History of the Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan dates back to hundreds of years. According to Hindu mythology, the entire pantheon of
Hindu gods and goddesses assembled at Pushkar Lake on a full moon night to consecrate it. This action made this lake sacred.
For this reason, hundreds of pilgrims congregate here for a holy dip and to pray at the Brahma Mandir, a one-of-a-kind temple in India. This lake is also said to have curative properties. According to the Hindu calendar, the fair begins in the month of Kartik and ends on Kartik Purnima (full moon night), which is about late October and early November. The Pushkar Festival spans over seven days. Every year, more than 200,000 visitors come to this fair.
What's special about the Pushkar Fair? This is one of India’s largest livestock fairs where camels, horses and cattle are traded. Its religious and cultural aspects make the Pushkar Fair very popular and now, international tourists also come to be a part of this fair. Climatically too, it is cool at this time, making the fair and all its related events successful.
Though the livestock fair has been one of the major highlights of Pushkar Mela, these days, a number of related events have also become part of it.
Here are the various ways by which you can enjoy yourself at the Pushkar Mela. The activities and festivity in Pushkar Fair center round religious
traditions & rituals and cattle trade. It is a livestock fair and cattle owners bring their livestock comprising camels, cows, horses, sheep and
goats, delightfully adorned, to be sold during the Pushkar Mela Festival. The festival begins with a camel race--something done with great pomp and show. There's an elevated seating arena for visitors in the specially set up viewing gallery under a large and magnificent tent, equipped with all modern conveniences at the Pushkar Fair Festival. The event starts with a grand opening ceremony where brightly decorated camels and other livestock are introduced in the ring while mounted horses are brought riding in, adorned in typical Rajasthani colourful attire. Competitions are also held between the camels for very lucrative prize money.
Pushkar Mela, though has emerged as a great event for fun & frolic attracting large number of tourists from across the globe, has been since centuries a place of celebration of religious meetings & gathering. It was primarily a religious congregation. Hundreds of pilgrims come here to worship in Brahma Temple at Pushkar Lake. This marks significance of the event, while at the temple in the city, religious activities continue with high fervour.
With extremely rich and diverse traditions of arts & crafts of India, the local cultural-cum-religious fairs & festivals turn out to be regional handicrafts fair. The handicrafts displayed and sold near Pushkar Mela place are a delight to everyone. Stalls are set up selling livestock-related items, such as saddle straps, beads, saddles and strings of cowries. Women attend this fair in large numbers and head for the stalls selling traditional silver jewellery and bead necklaces brought all the way from Nagpur. There are also stalls selling brightly colored patchwork garments, printed material from Ajmer and traditional shoes, besides other items.
Music, song, dance and puppet shows enthrall the masses. People throng at these shows and get delighted. There's a whole range of musicians to delight the people at the Pushkar Mela, and dancers, magicians (Sing dance and music again repeated), snake charmers and acrobats, who come from great distances to entertain the people. Carousel rides for kids are also popular here. You just can't get away from the celebrations here without taking a stab at glamping in Pushkar Fair. Glamping, as you know, is the pleasure of camping in total luxury. There are a lot of such companies in Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan offering these services, in both air-conditioned and non-air conditioned options. Another must-do during the fair is to attend the performances of famous fusion musicians from all over the world.
One more activity of outdoor entertainment is hot air ballooning. Go high up in the sky and get a bird's eye view of the whole world from your vantage point--an experience that's definitely going to give you an adrenaline rush. Many visitors coming from all over the world enjoy this thrill. Other outdoor pursuits you can enjoy at this time include horse riding, quad biking and paramotoring.
Several sport events are organized here. Harmony Half Marathon is an exciting and not-to-be-missed run that gets everybody energized
during Pushkar Fair. This half marathon run begins from Dargah Ajmer Sharif and terminates at the Pushkar Stadium Ground. Amid all the
cultural events and competitions, there are teams of men and women who play tug-of-war. Other games include breaking the pot, competition
of men with the longest moustache, bridal decoration competition, camel races and other equally interesting games played in everyday life.
Safari tours are also held at this time.
India is full of such fascinating places. You can be part of its magic by being here at the right time of year to enjoy it.
If you are interested in being part of this vibrancy, visit the Pushkar Fair. We also have several Pushkar Fair Packages.
You can get the benefit of this package by visiting our website regularly. So travel with us and we assure you of a value
for money trip you won't forget in years. We customize your travel, always with your comfort in mind, so that you enjoy your well-deserved holiday.
Pushkar Fair Dates
| Year of Pushkar Fair | Dates of Pushkar Fair |
|---|
| Pushkar Fair - 2024 | November 9 - November 15 |
| Pushkar Fair - 2025 | October 30 – November 5 |
| Pushkar Fair - 2026 | November 17 – November 24 |
| Pushkar Fair - 2027 | November 6 - November 14 |
| Pushkar Fair - 2028 | October 25 – November 2 |
| Pushkar Fair - 2029 | November 13 – November 21 |
| Pushkar Fair - 2030 | November 2- November 10 |
Program Schedule of Activities in Pushkar Fair
| Day | Activities |
|---|
| Day 1 | Harmony Marathon, Hot Air Balloon Flights, Cattle Fair and Music Play by a Famous Band |
| Day 2 | Competition of Langri Taang with Foreign Nationals, Decoration & Dance Competition of Camels, Camel Ride in Semi Desert Area during Sunset, Cattle Fair |
| Day 3 | Horse Decoration & Dance Contest, Congregation of Handicrafts Sellers called Shilpgram Handicrafts Bazaar, Cultural Performances of Local Artists, Sunset Camel Safari, Cattle Fair |
| Day 4 | Cattle Fair, Animal Contests, Cultural Performances, Evening Aarti at Pushkar Lake, Sunset Camel Safari, Cattles leave the fair. |
| Day 5 | Cricket Match between Teams of Foreigners & the Locals, Mustache Competition, Turban Tying, Kite Flying Contest, Cultural Performances, Evening Aarti at Pushkar Lake, Folk Dance Shows |
| Day 6 | Cultural Shows, Exhibitions, Movies, Matka Race, Musical Chair, Evening Aarti at Pushkar Lake |
| Day 7 | Adventure Activities, Cultural Shows, Exhibitions, Movies, Matka Race, Musical Chair, Evening Aarti at Pushkar Lake |
| Day 8 | Holy Dip in Pushkar Lake by the Devotees, Mega Cultural Event, Closing Ceremony, Matka Race, Camel Race, and Kala Jattha |