Pushkar Camel Fair
villagers from neighboring states flock in with their animals. More than 25,000 camels are traded in Pushkar each year and it makes for the largest trading zone of camels in India. The camel trading in Pushkar is a spectacular event and the panoramic view of the traders waiting with the camels for the customers to buy is an interesting sight to watch. Trust me when I say this but you have to be there to enjoy its sheer magnificence. Even though camels are the focal point of trading in Pushkar, other cattle and livestock are also a part of the
Tarachand
Gawariya
Bhopal, India
Pushkar is filled with shops that sell possibly everything that would be required by animals that are bought there. Colorful ornaments and bells of all shapes and sizes adorn the entire town. Every possible shade of yellow, red and pink is visible in the town around the Brahma Temple which is located at the Brahma Sarovar( Lake). Once a year, on Kartik Poornima, the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik( October – November), a religious festival is held in Brahma’ s honour. Thousands of pilgrims bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake adjacent to
Evening Gatherings Canon EOS 6D 16mm F / 4 1 / 120s ISO 1000
and be a part of the entertaining performances by artists like‘ Advaita’, Prem Joshua band and Harshdeep Kaur. There were singing competitions, bride and groom competitions, promotion of local talents, hot air balloon demonstrations, and many other such events which added to the joyous celebrations.
To understand what makes this small town at the edge of the Thar Desert bulge at the seams with people and camels every year, we must look at its origin. The religious aspect of the mela predates the camel fair by thousands of years; an event of considerable religious and economic significance that combines the secular and the spiritual, something possible only in India. The Pushkar mela is attended every year by up to 50,000 camels, 900,000 people and, according to Hindu beliefs, 33 million gods – the entire Hindu pantheon. Once a year, this ancient pilgrimage site becomes the stage for a unique show where faith and commerce
Utkarsha Soni Indore, India
Painting The Walls Nikon D90 34mm F / 5.6 1 / 250s ISO 320
Kshitij Mishra Ajmer, India |
Breathing Fire Canon EOS 5D Mark III 33mm F / 4 1 / 250s ISO1600 |
the temple. Various rites are also held at the temple during the fair. The day also marks the end of the famous Pushkar Camel Fair. |
come together and gyrate in festive spirits. |
trade. Horses and bullocks have become an integral part of this mela in the last few years.
One of the main attractions of this year’ s mela was the cultural event. People would gather every evening
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