The Pushkar Fair, also called the Pushkar Camel Fair or locally as Kartik Mela or Pushkar ka Mela is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural

fête In the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies, a fête or fete is a public festival organised to raise money for a charity, typically held outdoors. It generally includes entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Fetes are ty ...

held in the town of

Ajmer district Ajmer district is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Ajmer division–one of the seven List of districts of Rajasthan#Divisions, administrative divisions of Rajasthan. The city of Ajmer is the district headquarters. ...

in (

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

). The fair starts with the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, also called Panchangam, Panchanga (), is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes ...

month of Kartik and ends on the Kartik Purnima, which typically overlaps with late October and early November in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

. In 1998, over 1 million visitors came to

Pushkar Pushkar is a temple town near Ajmer City and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about northwest of Ajmer and about southwest of Jaipur. The Pushkar fair alone attracts over 200,000 visitors. The Pushkar fair is one of India's largest camel, horse and cattle fairs. Apart from the trading of livestock, it is an important pilgrimage season for Hindus to the

Pushkar lake Pushkar Lake or Pushkar Sarovar is located in the town of Pushkar near Ajmer, Ajmer city in Ajmer district of the Rajasthan state of western India. Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus. The Hindu scriptures describe it as "Tirtha (Hindui ...

. Pushkar fair has also become a significant tourist attraction for domestic and international travellers, given the cooler season, the abundance of colourful cultural themes. Cultural events and competitions include dances, tug of war between women teams as well as men teams, the "''matka phod''", "longest moustache" competition, "bridal competition", camel races and others. Thousands of people go to the banks of the

Pushkar Lake Pushkar Lake or Pushkar Sarovar is located in the town of Pushkar near Ajmer, Ajmer city in Ajmer district of the Rajasthan state of western India. Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus. The Hindu scriptures describe it as "Tirtha (Hindui ...

where the fair takes place. Men trade their livestock, which includes camels, horses, cows, sheep and goats.Pushkar

The Imperial Gazetteer of India ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881. Sir William Wilson Hunter made the original plans of the book, starting in 1869.< ...

, 1909, v. 21, ''p. 1.'' Rural families shop at the handicraft stalls full of bracelets, clothes, textiles and fabrics. A camel race starts off the festival, with music, songs and exhibitions to follow. Between these events, the most waited for is the test of how the camel is able to bring the items. In order to demonstrate, the men go up on the group of camels one after another. Pushkar is in centre-east part of Rajasthan, on the western side of Aravalli mountains. The nearest airport from Pushkar is

Kishangarh Airport Kishangarh Airport is a domestic airport serving the twin cities of Ajmer and Kishangarh. It is located at Kishangarh on National Highway 448, north-east of Ajmer. The airport was inaugurated on 11 October 2017. It is operated by the Airpo ...

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

, about northeast. Jaipur is well connected with all the major cities in India. Pushkar is about from

, connected via Pushkar road (Highway 58) which goes over the

Aravalli Range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in North India, Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Ahme ...

mountains. Ajmer is also the nearest major railway Station.

Pushkar Railway Station Pushkar Terminus (also referred to as Pushkar railway station) is located in Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves the pilgrimage site at Pushkar Pushkar is a temple town near Ajmer City and headquarters of Pushkar t ...

is connected to Ajmer Railway Station.

Crowd

Around 500,000-600,000 people visit Pushkar during the main Pushkar festival.

References

External links

{{commons category
A Journey to Pushkar Camel FairPushkar Camel Fair Festival
Festivals in Rajasthan Fairs in India Pushkar Animal festival or ritual Animal shows Camels November

Crowd

See also

References

External links