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Pushkar
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About Pushkar Fair
Every November, the sleepy little township of Pushkar in Rajasthan,
India comes alive with a riot of colors and a frenzied burst of
activity. The occasion: PUSHKAR FAIR. Very few, if at all any, fairs
in the world can match the liveliness of Pushkar. Most people
associate the Pushkar Fair with the world's largest camel fair. But
it is much more than that.
It is an occasion for villagers from far and near to gather together
and enjoy a welcome break from their harsh life of the arid desert.
And enjoy they do! In dazzling style and colors.
It is an occasion for Hindu pilgrims to converge for a holy dip in
the sacred Pushkar Lake to "wash away the sins of a lifetime" and
pay obeisance at the ONLY Brahma temple in the world.
For the visitor, it is
an unparalleled and unforgettable experience to capture the vibrancy
of the entire state of Rajasthan in one place. This website by Rex
Tours, attempts to give you a glimpse of the magic of Pushkar. Of
course, you have to be there to truly understand it.
In the month of Kartik each year, a staggering number of camels
travel their way across the golden sands of Rajasthan to collect at
Pushkar for the week-long fair devoted to them. Coming in from all
directions, their masters astride them, they flick the sand at every
step with casual ease. The horses that march to this site find the
sand-trot a touch exercise. Numerous cows and sheep also come to the
animal fair. Completing the scene thousands of men, women and
children, come with their beasts, suddenly inhabiting the barren
plain with the camel providing the backdrop.
The contrast to the dull desert landscape is the riot of colours -
the large gaudy turbans of the native males arriving here to trade
their animals or set up the stalls to cater to the booming captive
market, and the loud hues of the pleated ghagaras (ankle-length
skirts) of the women bangled by the armful, bejewelled from head to
toe- adding charm and zest to the massive affair.
At Mela time, Pushkar is Rajasthan under one roof, a complete
exhibition of its culture.
The trading
Over the first five days of the fair, camels, horses, cows, goats,
and sheep are sold and purchased. There may be long-drawn
negotiations, or sometimes, a quick transaction. Hard bargains are
struck, the vendor praising the long list of virtues of his camel to
the prospective buyer.
Fashionable Women
Womenfolk seem to have little interest in the business of animals.
They are more attracted to the glittering wares in the stalls under
canopies. The large variety of intricate silver ornaments - hairpins
and chains, nose rings and neckbands, waistbands, anklets, toe rings
and the ivory bangles worn from wrist to shoulder - would send any
woman on a buying spree.
The garments stalls, in no way less colourful, sell high fashion
upper garments of patchwork and tie 'n' die. Tattoo stalls give many
women beauty marks that last a lifetime. Whoever said that the
unsophisticated are not fashionable!
Camels
In Rajasthan even the camels are fashion-conscious, and that too to
a high degree, for they are soon to be part of a beauty parade! The
proud owner of a newly acquired camel promptly goes to the stalls
which the women bypassed.
At these stalls all the crafts of Rajasthan have been pressed into
the service of the camel community. Handmade saddles to fit every
hump; long strings of cowries, beads; colourful, woven
saddle-straps, and embroidered back-covers to boot. After a shearing
and a scrub, the camel is costumed and even perfumed! Surely the
Rajasthani man loves his camel-and his wife!
Fun and frolic
As the tempo of business goes down, the men folk turn to merriment,
for the day of the camel sports is at hand. Camel races are the
first event. Usually a lumbering beast of burden, the camel all
decorated in finery, imagines itself to be an ostrich, and rushes
through the race like one. Then comes the event analogous to musical
chairs. Here, as the music stops, the camel is supposed to manage to
stick its long arching neck between two poles, each camel owner
guiding its entrant by means of a silken cord attached to its nose
ring.
Vying for the first pace in the beauty contest, splendidly bedecked
camels are bought to the ring and paraded to catch the critical eye
of keen judges. The gait of the camel, the choice of its equipment
and ornament, its capacity to interpret and carry out commands and
the variety of pranks it is capable of performing are the criteria
of selection. The most thrilling camel event is 'laadoo oonth'. see
how much weight the camel can can carry, man after man clamber onto
the ridge-like back of the camel, each clutching at the other to
retain the collectively precarious position. It is not an uncommon
sight to see the human cargo come crashing down as the camel tries
to get to its feet! It is yest to be known if this is the intention
of the camel.
The culmination
Kartik Purnima, the day of ritual oblation , is also the closing day
of the world's most colourful festivals. Bathing begins at dawn.
There is quite a scramble for getting a place on the bathing ghats.
The famed waters of the Pushkar Lake wash away the sins of a
lifetime. The mystical water is also believed to cure skin diseases,
making Pushkar the Lourdes of the east. After bathing, the devotees
line up in long colourful queues to take their turn to worship the
Creator, Brahma.
Romance touches Pushkar on the full moon night, as tiny leaf boats,
each carrying flowers and an oil lamp, are set afloat on the placid
lake. Twinkling like thousands of stars, their flickering flames
reflected in the water. The next day dawns for the exodus. Long
caravans hump their way along, taking many camels to their new
homes. Little does a camel know which master it will serve after the
coming Pushkar Fair.
Activities during Pushkar Fair
"As the tempo of business goes down, the men folk turn to merriment,
for the day of the camel sports is at hand. Camel races are the
first event. Usually a lumbering beast of burden, the camel all
decorated in finery, imagines itself to be an ostrich, and rushes
through the race like one. Then comes the event analogous to musical
chairs. Here, as the music stops, the camel is supposed to manage to
stick its long arching neck between two poles, each camel owner
guiding its entrant by means of a silken cord attached to its nose
ring. |
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