The Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan
Every year on the full moon day of November, arrives the Kartik Poornima bringing the vibes of celebration and spirituality in the air. The rush of devotees in the holiest month toward marks its importance and the very essence of the name behind this place- The King of Pilgrimag- Tirthraj Pushkar. The Pushkar Sarovar (Pushkar Pond) receives thousands of people at its bank who performs prayers by taking dip in the water and lightning diya with sacred prayers. Undoubtedly it get pretty difficult to cover the entire rituals so becoming a part of the ritual is the other interesting and tactful way of exactly experiencing what is all going on. It is really worth watching as what makes this place so wonderful and famous.
This holy month of November is known for the second biggest reason- The Pushkar Camel Fair can be truly described as Holy, Adventurous & Mind Blowing with the presence of hundreds of Ship of the Desert. Not only camels but also the horses and sheep from the adjoining villages and town come here to participate and enjoy with the traders the very ambiance of the place.
Pushkar Camel Fair Celebration
Every Year in the month of Kartika that usually starts in November, on the auspicious day of full moon night – Kartik Poornima the Pushkar Camel Fair is organized. It is 3-4 days celebration as the traders starts arriving well before the Poornima so planning 3-4 days stay in Pushkar is highly recommended for enjoying the true spirit of the Festival.
In year 2020 the Pushkar Fair will start on 22nd November to 30th November.
Coming from in and around the neighborhood areas of Pushkar and other parts of Rajasthan and adjoining Madhya Pradesh the cattle herders comes to this place with their sheep, goats, camels, and horse for selling them at the best prices.
The best part of this far that makes it the most lovable event is the sports activity that can be enjoyed in the form of camel ride, camel polo, horse riding, mustache competition and many other things that blow away the minds of participants as well the spectators.
Being organized and managed by the Department of State Tourism, the fair is facilitated with pure and clean drinking water, food stall, and handicraft shops at fair prices.
History of Pushkar
A very interesting story backs the origination behind the birth of holy city of Pushkar. Pushkar city as per the available records and researched has confirmed it existence since the ancient time and also the mention of this place in Hindu Epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana confirms its religious existence. A Yajna sponsored by Lord Brahma after killing a demon of the earth. In that process, he created the place Pushkar, surrounded it with three major hills in order to protect the yajna site from demons attack. For fulfilling the complete rituals of the Yajna, Lord asked his wife Saraswati who refused to join.
The lord then after a process created a wife and rest of the ceremony was performed. When Saraswati came to know this, filled with rage and anger she cursed the Lord that he will be worshipped alone and this is the reason behind the Pushkar Temple that only idol of Lord Brahma is present, making it the only temple in the world dedicated to Lord Brahma and nowhere else. However, the wife created for the Yajna, Gayatri diluted the curse and blessed Pushkar to get famous with the name King of Pilgrimage.