The Pushkar Mela is an annual cattle and livestock fair set in the tiny temple town of Pushkar in Rajasthan. The fair is held for 7 days in autumn, around Kartik Purnima, the full moon night during the month of Kartik as per the Hindu calendar, which usually falls towards the end of October and early November.The town of Pushkar, set amidst the Aravali range and bordering the Thar desert is arranged around the Pushkar Lake. The Pushkar Lake is considered holy, and around Karkik Purnima, an especially auspicious time, hundreds of pilgrims congregate to take a dip in its cleansing waters.Through the Pushkar fair is known as a camel trading fair, in reality many animals including bulls, cows and thousands of horses, which in recent years have outstripped the number of camels, are traded there.Camels and Camel traders however, with their large colourful turbans, remain the main attraction of the fair which brings thousands of tourists to this tiny Rajasthani town.
As the Pushkar Mela has grown year after year, hundreds of performers from across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states come in to ply their trade, peddle their wares and earn a living.Walk around the Brahma Temple area and you cannot miss these little kids with painted faces. They travel with their families from mela to mela, dressed up as various gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, surviving off alms from the faithful.A pair of traders breed their horses at the Pushkar fair. Horse breeding is a big part of the Pushkar Mela, where the semen of what is considered a high quality horse is sold for thousands of rupees.Pushkar also attracts nomads from far and wide who camp outside the mela grounds. Besides participating in the religious fair, they are here for the photographers, who throng this colourful extravaganza from all over the world, and will earn a few rupees by posing for shots.Whats a mela without a mela! Beyond the camps of cattle traders in Pushkar there are the mela grounds, where a huge fair is set up every year, complete with games, food, and even a circus!Here dancers shimmy to bollywood numbers and stall owners screech over microphones to attract one and all to their respective stalls. Amongst the most popular events is the Maut Ka Kua or Well of Death, no village fair is complete without it!The Maut ka Kua is a 20 – 30 foot high well constructed with wood and steel. Within this well performers on motorcycles and cars will execute gravity defying stunts like hanging precariously out of cars and grabbing money from the hands of onlookers all while zipping around the well at high speeds!For curious onlookers and photographers alike, Pushkar remains a must do event on India’s festival calendar, so plan a trip, we promise it will be worth it
Some Useful Information:
When is it: The Pushkar Mela is held sometime between mid October to mid November, depending on when Kartik Purnima falls on the Hindu calendar. The fair is on between 23rd October – 4th November, 2017. Most of the cattle traders are there for the first 3 – 4 days of the fair, after which they leave and the ‘religious mela’ begins. In 2018 the dates will be November 15th – 23rd.
How to get these: Pushkar is fairly well connected to major cities in North India. The closest major city is Ajmer, which is less than an hour away from Pushkar and well connected to Delhi and other other cities by train. The closest airport is Jaipur which is about 2 – 3 hours away by road.
Where to stay: Pushkar has a few budget and midrange options to stay and Hotel Moonlight and Hotel Everest are well located and decent options. But book early because rooms fill up quickly and prices get really expensive closer to the Pushkar fair dates.
Dont Miss: The Naga sadhu parade that happens on the 3rd or 4th day of the Pushkar Mela and marks the commencment of the religious part of the fair. Its pretty crazy!
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