Menar is a very famous village in Udaipur, Rajasthan which has at least 40 years old glorious history. I keep visiting this village which has two large ponds which is home to at least 150 species of birds throughout the year. It also hosts many winter migratory birds during winter.

I had been fortunate to be invited to Jamrabij festival this year by my friend Mr. Umesh Menaria, a resident in Menar village, also student doing PG course, to witness this Jamrabij festival, which takes place one day after Holi festival. This festival is celebrated every year for last 400 years by villagers in Menar. This village is per-dominantly inhabited by Brahmins which took up arms against a Mughal outpost during King Uday Singh of Mewar. The brave Menaria Brahmins were able to dislodge Mughal outpost due to which King Uday Singh of Mewar donated 52000 Bighas of land to Brahmins of Menar and now this village is known as Menar village.

During this festival, five different groups of people from five lanes leading to main market place in the heart of Menar village converge and celebrate the victory over Mughal outpost by bursting fire crackers, firing gun powder in air. I think, all groups from the five lanes compete with each other for loudest fire-crackers. This festivity starts in the evening after 9PM with war drums.

Villagers come with traditional war dresses and carry shield, guns, swords etc. At the end of the ‘war drama with firecrackers, firing in the air’, women folks come singing and worship for the victory.

After this, villagers organise mock sword fights among themselves. We missed this this year, but hope to visit this place again next year.

2 thoughts on “Jamrabij Festival at Menar, Udaipur, Rajasthan in India”

  1. Dear sir I am also a villager of menar and your words are really true for my village but people think we wastes huge amounts of money in fire crackers and gun powder but the real fact is that only Jamarabij is the festival in which we the people of menar uses the fircrakers and gun. We don’t use firecrackers on even दिवाली. On an average to उदयपुर pollution created by ous is 1/12 of उदयपुर दिवाली

  2. Who is “jamra”
    I know about them because my village name jamra and my villager come from mewar for many year ago .
    At time jamra village located in jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

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