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Every year on the occasion of Karthik Purnima, a fabulous
10 days fair - "Pushkar Fair" is held in the enchanting
desert town of Pushkar. The fair is organized by the Government
of Rajasthan and attracts the owners of camels, horses, cows,
goats and sheep who come with their herds for trading.
Apart from trading in animals, particularly camels, the Pushkar
Fair is also an occasion for celebration for the thousands
of men, women and children who come from all the nooks and
corners of Rajasthan to have a jolly good time. Men are conspicuous
by their colorful turbans while the women folks are dressed
to kill with their colorful ankle-length skirts and bejeweled
from head to toe with traditional Rajasthani necklaces, waist
bands, anklets and exotic ivory bangles.
The riot of colors is in sharp contrast to the desolate desert
landscape. During the Pushkar Fair, the city of Pushkar becomes
an open-air amphitheatre show casing the age-old culture and
tradition of the simple village folks and the nomadic tribes
of Rajasthan.
The first five days are exclusively meant for animal trading.
The negotiations between the buyer and seller is a fascinating
sight, whereby the seller rather skillfully enumerates the
merits and intrinsic worth of the camel in question.
With the passage of time as the pace of trading slows down,
and its time for celebration with the quintessential Camel
Race being the piece de resistance. For the first time visitor,
Pushkar Fair is like a fairy tale spectacle and the manner
in which the camels are dressed up with colorful saddles,
beads and cowries, it seems that in Rajasthan the Camels are
style conscious. Prior to the camel race they are geared in
all their finery and to make a fashion statement they are
even applied with aromatic sweet scented perfumes.
As the D-day dawns (Karthik Poornima), there is a mad scramble
at the bathing ghats for the ritual bathing in the holy waters
of Lake Pushkar which is believed to cleanse oneself of all
the sins. The waters of Lake Pushkar are also believed to
rid the bather of skin ailments. Bathing over, its time for
offering prayers and paying obeisance to the one and only
- Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe.
In the evening as dusk descends on Pushkar, thousands of butter
lamps are lighted atop delicate leaf boats, which are released
in the tranquil waters of Lake Pushkar. The sight of thousands
of flickering butter lamps makes for a truly ethereal sight
and with it ends one of the world's most fascinating desert
festivals.
As one wakes up early in the morning to the tinkle of the
temple bells, hundreds of camels are seen marching along with
their newfound masters to their new abode.
India Rajasthan Tours offers online booking
for Rajasthan Fairs and Festivals. For more information
or to book a tour, please enter your query in the form below.
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