The enigmatic state of Rajasthan needs no distinguished mention for praising its vibrant culture, breathtaking landscapes, and eclectic cuisines. The way it recreates a celebratory vibe with every festival held on its ground sing testimony to the tagline ‘padharo mahare desh’ that Rajasthan Tourism swears by. Today we are talking about the Pushkar Camel Fair 2019. By Kumar Shree
Every year, the Kartik Shukla Ekadashi marks the onset of the Pushkar Camel Fair that goes on for five days before wrapping up on the day of Kartik Purnima. This year, the dates for this fair, also referred to as Pushkar Fair or Pushkar Mela are from November 4 to November 12.
Apart from being one of the biggest tribal gatherings in India with around half a million visitors, the Pushkar Camel Fair also has a religious significance to it, where the gathering arrives with an agenda of worshipping Lord Brahma, the creator of the world. Another factor that highlights the Pushkar Camel Fair as obvious from the name is the gathering of camels, horses and other cattle at the fair site. The count for these can go up to anywhere between 10,000 to 15,000.
This year, the first five to six days of the festival are dedicated entirely to cattle trading, where owners flaunt special traits of their cattle via competitive events like racing, beauty contests for animals, and camel decoration (Gorband). This helps the sellers to attract not only the buyer’s attention, but a hefty amount as well.
Next two days are for display of Rajasthan’s cultural flair in the form of dance and musical performances put forth by the locals and curated by the Rajasthan state government. On the final day of the fair, people take a holy dip in the Pushkar Lake and carry on with their religious ceremonies.
Once at the fairground, you can indulge in some hearty handicrafts and local shopping as traders from not only Rajasthan but Gujarat as well come and set up their shops. You can lay your hands on indigenous paintings, clothes, jewellery, footwear, and accessories.
If you wish to indulge in some activities apart from what’s going on at the fair, you can also treat yourself with a hot air balloon ride, camel safari, quad biking tour, and desert camping.
Some other amusing competitions and staple events of the festival such as the competition of moustaches, matka tod competition, bridal competition, local street magicians with their tricks, snake charmers and much more can tickle your senses as well.
Getting There
When taking railways, Ajmer is the nearest railway station to Pushkar and enjoys good connectivity from all major points of the country. When taking airways, Kishanganj and Jaipur are the nearest airports and enjoys good connectivity as well. By roadways, the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation runs buses from Delhi.
Related: Experience the Eclectic Pushkar Mela through these Stunning Images (If You’re Not Already There!)
