Fairs have been held all over the world from time immemorial. They offered a great opportunity to merchants from distant lands to trade their wares.
Fairs continue to play an important role in promoting trade. A wide range of products may be marketed at fairs — from animals and automobiles to books and art. And when a funfair with rides and stalls is added to the proceedings, it becomes an exciting place for families to have a day of fun.
Clear blue skies and cool climes see people coming out in large numbers to attend fairs in different parts of India. The most famous of them all is the Pushkar Mela of Rajasthan.
Home to one of the rare Brahma temples in India, Pushkar hosts an annual camel and livestock fair during Kartik Purnima (around November). While pilgrims throng the venue to take a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake, others eagerly witness a spectacle of village India at its colourful best.
Camels are not just bought and sold — they are also dressed, paraded and entered into beauty and dance competitions and races. Quirky competitions like ‘longest moustache’, turban-tying, matka-phod etc. handicraft bazaars and traditional cultural shows heighten the carnival atmosphere.
Bikaner also hosts a similar cattle fair at the same time, the Kolayat Fair or the Kapil Muni Fair, named after the great sage.
The Harihar Kshetra Mela, also known as the Sonepur Mela held in Bihar draws more than 6 lakh visitors every year. Touted as the biggest animal fair in India, it trades in a variety of animals like elephants, dogs, cats, monkeys, fish and poultry apart from livestock.
The annual Gangasagar Mela draws large crowds on the island of Sagardwip in West Bengal where the Hooghly flows into the Bay of Bengal. It is believed to be the spot where Prince Bhagirath brought River Ganga down to earth with the help of Lord Shiva. On the day of Makar Sankranti in January, thousands of pilgrims take a holy dip in the ice-cold waters of the sea. Stalls sell myriad items like household utensils, clothes, conch shells, toys and foodstuffs, enthralling pilgrims and tourists alike.