Pushkar Mela Date, Celebration And Activities

4to40.com November 8, 2021 Indian Festivals 5,540 Views

Pushkar Fair or Pushkar Mela is considered to be one of the most important fairs and festivals of Pushkar. Pushkar Mela along with its special Camel Fair portrays the rural lifestyle of the state of Rajasthan in India. Being one of the largest fairs in the world, this fair promotes cattle trading, local handicrafts as well as rich art and cultural heritage of the country and Rajasthan in particular. The festival’s hugeness along with its vibrancy attracts lakhs of tourists from all over the world. Numerous people from national as well as international destinations come to visit this popular fair and festival of Pushkar just to gain a lifetime experience.

Pushkar Mela Dates

2021: 11 November, 2021 (Thursday) – 19 November, 2021 (Friday)

Location of Fairs and Festivals of Pushkar Mela

This vibrant fair and festival takes place on the nearby ground of the Pushkar Lake located in the Pushkar town (Near Ajmer) in Rajasthan in the north western part of the country of India.

Time of Fairs and Festivals in Pushkar Mela

The time in between the period of Kartik Ekadashi, famously known as Kartik Shukla Ekadashi or Kartik Prabodhini Ekadashi and Kartik Purnima, which is a full moon day is the time of festive season in Pushkar. It is said, as per popular belief, that during the full moon day Brahma, one of the main Hindu Gods sprung up in the lake of Pushkar. These days, though varies from year to year but usually falls during the months of October or November, depending upon the Hindu calendar of a particular year. Starting from the day of Kartik Ekadashi, this fair cum festival continues for 5 days till the full moon day of Kartik Purnima. Since, the preparation for the festive season starts much before the actual day of Kartik Ekadashi, the festival starts a little before.

How to reach Pushkar:

The town of Pushkar, is located at a distance of around 14 kms towards the north west of the district of Ajmer can be reached by roadways, railways and even airways. Let us check the different kinds of transport services, which can be availed to travel to Pushkar fairs and festivals:

By Road: Marwar Bus Stand, located towards the north of the town is the main bus stand, which connects Pushkar to distant cities like Bikaner, Delhi and Jodhpur. Ajmer Bus Stand, another important bus stand in Rajasthan even serves the place. Situated at 11 kms distance towards east Pushkar, this bus stand has got regular buses within a short interval of 15 minutes, which connects the place of fairs and festivals to Ajmer, Indore, Jaipur and Nagda. Proximity to some of the National Highways and roadways helps people reach the town more easily.
By Rail: Ajmer Railway Station, the closest of all other railway stations, is just 11 kms away from the town. Shatabdi Express along with several other trains conveniently connects Pushkar to some of the main cities of the country.
By Air: Sanganer Airport, located in Jaipur, is the nearest airport to Pushkar that links the town to the major Indian cities like Delhi, Indore, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Udaipur as well as abroad. The distance between this airport and the location of the fair and festival of Pushkar is about 146 kms.

Celebrations and Festival:

The yearly fair and festival held in Pushkar includes varied activities that are mentioned below:

Cattle Trading: Synonymous to the Camel Fair, this festival of Pushkar is famous for trading of cattle like camels, cows, goats, horses and sheep. Apart from decorated cattle of different species, this fair is even known for bargaining while selling or purchasing of cattle belonging to different rural areas of the nation.
Competitions: This fair of Pushkar is featured with camel competition, where camels are washed and beautifully decorated to be a part of beauty contest among camels as well as camel parade. Another popular competition is the maximum number of people carried by a camel. There are varied other competitions like bridal competition, matka phod and competition of longest moustache.
Shopping: Being one of the significant fairs and festivals of Pushkar, this fair houses a number of stalls offering local handcrafted items, cattle jewelry, printed textiles, patchwork garments, bead necklaces, silver ornaments and many more. Apart from these, the fair even includes shops for doing body tattoos as well as shops serving delicious traditional and local cuisine.
Cultural activities: Pushkar fair and festival even reflects the rich culture and tradition of the state. Folklore and folk dances are the main attraction of these cultural programs held there. Varied other exhibitions, cultural shows and movies contribute to the fun and frolic of this fair and festival of Pushkar.