Pushkar Fair

There are numerous colorful fares and festivals celebrated in Rjasthan which are unique in its culture and the way of its presentation. Pushkar fair is one among them which is celebrated in the month of Kartika (October-November) in a sacred town-Pushkar for the Hindus, situated 11 kms to the north-west of Ajmer (Rajasthan). The festival is quite popular for the largest camel fair in India. People from all over the rural India come to take part in the fair with their camels and cattle. Every year, a large number of people from India and even from the different parts of the globe come in flock Pushkar to see the charm of this fair.

The duration of this fare is for a number of days where various activities are performed ranging from live stock trading of cattle to some religious activities. Festival begins on the eighth day (ashtmi) of Kartika and ends on the full moon day (poornima), as per the lunar calendar. As far as the spiritual aspect of the fair is concerned, devotees take a holy dip in the Sarovar Lake. It is believed that taking a dip in the sacred water of the lake will lead to salvation. Bright and colorful dressed devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus, etc are some other interesting groups which entice tourist and enthralling the crowd.

As per the historical anecdote and some myth, it is told about this holy place that Lord Brahma in quest of a spot to hold his 'yagna' (religious ceremony), dropped the lotus from his hand, the three spots touched by this flower were turned into lakes. It is believed that these three spots are the 'Jyeshtha Pushkar' (main Pushkar), the 'Madhyam Pushkar' (medium Pushkar) and the 'Kanishtha Pushkar' (little Pushkar). It is also important to know about Pushkar that there are about 400 temples and shrines in and around this scared city but the very much significant is the temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, which is only one such kind of available temple in the India as well as world.

During the first half of this colorful fair, entire focuses are paid in trading of camel and cattle where the cattle-breeders bring a large number of cattle of various popular breeds such as Nagauri, Haryanvi, Mewati, Kankrej etc. The cattle are ornamented by their owners during the fair and also participate in the races and are paraded on the sand dunes. Trading of cattle takes a back seat at the end of first half of this festival and the front stage is given to religious activities. The days are filled with fun and activity throughout the festival. Rich strains of haunting music and colorful dance along with merriment and the contagious enthusiasm of the village folk dancers are a unique experience for every visitor.