Rajasthan, the land of splendid colours, celebrates the Kite festival or Makar Sankranti on 14th January every year. It also heralds the sun’s movement towards the North. The Uttarayan depicts the sun’s shift from the sign of Sagittarius (dhanu rashi) to Capricorn (makar rashi).

This desert, set against a backdrop of brilliant coloured kites, adds flavour to the cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur mainly, in Rajasthan.  The people start the day by taking a holy dip in the pilgrimage of Galtaji. Here, they call upon the Sun God to endow them with prosperity, well being and vegetation. The city witnesses kites of bright and diverse colours popped up into the sky. The three day festivity begins with a formal inauguration at the Polo Ground in Rajasthan. Then follows the Kite flying competition where the pink city of Jaipur bursts into different colours. A day for families and friends to get together, the whole city is almost shut down as everyone gets engrossed in this lively activity.

Kite Festival Tour

Take a round across the city of Jaipur during these three days and what one would witness is myriad kites of different hues highlighting the sky. The flying of a kite, however simple it may seem, depends on the wind’s movement and is hence, unpredictable. People are seen taking sides, cheering for their favourite side to win! Giving them company are the drum beats, picking up their sticks when a kite goes down. Kites are cut down and some continue to sail high in the sky! The ecstacy and determination is all there. All kite flyers have an enemy! One keeps cutting the other’s kite till the very end. One can hear people shout, “Woh Kata Hai”, indicating that a kite is cut down!

Sweets and savouries are another part of this festival. Til Laddu, Gajak and Papdi are some of the delicacies prepared by the women in the house on this occasion. People visit each other’s houses and share the happiness and joy which has its origin in Jaipur’s heritage.

Significance of Kite festival

Though there isn’t much of a religious background to the Kite festival, kite flying on this day has become a custom. It marks the end of the winter season and the advent of warmer winds!

Rajasthan’s actual heritage lies in the making of kites. Sincere artisans work hard on making kites and the long thread attached to it since many years. It is only this time of the year where they sell in huge quantities, different types of kites with various messages written on them, or in myriad shapes, diverse colours or patterns too!

Main Attraction of Kite festival

The three day merriment takes off with gala and fervour. The International Kite festival attracts kite lovers from the entire globe to participate in the contest. The more the kites, the more the joy, excitement and adventure in the city! To add to the fun, the Force helicopters aerially release kites from above and even school children throw balloons in the air to multiply the colours in the sky!

There are two sections to the competition: The ‘Fighter Kite’ contest and ‘Display Flying’. Where the former contest focuses on showcasing their skills through a nail-biting and intense competition to win, the latter is more of exhibiting their colourful and attractive kites through their exuberance. Every day sees prizes distributed and winners awarded special dinners.

The grandeur ends with a Finale of the two contests held in Umaid Bhawan Palace extant lawns in Jodhpur, the residence of Maharaja of Jodhpur. This is followed by the award ceremony, valedictory function and exclusive dinner along with the Maharaja.

How to Reach Kite Festival

By Road

Jaipur and Jodhpur are well connected by all means of road transport with buses and taxis plying within Rajasthan. The road distance between Jaipur and Jodhpur is around 336 KMS.

By Rail

Jaipur and Jodhpur are linked well by the Indian Railways to major cities within India.

By Air

The cities of Jodhpur and Jaipur are well connected to various metropolitan cities. There are direct flights from Mumbai, New Delhi and other major cities within India. Jaipur Sanganer airport connects nationally as well as internationally.