The three-day tourism festival of Hadoti- Bundi Mahotsav, 2024 commenced traditionally with the worship of Lord Ganesh at Garh Palace on November 18.

District Collector Akshay Godara, along with Bundi Superintendent of Police Rajendra Kumar Meena, member of the former royal family of Bundi, Vansh Vardhan Singh and others kicked off the festival with traditional rituals and flag hoisting.

District Head Chandrawati Kanwar, BJP district president Suresh Agarwal, Bundi Municipal Council Chairman Saroj Agarwal, Additional District Magistrate Sudershan Singh Tomer and Sub-Divisional Magistrate HD Singh were among the dignitaries who attended the festival.

Deputy Director of Tourism Vikas Pandya and Assistant Tourist Officer Premshankar Saini were also present at the event along with media representatives, social workers, and numerous citizens.The festival has witnessed huge participation of people and he expects the same response from the people and tourists for next 3 days of the event, said Collector Akshya Godara addressing the media.

Adequate publicity at other tourist centers including Pushkar for a month that resulted in arrival of considerable number of domestic and foreign tourists in Bundi Festival, he further said adding various events like heritage walk, Nature Walk on Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve track and several others for the tourists during three days of festival.

The festival generated immense enthusiasm across all age groups. The performers enthralled spectators with the Kachhi Ghodi dance amidst melodious tunes. Traditional local instruments reverberated throughout. Numerous domestic and foreign tourists arrived in Bundi to participate in the festivities.

Following the Garh Ganesh worship, a procession departed from Garh Palace, drawing substantial crowds. People gathered along streets and rooftops to witness it and throughout the procession route, business, religious,social organisations, and citizens welcomed the parade with flower showers. The police parade ground hosted exhilarating competitions as part of the Bundi Festival.

In the turban tying competition for tourists, Ireland's Chromek secured the first place, Poland's Patrizia second, and France's Leonie third. Among locals, Bhupendra Singh Hada secured first, Dhannalal Tripathi second, and Jagdish Prasad Sen third.

In the moustache competition, Kanwarlal Chauhan from Bikaner won first prize, Kishorlal Kallafrom Bikaner second, and Shyam Joshi third. A pot-balancing race also took place for women, featuring participants running with pots balanced on their heads.

Foreign tourists triumphed 2-1 in the tug of war against local citizens. In horse racing, Govind secured first position, Chandan Singh second, and Arun third. For camel racing, Dayachand won first, Dhanpal second, and Bhairu third. In the eveningDeepdaan was performed at Naval Sagar Lake