Pushkar Mela

Pushkar Mela

October-November; full moon day of Hindu month of Kartika

Pushkar Mela is a camel fair and one of the best known of the Hindu religious fairs of India. It is held at Pushkar, the place where it is said a lotus flower slipped out of Lord Brahma's hands. Water sprang up where the petals fell and created the holy waters of Pushkar Lake. A temple to Brahma on the shore of the lake is one of the few temples in India dedicated to Brahma. Pushkar is in the state of Rajasthan, a vast desert area dotted with oases and populated with wild black camels.
The commercial side of the fair features the sale of about 10,000 camels. Sheep, goats, horses, and donkeys are also sold there. Countless stalls offer such camel accouterments as saddles and blankets embellished with mirrors, bangles, brass utensils, and brass-studded belts. Camel races are a highlight. In the "camel rush" people jump onto camels, and the camel that holds the most people wins a prize.
On the night of the full moon ( Kartika Purnima ), devotees bathe in the waters of the lake and then make offerings of coconut and rice at the Brahma temple.

CONTACTS:
Department of Tourism, Art & Culture, Government of Rajasthan
Govt. Hostel Campus
Paryatan Bhawan, M.I. Rd.
Jaipur, Rajasthan 302 001 India
91-141-5110595; fax: 91-141-5110591
www.rajasthantourism.gov.in

SOURCES:
BkHolWrld-1986, Oct 21
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 112