Rajasthanunlimited.com

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