Paragraphs on Fairs observed in India!
India has several fairs on different occasions. The most famous of these is the Kumbh Mela which is a periodical affair.
According to legend, the gods and demons vied for the pot (kumbha) that held the nectar of immortality (amrit).
During the fight for possession which lasted 12 days, Vishnu was running with the pot when four drops of the amrit fell to earth. The four places where it fell—Nasik (Maharashtra), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Hardwar and Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)— were thus made sacred.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The Kumbh Mela is celebrated at each of these places; it alternates between the four places every three years in January-February. When it is Allahabad’s turn, it is a grand affair witnessing the largest gathering—the Maha Kumbh Mela, for, at Allahabad, is Prayag, the meeting place (sangam) of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the hidden Saraswati. Every year in January-February the Magh Mela attracts large crowds to Prayag.
On the banks of the Pushkar Lake near Ajmer (Rajasthan), India’s greatest cattle and camel fair—the Pushkar Mela—is held on Kartik Poornima (in October-November). In January the Ganga Sagar Mela is held at Sagar, south of Calcutta, where the river Hooghly joins the sea. Vast numbers of pilgrims bathe in the holy waters. Pushkaram is also a festival held once in twelve years along the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, especially at Rajamundry and Kowur. People take a dip in the river and offer worship.