INDIA: Crowds gather along the sand dunes of Pushkar to celebrate its lengendary camel festival

Thousands of devout Hindus, cattle traders and foreign tourists gathered for days along the sand dunes of India's northwestern Pushkar to attend one of the world's most photogenic festivals in the small temple town on the edge of Rajasthan desert. The annual congregation at Pushkar, 375 km west of New Delhi, is a combination of three diverse fairs -- an annual cattle fair, a religious festival for Hindus, and a tourist attraction for foreigners. Each year under the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik, nomadic tribesmen congregate on the surrounding sands for a week of serious camel trading. Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the holy waters of Pushkar Lake. Hindus believe Lord Brahma, the creator in the trinity, wished to perform a yagna (religious ceremony) following his long years of penance. During his sojourn in search of a place for yagna, Brahma dropped a lotus from heaven, which created the lake Pushkar. It is believed that on this night a drop of sacred nectar fell in the lake, making it sacred. The legend ensures the annual flock of pilgrims from all over India to Pushkar at this auspicious time. It also attracts thousands of foreign tourists who gather to marvel the spectacle which is described by travel guides as being "one of the planet's most incredible events". Hundreds of artisans and weavers from neighbouring regions put up their stalls by the big roads and small alleys of Pushkar selling items including colourful dresses, home décor items and tribal ornaments. The streets are filled with richly coloured turbans and bright attire and hundreds of foreigners can be seen mingling with the locals as they bargain with the pavement sellers. Until the early 1970s, the fair was largely a rural affair where thousands of nomads and cattle owners used to come to buy and sell camels, but over the years it has evolved into India's biggest tourist attraction with visitors from across the world mixing with the local villagers and their animals. Maria, a tourist from Sweden, said she was still soaking in the atmosphere of Pushkar, after a tug of war competition with local women. "We won in the tug of war against the women of Pushkar. It was a hard struggle but we won," she said after beating the local Rajasthani women in a pulsating competition. For many of the villagers, the fair provides the only window of entertainment in an otherwise dreary life on the harsh sands of Rajasthan where regular droughts prevent any substantial rise in the standard of living. Shakur Khan, a camel seller from the neighbouring Nagaur region said he had managed to sell 23 of his camels during the fair and was quite hopeful that he would also be able to sell the remaining two. Khan said such fairs gave the buyers and sellers the right platform to strike the best deals. "The main benefit that we get by bringing our cattle here is that unlike the rest of the year, here clients come in large numbers. Some prefer taking calves, some take adult animals, some buy them as pets and still others buy them to sell again. It's a big market," Khan said. Organisers say each year thousands of cattle are sold during the fair and the annual event also attracts hundreds of traders and buyers from neighbouring states. Camel rides serve as a major tourist attraction in India and the allure that this desert animal holds to foreign visitors is certain to ensure the ongoing success of the annual Pushkar fair.

ITN Source | November 11, 2006

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