India is a place where numerous festivals, traditions and fairs are celebrated with great enthusiasm. For those who want to be a part of unique fairs, traditional celebrations, religious gatherings etc., India is the place you need to visit. Here we have the list of fairs that are celebrated around the year in India which you must visit once. Have a look.
Kumbh Fair
One of the largest gatherings of Hindu pilgrims is Kumbh Mela. This most famous Mela is celebrated at an interval of twelve years at four holy places of the country that are Ujjain, Nashik, Prayag (Allahabad) and Haridwar. The fair is held in rotation on the banks of river Godavari, Shipra, Ganga and Yamuna.
Sonepur Fair
Celebrated on the full moon day that is known as Kartik Purnima in Bihar, Sonepur Mela is held in the month of November. Also popular as the Harihar Shetra Mela, this is held in Sonepur where river Gandak and Ganga meets. This is the largest animal fair of India which has buffaloes, horses, donkeys, ponies and birds etc. on sale. Here you’ll find elephants lined up for sale and it attracts people from other states to visit the fair too.
Pushkar Fair
Held in Pushkar which is in Ajmer district of Rajasthan, Pushkar fair is one of the world’s largest camel and livestock fair. You can also be a part of competitions held here including the longest moustache competition, matka phod competition, bridal competitions etc. Held on the banks of river Pushkar, it attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Held in Pushkar which is in Ajmer district of Rajasthan, Pushkar fair is one of the world’s largest camel and livestock fair. You can also be a part of competitions held here including the longest moustache competition, matka phod competition, bridal competitions etc. Held on the banks of river Pushkar, it attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Kolayat Fair
Also known as Kapil Muni Fair, it is held in Bikaner in Rajasthan between Septembers to October. It is famous as you can find thousands of people taking a dip in the Kolayat Lake with floating diyas all around in its water. All 52 ghats are beautifully decorated as the fair is basically associated with the birth of the Ganga River.
Gangasagar Fair
The festival is celebrated on Makar Sankranti on the island of Sunderbans in West Bengal. A dip on this day is auspicious, so hundreds of devotees gather on the banks of river Ganga to take a dip in its holy water.
Gangaur Fair
Held to honour Goddess Gauri, this fair is where unmarried girls pray for their desired spouses and those married, pray for their partner’s health and welfare. On this day the married ladies carry pictures of goddess Gauri on their heads to some nearby lake and songs of Gauri’s departure to her spouse’s house is sung.
Baneshwar Fair
This tribal fair witnesses the Shiv Linga being worshipped in the Mahadev Temple of Dungarpur as it is celebrated there. It has fun songs being sung, magic shows, folk dances, animal shows, acrobatic feats etc. going on in the fair. So, it is something you can visit and enjoy a lot.
Chandrabhaga Fair
This is a fair at Khandagiri near Bhubaneswar, Orissa, which is also known as Magha Saptam Mela and is held in February. It is celebrated on a full moon day with thousands of devotees taking bath in the holy Chandrabhaga River. The seven day Fair is when people worship the sun god at Konark and is one of the most popular festivals of Odisha.
