The Pushkar Fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) or Pushkar Mela, as it is locally known as, is an annual five day camel and livestock fair held in the town of Pushkar between the months of October and November. It is one of the world's largest cattle fairs. Apart from the buying and selling of livestock, it has become an important tourist attraction. Competitions such as the ‘matka phod’, ‘longest moustache’ and ‘bridal competition’ are the main draws for this fair which attracts thousands of tourists. In recent years, the fair has also included an exhibition football match between the local Pushkar Club and a team of foreign tourists.
About the Camel Fair
Camels are cattle? The Pushkar Camel Fair is the world’s most genuine massive rural event. To an explorer from an advanced nation, your exposure to this amazing cultural phenomenon will leave you spellbound, especially if you are guided by great guides. Photographers cannot even begin to imagine their opportunities, with the desert backdrop, the colorful clothing, headgear, and lifestyles of the Rajasthani villagers, and, most of all, by the amazing activities that are always going on.
Yet what is most fascinating is having the opportunity to walk around the massive fairgrounds and watch the ongoing activity. You will see sellers preparing their ware for sale, from grooming them to training them. You will watch buyers as they inspect the camels and horses, from pulling lips over teeth, to lifting legs to check hooves, rubbing their hands over backs to detect potential issue with rideability, all of this will take you to a time that long ceased existing for 97% of the world’s cultures.
But, the most interesting thing you will observe will be the animated trading. You will watch facial expressions and gestures that are not constrained by polite modern sensibilities, although no disrespect is meant in their context. You will see age old negotiating tactics, such as when the buyer walks away with a disdainful shake of his head, and, sometimes, is reluctantly beckoned back by the seller. This is just a teaser - so much more goes on, it cannot be described on paper.
The Pushkar Camel Fair is a fascinating spectacle that occurs once a year in the small town of Pushkar, Rajasthan. It is your finest opportunity to experience rural India in its organic form. You will be surrounded by friendly and curious villagers, some of whom have never seen a foreign tourist in their lives, and are as astounded by you as you are by them. Many of them will have walked for weeks to bring their camels and horses to the fair.
The Pushkar Camel Fair is scheduled between end October and late November (dates are determined by the lunar calendar every year), and villagers bring about 50,000 cattle (the majority of them are camels, but also a lot of horses, along with some other cattle) to trade & sell.
