Rajasthan is at its colorful best during fairs and festivals. There are numerous festivals throughout the year, which brighten the otherwise hard and dreary lives of the villagers of the deserts.
One of the most popular and charismatic fairs of the desert is the Pushkar fair, held on the 11th day of the bright half of the moon. The time of the fair corresponds to the western month of October/November.
Pushkar Camel Fair : The largest fair in India, The Pushkar Camel Fair of Rajasthan a unique fair with no other equals. The venue of the fair is Pushkar in Rajasthan. Hoards of people from all of the rural India swarm the fair with their camels and cattle. The Pushkar Camel Fair goes on for a number of days with activities ranging from live stock trading to horse dealing to pilgrimage and religious festival. As far as the religious aspect of the fair is concerned, devotees bathe in the Sarovar Lake. It is believed that taking a dip in the sacred water of the lake will lead to salvation.
The Pushkar Fair is organized in the Hindu month of Kartika (October-November). It starts on the eighth day (ashtmi) and ends on the full moon day (poornima), as per the lunar calendar. Attracting tourists to the fair are devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus, etc dressed in bright colors. The highpoint of the fair is the trading of camel and cattle trading, especially during the first half of fair. In the second half, trading takes a back seat and the front stage is given to religious activities.
Gangaur Festival :This festival honours Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. The women gracefully balancing brass pitchers on their heads, wend their way to the temple of Gauri (Parvati) for the ceremonial bath of the deity. Idols of Shiva and Parvati are taken out in a procession accompanied by caparisoned horses and elephants.
