Taj Mahotsav (

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: ताज महोत्सव,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: تاج مہوتسو,

translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...

: ''Taj Festival'') is an annual 10-day (from 18 to 27 February) event at Shilpgram in

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. This festival is inspired by the old

Mughal era The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

and

nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

i style prevalent in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

in the 18th and 19th centuries. The

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

is recognized as a significant example of Mughal architecture and is considered a prominent historical site in India. Each year, the Taj Mahotsav, orchestrated by the Taj Mahotsav Committee, unveils a 10-day carnival. This carnival offers a platform to experience a variety of Indian arts, crafts, cultures, cuisine, dance, and music, allowing visitors to explore the diverse aspects of the nation.

Arts and crafts

About 400 artisans from different parts of India display their works of art. These include wood/stone carvings from

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, bamboo/cane work from North East India, paper mash work from South India and

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

, marble and zardozi work from

, wood carving from

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the public administration, administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Sain ...

, brass wares from

Moradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

, hand-made carpets from

Bhadohi Bhadohi is a city and municipal corporation in the Bhadohi district of northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As the district headquarters of Bhadohi, it is home to the largest hand-knotted carpet-weaving industry hub in South Asia. The city ...

, pottery from Khurja, Chikankari work from

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

, silk and Zari work from

Banaras Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

, shawls and carpets from

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, hand printing from

Farrukhabad Farrukhabad is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Farrukhabad tehsil. This city is on the banks of river Ganges is from the national capital Delhi and from the state capital Lucknow. His ...

, and Kantha stitch from

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. Various film production and media houses in Bollywood, like Dhaivat Records & Productions, also participate and manage artists in Mahotsav.

History

The Taj Mahotsav was started in 1992 to promote the local artisans and traditions of

Culture

The festival starts with a road procession which includes decorated elephants and camels to imitate the victory processions of

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperors and warlords. Drum beaters, trumpet players, folk dancers, skilled craftsmen and artisans also join the procession. Artists from all over India come here to display their art and craftsmanship.

Initiatives

The

State AIDS Control Society understands the importance of the event and uses different folk dances to campaign about AIDS awareness.

Theme

Every year the Taj Mahotsav is celebrated with a message or theme for the world. In 2017, the theme for Taj Mahotsav was "विरासत की छाँव में" ("In the shadow of Heritage"). Through this theme, the whole heritage of the zone, which provides a backdrop to the festival, is stressed. 2022 - The theme of year 2022 was Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav sang, Taj key rang.

Entry and tickets

* Entry Ticket mandatory (children under age 10 are free). * All foreign visitors have fee entry.

References

External links

tajmahotsav.org

upaidscontrol.up.nic.in/Events/Mahotsav.mht
{{Agra Division topics Festivals in Uttar Pradesh Tourist attractions in Agra