Camel festival begins in Bikaner

The three-day Camel Festival started with the Heritage Walk of about one-and-a-half kilometres on Sunday in a joint event of the Tourism Department and the district administration

Bikaner:Famous all over the world for its sweets and savoury Bhujia, Bikaner in Rajasthan is also known for organising its colourful vibrant Camel Festival. The three-day Camel Festival started with the Heritage Walk of about one-and-a-half kilometres on Sunday in a joint event of the Tourism Department and the district administration. Generally, this festival used to be a two-day affair, held every year in January, but this year the Camel Festival is being held in March.

In this Heritage Walk, which started from the city's Laxminath temple to Rampuria Haveli, the artists were found displaying the traditions of Bikaner by wearing colourful turbans, Rajasthani traditional ghagra choliand dancing. Various types of musical instruments were brought to the Heritage Walk to introduce them to the general public.

Divisional Commissioner Neeraj K Pawan, District Collector Bhagwati Prasad, SP Yogesh Yadav, and DIG BSF Pushpendra Singh Rathod and officers of various departments and the general public were also present in the Heritage Walk. Divisional Commissioner Neeraj K Pawan said, "Bikaner is recognized all over the world due to this camel festival. Last year the festival could not be organized due to Corona. It was also cancelled in January this year but now as the situation is getting back to normal, it has been organized again."

DIG BSF Pushpendra Singh Rathod said that "camels are the lifeline of BSF in Rajasthan. Whether it is a matter of security on the border or a parade on the Rajpath at a national festival, camels have played an important role. They are also the identity of our culture. The purpose of the festival is to show this identity to the rest of the world."

Rathod said that Bikaner was identified by its culture. "We want the world and rest of the country to witness our culture through Camel Festival," he said. The festival would see various types of events including Camel decoration, camel racing, wrestling, tug of war, and women's Matka race.