The Elephant Festival gets underway in the month of Phalgun (March) on the eve of Holi, the festival of colors. The festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels, horses and folk dancers.

The sight of mighty jumbos striding majestically is a treat to watch. The mahavats or owners proudly decorate their elephants with bright colors, jhools (saddle cloth) and heavy jewellery. Female elephants are made to wear payals or anklets which tinkle as they walk. Prizes are given for the most beautifully decorated elephant. Even more exciting is the polo match, the Elephant race, the tug-of-war between Elephant and 19 men & Women. The most colourful being the playing of Holi on Elephant back.

» History of Elephant Festival

The Jataka stories of Buddhism refer to the tradition of Hastimangala (the Elephant Festival). A royal mount from time immemorial, the elephant has also been a symbol of strength and wealth. For the Rajput kings, the elephants were of especial significance not only during war but also during the royal festivities-a must at royal pageant. Nishan-ka-hathi, the flag carrier, led the procession. The king always mounted a caparisoned elephant. Special hunting programs and elephant fights were organized to entertain the royal guests. Jaipur was a favorite with the important personalities of the British Raj and the Maharajas always arranged for their guests of honor elephant rides up to the Amber palace. Even today, the mahouts take tourists up to the Amber Palace on elephant back.

Rajasthan Tourism revived the tradition by including the Elephant Festival in the cultural calendar. The present-day pageant, originated only a decade ago, was devised especially with the tourist in mind. The inclusion of the game of polo is more recent, being inspired by a cartoon in Punch magazine that showed the Indian polo team atop an elephant after it won all the international tournaments. Every year on the day after Holi, the old stadium at Jaipur, the Chaugan (originally planned for elephants), forms the venue for a spectacular jamboree.

» Places to Stay in Jaipur

There are several budget hotels and paying guest accommodations available in Jaipur. Heritage Hotel in Jaipur includes the Ramgarh Lodge, Royal Castle Kanota, Raj Mahal Palace, which pamper tourists with royal treatment. For budget vacationers, there are also Five star hotels that includes names such as Man Singh Towers, Hotel Jaipur Palace, The Ethnic Village Resort. Many Jaipur hotels are a part of leading hotels chains like the Taj Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi group of hotels, Welcome group of hotels, and the Mansingh group of hotels.

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» Best Time to visit Jaipur

Summer ranges from 25°C to a maximum of 45°C, while winter lies between 22°C to a low of 8°C. The rainy seasons are very humid starting from July to mid September. The best time to visit Jaipur is between October to March.

» How to Get there

Air : Indian Airlines connect Jaipur with Delhi, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Bombay, Varanasi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad.

Rail : Jaipur is connected by rail with Delhi, Agra, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Abu Road (Mount Abu), Udaipur, Bombay and Sawai Madhopur.

Road : Good motorable roads connect Jaipur with Delhi 258 km, Agra 236 km, Bikaner 321 km, Udaipur 405 km, Ajmer 131 km, Jodhpur 316 km, Bharatpur 176 km, Jaisalmer 638 km and Bombay 1202 km

» Climate of Jaipur

Like most other north Indian cities, Jaipur too has extreme climate. The summers can be very hot with mercury crossing 45 degree, whereas winters are chilled and the temperature can fall below 5 degrees.