Bikaner’s Best Dressed: Camel Grooming Celebrates The Bond Between Man & Animal

For the nomad communities of Rajasthan, camels have been survival partners. For centuries, they’ve carried people and goods across the scorching Thar, provided milk and wool, and stood by the desert folk through thick and thin. Among the Raika community, camel herding is a tradition passed down through generations. These animals are deeply tied to Rajasthan’s identity, their role stretching from daily life to culture, tradition, economy and even art.

And when it comes to celebrating camels, Rajasthan does it in the grandest way possible. Every year at the Bikaner Camel Festival, these desert giants come together in a ceremony of communal appreciation. Apart from jewellery and other embellishments, their thick coats become canvases for breathtaking shaved carvings with traditional motifs like geometric patterns, intricate jaalis, swirling vines, and even entire scenes from folklore and mythology. You’ll see peacocks, temples, Mughal gardens, and Rajasthani warriors emerging from the curves of a camel’s back.

This kind of barbering takes years. Photographer Osakabe Yasuo, who has documented camel grooming in Rajasthan, tells Bored Panda that creating these designs is a slow and meticulous process, sometimes spanning three years. The first two years focus on growing, trimming, and shaping the fur to the right thickness. Only in the final year do artisans carve detailed patterns, sometimes adding dye for extra effect, before showcasing their work at competitions where the best-groomed camels steal the show.

But beneath all the artistry lies something deeper. Rajasthan's grooming tradition is an extension of the connection between people and their animals. In the vast desert, survival depends on partnership. The Raika believe their camels are family, raised with care and pride. These carvings and patterns are a way of honoring that bond, a tribute to an animal that has shaped life in one of the harshest landscapes on earth. The camels carry history, culture, and resilience within them. And through the art of grooming, their keepers tell a story — not just of beauty, but of a relationship built on trust, respect, and centuries of shared existence.

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