Rajgir: The 2014 edition of annual Rajgir Festival (Mahotsav) would start today at Quila Maidan, Rajgir. The Festival expects over 5 Lakh visitors from Bihar, parts of India and other countries of the World. Over 1000 foreign visitors are expected. Tourism minister Javed Iqbal Ansari will inaugurate it.
A Female Dance Artist performing at Rajgir Mahotsava
The 15 day event would witness performances by troops from several countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Vietnam. The festival would also witness performances by noted Indian Artists, the prominent among which are Kathak performance by Gracy Singh, Bharatanatyam by Devyani (Dec 30) and performances by Bollywood playback singer Javed Ali (Dec 29) and Music Director Preetam.
Other  performances include playback singer Altamas Farid (January 3), Sufi female singer Smita Bellur, ghazal singer Priyanka Vaidya, Odishi dancer Iliana Chitrarasti (Jan 3). A special event Bollywood Symphony would be organized on the concluding day of January 11.
While the first 3 days of the festival would be run by State Tourism department, the remaining days would be organized by State’s Cultural Department.
The unique attractions of this year’s festival would be Gramashree Mela, Krishi Mela Mahila Mahotsav, Book Fair, Children’s Film Festival and Food Festival. Nalanda District Administration and NIFT Patna would organized a Fashion Show during the event. For the first time, a Heritage Walk has been organized to track the path which Lord Buddha Buddha took for preaching and meditation after his meeting with king Bimbisara.
The Government has also started a toll-free helpline 1800-30700-6700 to provide information about the festival.
The Festival would conclude on January 11, 2015.
Ever since Rajgir Mahotsav started in 1986, it has been witnessing increasing crowd year after year. It plays an important role in drawing tourists towards the ancient City of Rajgir.
If you are willing to Travel to Rajgir, you must consider reading Rajgir Travel Guide.  BSTDC  would run special buses between Patna to Rajgir during the festival.
Visitors have several options to chill out in Rajgir during the Mahotsav. They can enjoy adventure sports and rides apart from rock climbing, parasailing and paragliding at the hills of Rajgir. There is a famous ropeway for going to the top of Gridhakuta Hills.