The
largest fair in India, The Pushkar Camel Fair of Rajasthan a unique fair
with no other equals. The venue of the fair is Pushkar in Rajasthan.
Hoards of people from all of the rural India swarm the fair with their
camels and cattle. The Pushkar Camel Fair goes on for a number of days
with activities ranging from live stock trading to horse dealing to
pilgrimage and religious festival. As far as the religious aspect of the
fair is concerned, devotees bathe in the Sarovar Lake. It is believed
that taking a dip in the sacred water of the lake will lead to
salvation.The Pushkar Fair is organized in the Hindu month of Kartika (October-November). It starts on the eighth day (ashtmi) and ends on the full moon day (poornima), as per the lunar calendar. Attracting tourists to the fair are devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus, etc dressed in bright colors. The highpoint of the fair is the trading of camel and cattle trading, especially during the first half of fair. In the second half, trading takes a back seat and the front stage is given to religious activities.
The fair sees a complete alteration of the small town of Pushkar into a magnificent fair ground. Exhibited on rows upon rows of temporary stalls, is an array of objects ranging from arts and crafts to the items of daily consumption. You can even find accessories for everyone ranging from women to cattle, camel and other animals. Apart from the shopping purpose, other attractions are the camel and horse races. There is even a Camel judging competitions held at the fair. Other forms of entertainment include folk dances and folk music of Rajasthan, enthralling the crowd.
