Pushkar Camel Fair: Culture and Tradition Come Alive at Rajasthan By Rajendra Sharma At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The ship of the desert beckons one and all. Life in Rajasthan is simply unbelievable without this faithful creature and it seems to completely mingle with its surroundings. As hues and hues of village folk descend on the small hamlet of Pushkar, the air is permeated with the colors of life. In the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November) Pushkar Camel fair is organized starting on Ashtami. On the full moon day, the fair ends and during the entire week live stock trading and horse dealing is combined to give it an all-inclusive nature. The festival is a crowd puller and it attracts the foreigners and natives alike. A whole host of acrobats, comedians, traders, musicians, folk dancers and ascetics grace the occasion with their group-wise and solo performances.

Winter is charming here due to the cool winds from south-west. The sand dunes are all awash with gold and nature weaves her snake patterns on their face. The rainbow colors seem to descend from the skies and bedeck every individual and the landscape alike. The shops are a sight to see with every hue and every shade of the rainbow colors doing the rounds in garments and the like. In Pushkar Camel fair, even the camels come alive with these colors as they are adorned with choicest accessories. The simple rural life of village folks comes alive with the village folks descending on the fair. The original charm of the villages around the pilgrimage of Pushkar is seen with interest and excitement by the tourists. The tourists are drawn to the unpolluted charm of these village folks in Pushkar Camel fair who participate heartily in the camel and other cattle races.

However, there is a religious touch to the whole affair with the presence of Pushkar temple close to it. Legend has it that, Lord Brahma while searching for a suitable place to perform ‘yagnya’ (a sacrificial fire where oblations are poured along with the mantras) came to this place. A Lotus had fallen from the beak of Lord Brahma’s vehicle ‘hans’ (swan) and out sprung a lake. The lake is in fact, large with 52 bathing hats (place where the people throng to take holy dip) on its banks. Pushkar temple is the only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, creator of three worlds. It was on the basis of a curse by Lord Shiva that the worship of Lord Brahma was stopped altogether. The Pushkar Camel fair is all about leisure and pure joy witnessed on the faces of people. You can start with the fair itself and then wait for your turn at the temple.

Innumerable stalls adorn the fair grounds around the holy place. After the camel and cattle trading is over, the fair turns into a religious program for most of the people. People throng to the lake for a holy dip which is believed to wash away the sins of countless births. A human being is said to attain liberation ‘mukti’ from the endless cycles of birth and death by taking a dip in the sacred lake waters. You can also get innumerable gifts for your loved ones from the stalls that have been set up, selling handicrafts and other traditional items of Rajasthan. Also, accessories for women, cattle, camel and other animals can be got from the shops. which dot the landscape of the lake. And after the fair is over, you can plan a leisurely trip around the state.

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