Caparisoned camels, folk music and dance, colorful cattle and a touch of Rajasthan culture that's a glimpse of world’s largest cattle fair at Rajasthan, Pushkar fair.
If you have ever visited in it, you must be knowing what I am referring to. And if never visited, believe me you are missing one of most enjoyable fair which make you feel close to culture at most sacred pilgrim destination of Rajasthan. The fair is celebrated for five days starting from Karthika Ekadashi to Karthika Poornima (the day of ritual oblation). Karthika Poornima is the main day of Pushkar Fair. The fair is certainly the world’s biggest camel fair. Hundreds of shops sell camels, horses, bulls, cows and other cattle. The fair is a perfect instance of the cohabitation of the religious faith and commercial interest of the human society.
Lord Brahma was flying over the Rajasthan desert on his swan, when some petals fell from his hand and drifted down. Miraculously, blue lakes sprang up where the flowers had touched the soft sands. Just then, Lord Brahma realized that this was the auspicious moment to perform a fire sacrifice or yagna. His wife Savitri was not with him at that time and the yagna would be incomplete without her.
So Brahma married a local girl and sat down for the without her. Meanwhile Savitri landed on earth and upon finding this new bride sitting next to Brahma, she was raged with fury and cursed him that he would never be worshipped anywhere else on earth. Ever since then, when the full moon shines on Poornima during the autumn period of kartik, the desert tribes meet to commemorate this epic event. It is interesting to note that Brahma is not worshipped anywhere else except at Pushkar, even though he is one of the Holy Trinity of Hinduism.
The history of Pushkar Fair states that on the day of Poornima, all the 330 million deities of Hinduism visit Pushkar Lake and bless the devout. So thousands of devotees converge for a holy dip at the lake to wash away their sins and pay obeisance at the only Brahma Temple in the world.
After the failure of the Mughal rule, the Rajput kings planned few measures on recovering the status of Pushkar Lake as well as the town. The British then started trading in this place and slowly introduced the cattle fair here in Pushkar. The revenue generated through these fairs was used to improve facilities at the lake and nearby areas. This fair slowly became popular around the globe and within few years, it has become the largest fair.
A large number of camels participate at this fair and all of them are cleaned, washed and decorated. There are also stalls, where one can buy jewellery for the camels. Camels are decorated with silver jewellery and beads. Also bells and bracelets are tied on to their ankles. Out of all these, the interesting ritual is piercing the nose of the camel.
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| Camel Racing at Pushkar Fair - Rajasthan |
Legend Behind Pushkar Fair
Lord Brahma was flying over the Rajasthan desert on his swan, when some petals fell from his hand and drifted down. Miraculously, blue lakes sprang up where the flowers had touched the soft sands. Just then, Lord Brahma realized that this was the auspicious moment to perform a fire sacrifice or yagna. His wife Savitri was not with him at that time and the yagna would be incomplete without her.
So Brahma married a local girl and sat down for the without her. Meanwhile Savitri landed on earth and upon finding this new bride sitting next to Brahma, she was raged with fury and cursed him that he would never be worshipped anywhere else on earth. Ever since then, when the full moon shines on Poornima during the autumn period of kartik, the desert tribes meet to commemorate this epic event. It is interesting to note that Brahma is not worshipped anywhere else except at Pushkar, even though he is one of the Holy Trinity of Hinduism.
The history of Pushkar Fair states that on the day of Poornima, all the 330 million deities of Hinduism visit Pushkar Lake and bless the devout. So thousands of devotees converge for a holy dip at the lake to wash away their sins and pay obeisance at the only Brahma Temple in the world.
Modern Days
After the failure of the Mughal rule, the Rajput kings planned few measures on recovering the status of Pushkar Lake as well as the town. The British then started trading in this place and slowly introduced the cattle fair here in Pushkar. The revenue generated through these fairs was used to improve facilities at the lake and nearby areas. This fair slowly became popular around the globe and within few years, it has become the largest fair.
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| Tourist at Pushkar Fair - Rajasthan |
A large number of camels participate at this fair and all of them are cleaned, washed and decorated. There are also stalls, where one can buy jewellery for the camels. Camels are decorated with silver jewellery and beads. Also bells and bracelets are tied on to their ankles. Out of all these, the interesting ritual is piercing the nose of the camel.
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