Everything you need to know about pushkar camel fair
Celebrated around October- November every year, Pushkar Camel Fair is the major tourist attraction of the small town called Pushkar in Rajasthan. This town gets lively during the fair, which is an event filled with colors, dance and a lot of music. People from all over the world visit the holy city of Pushkar during this fair.
What is the Pushkar Camel Fair?
The Pushkar Camel Fair (Pushkar Fair or Pushkar Cattle Fair or Pushkar Mela) is an appealing fair held in the holy city of Pushkar in the culturally-rich Indian state of Rajasthan. Pushkar Fair started off as a cattle fair, where people brought their cattle, camels, horses for trading purpose during the Hindu lunar month of Kartik, which is observed around October or November. Known as the largest cattle fair in the world, Pushkar Mela has two aspects- livestock trading where thousands of camels, sheep, horses, cows are sold and bought and another one is its religious significance for the locals of Rajasthan. This annual multi-day event is also a host to various interesting competitions, cultural activities, and traditions. This fair must be attended if you wish to seek insights into the culture and heritage of Rajasthan.
How is Pushkar Camel Fair celebrated?
Most of the activities and celebrations of the fair take place at the beautifully decorated fairgrounds, which is a group of large arid land situated at the crossing of the Brahma Temple Road and the National Highway 89. As the name indicates, the major charm of the fair is the camel. They are dressed and decorated exquisitely with colorful saddles, jewelry, and other adornments and are displayed for sale. There are many activities organized in the fair in which camels participate and represent themselves as the most potent one, such as camel races, beauty pageants, camel shaving, camel dance, camel parades and so on.
Apart from the enthralling activities involving camel- the ship of the desert, Pushkar Mela features many other delights for entertaining people of nearby villages as well as other states and countries. Several cultural performances are arranged exhibiting the harmony prevalent between human beings and animals. Some of the most famous performances include music and folk dance performances, acts performed by magicians and snake charmers, fortune telling, acrobatics, etc. The carousel ride is another interesting aspect of the fair, without which a visit to Rajasthan is absolutely incomplete. The competitions like the longest mustache, tug-of-war, bridal competition, turban tying, tilak competition, matka phod, Matka race, and many others make the atmosphere festive. Tourists are also allowed to participate in these enthralling competitions and Indian sports competitions like cricket and kabaddi can also be enjoyed during the fair.
Which rituals are performed during Pushkar Camel Fair?
Not only Pushkar Fair is known for its festivities and camel trading but is also popular among Hindus as an important pilgrimage. Prior to the day of the full moon, the town gets chock full of pilgrims, who engage in religious ceremonies and bhajans occurring in various temples of the town. According to the Hindu mythology, the town was created by Lord Brahma (the creator), therefore the fair is seen as a festival dedicated to him. On the sacred full-moon night (Kartik Purnima), countless pilgrims take a holy dip in the waters of Pushkar Lake and it is believed to wash away all the sins. Pushkar Lake is located at the heart of the town, fringed by 52 bathing ghats. People also offer prayers to Lord Brahma in the 2000-years-old Brahma Temple existing in Pushkar. The event is concluded with an Aarti ceremony on the banks of Pushkar Lake.
