Chandrabhaga Fair

Baneshwar Fair is a popular tribal festival held in the Baneshwar Temple of Dungarpur. This festival, held on the full moon day of February or Magh Shukla Purnima, attracts a large number of tourists. On this pious occasion, Bhils travel all the way from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to take a dip at the confluence of the rivers, Mahi and Som. In addition to this fair, the Vagad Festival is also one of the popular celebrations of Dungarpur. This festival showcases dance forms and music from the region. Holi, the popular Hindu festival, is celebrated here with tribal dances.

History
Every year, The Chandrabhaga Fair in Rajasthan welcomes thousands of visitors and participants from all over the nation. It is held at Jhalrapatan, situated at a distance of about six kilometers from Jhalawar, in the month of Kartik (the full moon night).

The government of Rajasthan is taking several measures to promote tourism towards this unexplored state. The indomitable forts, magnificent palaces, charming wildlife, traditional fairs and festivals and peaceful lakes are some of the things that form the goodwill of this place. Chandrabhaga Fair, Jhalawar is one such splendid sight that truly deserves the attention of the tourists. This fair acquaints all travelers, pilgrims and explorers alike, with the rituals and traditions practiced in this region of the nation.

The ancient city of Jhalrapatan has an exceptionally large number of temples. It is also referred to as 'the City of Bells'. Amongst the old temples, about four or five still remain and the most famous amongst them is the Sitalesvara Mahadeva Temple which is also considered as one of the most remarkable specimens of architecture in India. A lot of pilgrims assemble into Jhalawar on the banks of river Chandrabhaga during the Chandrabhaga Fair in Rajasthan and take part in this gala event. The festival is named after the river Chrandrabhaga itself and is considered very sacred by the people of Rajasthan.

There are several modes of transportation available to reach Jhalawar and experience the Fair. Jhalawar has no airport of its own but the nearest airport to it is Kota which lies some 87 km away. The place is also well connected with Bundi, Kota and Jaipur as NH 12 passes through Jhalawar itself. The nearest rail head is Ramganj Mandi, at a distance of about 25 km and is on the main Delhi Mumbai line. Although, try and avoid this option, for as not all trains stop here. Only Dehradun Express and Frontier Mail are amongst the few trains that actually take a stop here. Jhalawar is relatively a very small town and easy enough to walk around on foot, but there are plenty of auto-rickshaws, cycles-rickshaws and Tongas available for the convenience of pilgrims.

Celebration
Thousands of pilgrims take a holy dip in the river Chadrabhaga which nourishes this region. It is considered a holy place by the people residing in this region, which is known as Chandravati.
People move towards the holy river to take a dip into it and offer prayers pertaining to the popular belief that their souls will be purified. Organized in the month of October and November, Chandrabhaga is considered as the holiest river in this part of Rajasthan.
Chandrabhaga fair attracts tourists and pilgrims from all over India and helps them mingle with the locals and their customs and rituals. Similar to the internationally acclaimed Pushkar Mela, this fair also organizes a huge cattle fair in which livestock such as cows, horses, buffaloes, camels and bullocks are purchased from various parts for re-sale. Traders from distant parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra meet here and smooth trading of animals takes place.