Abhaneri Festival

Abhaneri Festival, conducted inside a step well, is one of the major tourist attractions in Rajasthan. Glorious history, vibrant culture, rich heritage, lively traditions, beautiful monuments and repertoire of crafts are displayed in most enchanting forms in annually held Abhaneri Festival. Abhaneri is actually a village in Rajasthan in the Dausa district whose origin dates back to the 9th century. The heritage site or the place is famous for the post Gupta and early medieval era monuments. The major attraction of the place is the Abhaneri step well and the religious Harshat Mata temple. The village is also known for contributing various sculptures to a lot of museums in the whole world. The original name of the village is Abha Nagri which means the city of brightness. Presently, the place is mostly in ruins but still attracts the tourists from all over the globe, especially for the annual Abhaneri Festival.

The Abhaneri festival is organised by the Department of Tourism, the Government of Rajasthan, along with the Dausa district administration. It is organised on a grand level every year to promote the heritage and culture of the place. The festival is conducted in the village with a lot of vibrant activities and cultural performances. The festival is a two days cultural pageant that attracts a lot of visitors. The step well, known as Chand Baori, is the site of celebration of the rich culture and heritage. The Chand Baori is the largest step well in Rajasthan and still functional. Step wells in desert state of Rajasthan are unique modes of water harvesting. These step wells, called ‘baori’ in local parlance, are built adjacent to famous temples, thus facilitate in religious rituals as well. Chand Baori is also located close to Harshat Mata temple.