The four-day ‘Desert Festival’, locally called Maru Mahotsav’, is set to commence tomorrow, February 2, at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. As in the past, the festival is expected to attract foreign and domestic tourists.

The festival is being organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Department in collaboration with Jaisalmer District Administration.

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During the ‘Maru Mahotsav’, various competitions will be held based on historical and modern fantasy themes, Rajasthan Tourism Department’s Assistant Director-Jaisalmer Krishna Kumar told SNS on Wednesday.

The festival will formally start from Pokhran while the official inauguration of the world-famous festival will take place on 3 February in Jaisalmer.

Celebrity Nights will be the center of attraction during the festival being organised after a two years gap due to Covid-19 and its impact on tourism and hospitality. Live concerts by Indian score composer duo Salim Suleman, Raghu Dixit, Atrangi, Ankit Tiwari, Shanmukha, Priya and Indian Idol fame Salman’s live performance will be the center of main attraction.

With a view to make the ‘Maru Mahotsav-2023’, which has earned fame on the international tourism circuit, a grand-gala affair District Collector-cum-District Magistrate of Jaisalmer Tina Dabi emphasised on giving a maximum publicity to attract not only domestic but also tourists from across the globe.

This time around the theme of the festival has been conceptualised on historical, modern and fantasy themes encapsulating the rich history, tradition, and culture of the world-famous city of Jaisalmer, she said.

Elaborate arrangements have been made to keep the tourists updated about various facets of the festival through social media platforms of Rajasthan Tourism. Adventure tourism along with ‘Jeep and Camel Safari’ will be another key attraction for the tourists attending the festival while having the best opportunity to relish Jaisalmeri cuisine.

Due to eco-sensitive zone under the Desert National Park (DNP) in the area of Sam sand dune and a Forest department’s case pending with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the concluding day celebration of the desert festival on February 5 is likely to be shifted to another place, Assistant Director Kumar hinted.

As per the case in NGT, no strong light and fireworks should be used at Sam sand dunes and Khuhadi sand dunes as it will have adverse effects on the wildlife. The Tourism Department is waiting for the final verdict and the Jaisalmer district administration’s guidelines for the change of venue on the last day of the festival.