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The Pushkar Fair is a famous festival celebrated every November in the small town of Pushkar, Rajasthan. It is located about 14 kilometers from Ajmer on the north-west side and is known for its dazzling colors and enjoyable activities that attract people from far and near villages.
Pushkar is a sleepy lakeside town with over 400 temples and 52 ghats, which come alive during the fair. The local folks dress up in traditional Rajasthani attire, and there is traditional music and many other enjoyable activities. Pushkar is also known as ‘Tirtha-Guru’, the Guru of pilgrimage sites or ‘Tirtha-Raj’, the king of all pilgrimage sites.
The fair is famous for being the world’s largest camel fair, where livestock owners from all over the world gather to trade their camels and other animals. The fair is celebrated for five days continuously from ‘Kartik Ekadasi’ to ‘Kartik Poornima’. During these five days, there is a large amount of cattle trading, including horses, cattle, goats, cows, and sheep.
Camels are given special importance during the festival as they are the pride of Rajasthan. They are washed and adorned with traditional patterns on their clothes, followed by a ritual ceremony that involves piercing their noses with silver round-shaped ornaments. The owners of the beautifully decorated camels are invited to participate in competitions between the best breeds of their traded camels. In one of the competitions, the camel that can accommodate the most number of people on its back wins.
During the festival, animals receive proper attention from their owners, who feed them healthy food to win the competition or trade them with different owners. The festival is a time when the art and colorful culture of Rajasthan are exhibited to curious tourists, and many more visitors come to enjoy the festivities.
Various food stalls are provided by vendors to visitors, but non-vegetarian food and alcohol consumption are strictly prohibited during the festival since Pushkar is a religious place. The most renowned Brahma temple is located here, and Hindu pilgrims come to dive in the sacred Pushkar Lake to wash away their sins and pray for their prosperous life.
Date: October – November
Location: Pushkar, Ajmer
State: Rajasthan
