The annual Fair at Pushkar is directly linked to the Hindu lunar calendar and takes place in the Hindu month of Kartik (October and November).
This year the fair runs from 4th to 12 November but the camel traders congregate in the dunes outside the village of Pushkar for several days before the official start date.
The fair has two components: camel/horse trading and religious rituals. The
camel & horse trading happens at the
beginning of the festival and towards the end the
focus shifts to the religious ceremonies.
This year the fair runs from 4th to 12 November but the camel traders congregate in the dunes outside the village of Pushkar for several days before the official start date.
I'd read that the festivities start with camel races and competitions such as "the best moustache" and turban tying. Sadly, try as I might, I couldn't find any sort of timetable for these extra events so we took a chance and booked a hire care to drive us from Jaipur to Pushkar (about 3 hours each way with a wee & tea break). At our hotel, the Manager told us we really needed to stay overnight to get two days there to witness all the events … but we're happy with what we saw and pleased we didn't stay longer. It was pretty hot there and we were getting hassled by hawkers and beggars so were getting a little short tempered!
The atmosphere was very lively with camel cart rides, all sorts of market stalls, musicians, lots of gypsies & beggars (shipped in for the event it seemed), and a really big fairground. It was an amazing thing to witness but the 'lower' end of the horse trading was on a par with Appleby Fair in England with gypsies buying selling and riding their horses bareback up and down the lanes. The more responsible owners presented their horses/camels beautifully - the horses were under shade and bathed/groomed and fed adequately.
After the first week the animals, owners and traders will start disappearing back into the desert and thousands of pilgrims will gather to bathe in the lake and absolve themselves of sin, marking the end of the event. There's a grand finale including a fireworks display but we will be in Varanasi by then.
I'm so pleased we got to see this Fair as it is apparently getting smaller each year although we were amazed at how many camels and horses were here today. It was a fantastic experience but we only really saw the camels and horses and not any of the other competitions/events.
The big showring/arena was dominated by 'dancing' horses. The arena was crowded so I only saw a little bit but basically each 'dancing' horse has its own group of musicians playing drums and other instruments and a handler making it dance. I'd watched some of the horses/handlers warming up and whilst there was no cruelty/hitting/whipping involved it made me uncomfortable as the horses were 'niggled' is the best way I can describe to make them fidget and dance, seemingly in time to the music. There seemed to be several more horses/bands lining up awaiting their slot to perform so we'd had enough by then and didn't want to stay any longer to wait for the other events.
I haven't had time to go through all the photos but this is a selection.
Some of the camels and their owners
The camels with the most 'bling' were the ones pulling carts to take visitors around the Fair
I loved the bells on their ankles
There were hundreds more camels around the Fair and on the surrounding dunes
Hair removal … with hand shears (slow work methinks)
The majority of horses at the Fair were Marwari horses. They are from Rajasthan and have distinctive inward turning ears where the tips almost touch. They used to be Indian war horses but now are used for riding or light draught work. They're very hardy and thought to be the result of crossing Arabians with native Indian horses.
And another one
Note the Gold jewellery which sounded like bells as the horse moved
There was plenty of 'horsey bling' on sale at the Fair
The horses I felt sorry for were the less 'fine' ones who weren't treated as well - I liken the owners/sellers to the gypsies/travellers who flock to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria each year
This one was getting washed by the trough rather than in the river at Appleby
With the exception of the last idiot here … the horses weren't being beaten and weren't in very poor condition - but they were being handled/ridden roughly. Hopefully they will find new, better owners
Once sold, many of the horses were loaded (with human passengers) on the back of open trucks and driven away. A couple of hours into our drive home we were still passing blinged up camels tied to the back of camel pulled carts and horses on lorries so the buyers really do come from all over to look for new stock.
I was in the back seat of the car and took this through the windscreen so its hazy but you can see how lopsided the truck is .... I hope they made it home safely
The atmosphere was very lively with camel cart rides, all sorts of market stalls, musicians, lots of gypsies & beggars (shipped in for the event it seemed), and a really big fairground. It was an amazing thing to witness but the 'lower' end of the horse trading was on a par with Appleby Fair in England with gypsies buying selling and riding their horses bareback up and down the lanes. The more responsible owners presented their horses/camels beautifully - the horses were under shade and bathed/groomed and fed adequately.
After the first week the animals, owners and traders will start disappearing back into the desert and thousands of pilgrims will gather to bathe in the lake and absolve themselves of sin, marking the end of the event. There's a grand finale including a fireworks display but we will be in Varanasi by then.
I'm so pleased we got to see this Fair as it is apparently getting smaller each year although we were amazed at how many camels and horses were here today. It was a fantastic experience but we only really saw the camels and horses and not any of the other competitions/events.
The big showring/arena was dominated by 'dancing' horses. The arena was crowded so I only saw a little bit but basically each 'dancing' horse has its own group of musicians playing drums and other instruments and a handler making it dance. I'd watched some of the horses/handlers warming up and whilst there was no cruelty/hitting/whipping involved it made me uncomfortable as the horses were 'niggled' is the best way I can describe to make them fidget and dance, seemingly in time to the music. There seemed to be several more horses/bands lining up awaiting their slot to perform so we'd had enough by then and didn't want to stay any longer to wait for the other events.
I haven't had time to go through all the photos but this is a selection.
Some of the camels and their owners
The camels with the most 'bling' were the ones pulling carts to take visitors around the Fair
I loved the bells on their ankles
There were hundreds more camels around the Fair and on the surrounding dunes
Hair removal … with hand shears (slow work methinks)
The majority of horses at the Fair were Marwari horses. They are from Rajasthan and have distinctive inward turning ears where the tips almost touch. They used to be Indian war horses but now are used for riding or light draught work. They're very hardy and thought to be the result of crossing Arabians with native Indian horses.
One of the 'dancing' horses and the band members
 |
And another one
Note the Gold jewellery which sounded like bells as the horse moved
There was plenty of 'horsey bling' on sale at the Fair
The horses I felt sorry for were the less 'fine' ones who weren't treated as well - I liken the owners/sellers to the gypsies/travellers who flock to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria each year
This one was getting washed by the trough rather than in the river at Appleby
With the exception of the last idiot here … the horses weren't being beaten and weren't in very poor condition - but they were being handled/ridden roughly. Hopefully they will find new, better owners
Once sold, many of the horses were loaded (with human passengers) on the back of open trucks and driven away. A couple of hours into our drive home we were still passing blinged up camels tied to the back of camel pulled carts and horses on lorries so the buyers really do come from all over to look for new stock.
I was in the back seat of the car and took this through the windscreen so its hazy but you can see how lopsided the truck is .... I hope they made it home safely
Have to say some of the photos make uncomfortable viewing, especially that plonker on the pony! However the tack is beautiful, could you imagine putting it on Meg and Roxy?
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