Pushkar Cattle Fair

The Pushkar Camel fair was held from October 31st to November 6th 2014.

It is believed that Lord Brahma, in order to save his people from evil fought and gave birth to the holy city of Pushkar and has since been protecting this beautiful town on the side of the Pushkar Lake, enchanting in the Aravalli range of Rajasthan.

The Pushkar Fair or “Pushkar ka mela” is scheduled in the Kartik Maas of Hindu calendar in between the months of October and November every year. It is a grand affair with over 100,000 pilgrims, travellers and foreign tourists, making it one of the biggest cattle fair in the world.

In addition to the buying and selling of camels and horses, one can find activities and competitions like Camel dancing, the fight of the longest moustache and camel decoration etc. Rajasthani women and men can be seen selling handicrafts, traditional antique jewellery, rajasthani outfits and fabrics.

The Pushkar fair might be over-rated and touristy, but it undoubtedly appears on every traveller’s bucket list of things to do for the bright colors, camels, crowd, the desert landscape and the religious fervour, making it a truly mesmerising experience.

Local pilgrims heading towards the Brahma temple to participate in the religious rituals of the day

A snake charmer woes the ladies to donate money for good luck

Camels waiting to be sold or bought during the day

The lane just in front of the main temple which is particularly famous for its sweets and other local delicacies

The dogs wait in front of the food stalls for their own share of good luck as passerby offer some left over food to them

Temporary stalls and shops selling all sorts of equipment and fabrics

It’s all about the turban

The dentist!

Shops and stalls in the fair

Heading towards the mela grounds

A family of acrobats engaging with the crowd and showing all sorts of moves, in this one, the girls balances a set of small pots with a bamboo stick in her hands while standing on another metal plate on top of the rope