Jaipur, Oct 30 (IANS): Foreign tourists in Ajmer' Pushkar town on Wednesday were seen thronging to beauty parlours and getting themselves ready with ‘Solah Shringar’ to celebrate the auspicious Roop Chaudas in which women get diverse beauty treatments including traditional and modern ways to look beautiful.
The tourists were seen following all Indian rituals to celebrate the auspicious festival which comes once a year and is celebrated across the nation.
Foreign tourists also lined up in beauty parlours to get the touch of Indianness by wearing traditional Indian dresses and getting themselves ready with all traditional Indian styles following the very Indian culture by heart and soul.
The Chaturdashi that comes a day before the Diwali festival is also known as Suhagan Chaturdashi and Roop Chaturdashi. Women on this day undertake different traditional and modern beauty treatments to look beautiful.
On Roop Chaudas, the foreign tourists were impressed after knowing the significance of Roop Chaudas wearing Indian traditional dresses.
Tina, a tourist from Denmark, said that she has been coming to India every year for the last 10 years. However, she is celebrating Diwali in India for the first time. On seeing other women dressed up on Roop Chaturdashi, she too got makeup done and wore Indian attire.
Another tourist Ellie said that she has been coming to India from Norway every year since 2014. "I am attracted to the attire of Indian women. Appealed by the richness and design, I too decided to wear the Indian tradition on Roop Chaturdashi," she added.
A female beautician said that she has been introducing foreign women to Indian culture for the last 20 years in Pushkar.
It is said that on the day of Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi, Lord Krishna freed 17,100 who were held captive in the clutches of the tyrant Narakasura demon by killing him. Then these queens were bathed with herbs and adorned themselves leading to the festival of Roop Chaudas.
Roop Chaudas pooja is performed mainly by women to gain beauty or to enhance their beauty.