Pinjore Heritage Festival on December 15 and 16

by Haryananewswire

CHANDIGARH, DEC 14

Haryana Tourism is all set to celebrate the 7th Pinjore Heritage Festival on December 15 and 16, 2012 at Yadavindra Gardens, Pinjore. An innovative endeavour of the Tourism, the festival goes a step ahead to project the ancient heritage of the town of Pinjore and Yadavindra Gardens. The grandeur of the royal gardens – fortress walls, ramparts, bastions and palaces offer a perfect setting to the Heritage Festival.

 The Principal Secretary, Tourism, Haryana, Mr Vijai Vardhan, who was   addressing  mediapersons about the forthcoming festival and its highlights here today, said that the festival would be inaugurated by Haryana Governor, Mr Jagannath Pahadia. Being organised with the support of Union Ministry of Tourism,the festival will remain open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both  days. 

 Cultural recitals in the evening

The Gardens will be dazzling like a jewel in the evenings, as the entire palace has been well-illuminated for the event. The musical evenings would further liven up the spirits of the festival as celebrated classical folk, Sufiana and Ghazal singer Ustad  Shujaat Ali Khan will perform on   December 15. Similarly, the performances for  December 16 evening are Swar-ragini recital by Pt. Subhash Ghosh, a disciple of Ustad Amjal Ali Khan Saheb  and Awadhi folk and Sufiana performance by Malini   Awasthi. Also, there will be a round of spectacular fireworks on both the days. Haryana Roadways will run special buses between Chandigarh-Panchkula-Pinjore at short intervals to facilitate the people in visiting the gardens during the days of the festival.

 Competitions and performances

A number of competitions like painting, rangoli, antakshari and fancy dress have been lined up for the school students of Chandigarh and Panchkula. On Day one, rangoli competition will kick off at 10 a.m. and also a fancy dress competition for junior group (Class I-IV) and senior groups (Class V-VIII). Following which, anantakshari competition for children with special needs will be held at 11 a.m. On the second day of the festival, a painting competition for junior group (Class I-VIII) and senior group (Class IX-XII) is scheduled. Also, folk dance competition will have participation  from students of Class I-IV, Class V-VIII and Class IX-XII respectively.

            The renowned Day Performers who will entertain the spectators during the day include Siddi Goma Raj Pipla of Surat, Kalbelia Sapera dance of Jaipur, Kacchi Ghori—Ajmer, Dhol Nagara- Banchari- Hodal, Bagpiper—Kaithal, Been Sapera—Panipat, Bhangra and Haryana folk dancers. A unique performance on both days will be by magician Deepak Sharma of Delhi, who would perform an astonishing feat of sitting 4 feet above the ground for a duration of four hours.

 Special groups

In tune with its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, arrangements have been made for the visit of the differently-abled children on  December 15. Similarly, ‘Heritage Walk by the Senior Citizens’ has also been planned on  December 16. The registered Senior Citizens Associations of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Kalka have been invited for it.  All the participants would be performing cultural programs and would be allowed free entry in the garden and also provided soft drinks and lunch.

 Craft bazaar

The main crowd puller of the festival will be the street bazaar (Anarkali bazaar) reminiscent of Mughal times, where craftsmen would display their unique handlooms and handicrafts. 

Gastronomic treats

The food stalls will be another major attraction of the Festival. A variety of cuisine to tantalise the taste buds of visitors would be the hallmark of the festival. This will include a wide range of delectable dishes like Amritsari Tandoori Kulchey, Jaipur’s Dal Bhatti Churma, Lucknow’s yummy kebabs, Chinese cuisine, Hansi Perra, Gohana’s famous jalebi and so on. Jammu and Kashmir Tourism is also participating and will rustle up an array of Kashmiri and Dogri dishes.Institutes of Hotel Management from Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Faridabad, Panipat and other private hotel management institutes of Chandigarh and Panchkula will also be putting up their stalls. 

 A date with history

For the uninitiated, the garden palace was built in the 17th century by Emperor Aurangzeb’s architect and foster brother, Fidai Khan. This garden has been laid and curated on a classical plan of Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir. It has been laid at seven levels on a descending scale. The Yadavindra Gardens is a fine example of Mughal garden design that reveals typical Persian elements, with canals as main axes, arranged in a cross-shape, dividing the main garden into four square sections, the chahar bagh, a distinctive feature of Persian and Mughal gardens, enclosed by high walls. Natural springs blended with a hilly terrain, display plentiful use of moving water in this lush terraced garden.

Adjoining the gardens is the Bhima Devi Museum that has been upgraded as a world-class museum, and adjudged as the best maintained national monument by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The campus has been artistically landscaped and well-illuminated with garden lights and tree lights. The architecture and techniques of construction of Bhima Devi Temple can be compared with the contemporary temples of Khajuraho and Bhubaneswar. 

            Pinjore Gardens is a popular venue for hosting another annual event, the Mango Mela, which celebrates mango as the king of fruits. The Mango Mela provides an excellent opportunity for people to see and taste top quality mangoes. Also, it provides a forum to the mango growers to sell their mangoes and mango products.