Rajasthan
is at its colorful best during fairs and
festivals. There are numerous fairs throughout the
year in the state, which brighten the otherwise
hard and dreary lives of the villagers of the
deserts.
One of the most popular and colorful fairs of the
Thar desert is the Pushkar fair, which begins on
Kartik Shukla Ekadashi & goes on for five days
till Kartik Purnima. The time of the fair
coincides with the bright half of the moon during
the months of October-November. The lake at
Pushkar is one of the most sacred in India. From
time immemorial, people have been gathering here
annually during the month of Kartik to pay
obeisance to Lord Brahma. |
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THE SPECIAL
ATTRACTIONS
The picturesque
lake of Pushkar is set in a valley just about 11
kilometres northwest of Ajmer, surrounded by
hills on three sides and sand dunes on the
fourth. Pushkar forms a fascinating location and
a befitting backdrop for the annual religious
and cattle fair. Turbaned heads of men, and
colorful veils and skirts of the women, bring
alive the arid desertscape. The village women
dress in their best clothes and finery for the
five-day mela.
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Like Varanasi, Pushkar is one of the sacred
places for the Hindus, with 400 temples of which
the most important is dedicated to Lord Brahma -
the creator of the universe. Fifty-two ghats
bind the lake. During the days of the mela, the
otherwise tranquil lake is engulfed with
religious fervor. Thousands of devotees
congregate to take a dip, sadhus descend from
the Himalayas and people pray for salvation to
the sound of verses from the Holy Scriptures,
which fill the air.
In the
afternoons, people crowd the stadium where
camels, horses, and cows are paraded and raced.
Camels are bought and sold during the Pushkar
fair.
On the roadside, stalls of all kinds are set up
to sell a cornucopia of items. Almost every
household is engaged in setting them up as the
locals try to capitalize on the massive influx
of people. It is impossible to drive around
because of the large crowds. Either you hire a
camel or you walk. In this aspect, it is truly a
rural bazaar.
An interesting
part of the Pushkar Fair is the mass trading of
camels. Of course, cattle and other livestock
are also traded, but it's camels that hold
center stage at Pushkar. Camel-traders and
villagers from miles away converge to Pushkar
with their humped beasts. Over 25,000 camels
(and that's on the conservative side) are
traded; making this world's largest camel fair.
Since Pushkar is a religious place alcohol and
non-vegetarian food is prohibited.
RITUALS/TRADITIONS AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS
These five days
are a period of relaxation and merry-making for
the villagers, despite being the busiest for
them, as this is one of the largest cattle fairs
in the country. Animals, mainly camels, are
brought from miles around. Trading is brisk as
several thousand heads of cattle exchange hands.
All the camels are cleaned, washed, adorned,
some are interestingly shorn to form patterns,
and special stalls are set up selling finery and
jewelry for the camels. Camels at the Pushkar
fair are decorated with great care. They wear
jewelry of silver and beads. There are silver
bells and bangles around their ankles that
jingle-jangle when they walk. An interesting
ritual is the piercing of a camel's nose.
Races and
competitions are organized. Camels lope across the
sands sometimes throwing their riders on to the
vast sands, amidst cheers and jeers from thousands
of spectators. An interesting event is the camel
beauty contest, where they are adorned and
paraded. The camels preen before the crowds,
enjoying every moment of the attention they get.
It is believed that for five days every year, all
the gods visit Pushkar and bless the devout. This
accounts for the unbelievable number of devotees
who flock to the lake to wash away their sins
LEGENDS
Pushkar is the
only place in India where there is a temple
dedicated to Lord Brahma. A legend recounts how
Brahma sought an abode on earth. He sat on his
hansa (his vehicle, the swan) and flew over the
earth. He dropped petals of a lotus as he flew
and lakes sprung up where they landed. He
descended upon this site to perform a yajna,
which however could not be performed, as his
wife was not present. Narada was dispatched to
fetch Savitri. She made preparations to arrive
ceremoniously. Brahma, afraid that the
auspicious moment would pass, asked Indra to
"bring a wife from wherever you can". A young
milkmaid, Gayatri was brought to the yajna and
the puja performed. When Savitri appeared, she
was so enraged that she put a curse upon
Brahma-that he would not be worshipped anywhere
except in Pushkar and that too only once a year.
She then left for the Ratnagiri Hill and
immolated herself. There is a temple atop this
hill dedicated to Savitri.
Another
legend has it that the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who
was a devout Muslim but intolerant other
religions, once went to Pushkar to get the temples
there demolished. On reaching there, the King went
to wash his face in the Pushkar lake but recoiled
on seeing that the reflection in the lake was that
of an old man with gray hair et al. Taking this as
a bad omen, Aurangzeb decided against having the
temples demolished and went back to his capital
Delhi.
GETTING
THERE
Pushkar is 11 kilometres northwest of Ajmer, which
is located on National Highway No, 132 kilometres
west of Jaipur.. Ajmer is well connected with
Jaipur and Delhi by road and rail. One can fly to
Jaipur and then easily drive down to Pushkar, the
site of the fair.
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Indian Fair
& Festivals
Taj
Mahotsav
/
Desert
Fair
/
Suraj
Kund Mela
/
Gangaur
Festival
/
Pushkar
Fair
/
Elephant
Fair
/
International
Kite Festival
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