Pushkar Fair: Once-Traditional Camel Trading Fair in India Transformed into Tourist Attraction

PUSHKAR: It’s early morning in Pushkar, a city at edge of Thar desert in northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, and a herd of about a dozen camels led by two men is returning, raising a golden sand cloud.

camels h been out grazing in night at foothills of ancient Aravali mountain range, and ir handlers spent night out in open.

For next two hours or so, when heat is still bearable, prospective buyers will look for bargains among hundreds of camels that have been brought to be sold by herders and farmers from surrounding districts.

Many camels wear necklaces me with a string of small round bells and have brightly colored plastic flowers on ir snouts and hes. Specialized barbers walk around trimming camel hair for a fee to make m look more attractive to buyers.

Camels were once most important animals used for transportation in desert. Even though paved ros and vehicles have me m largely irrelevant, y are still being used in some remote parts of state.

Hitched to a wooden cart, y can be seen transporting people and construction materials. Some are still in use by farmers selling fresh vegetable produce to townsfolk. Herders supplement ir diet with camel milk, make blankets with camel hair and use camel dung as cooking fuel.

Even though fewer camels are being tred now, state government has worked to turn fair into a big tourist attraction. On large sandy plain where fair is held, large Ferris wheels are installed and dozens of stalls are set up to sell local handicrafts. Men with impressive moustaches compete for a prize, and tourists are encouraged to take selfies with m.

Children wear tritional costumes, play string instruments and carry on ir hes replicas of vessels used by women to fetch water as y enact rural scenes and mingle with crowd presenting live tableaux.
Everything is carefully choreographed for tourists.

Thousands of tourists from around world now enjoy camel rides, watch cultural shows, and get to participate in rural sports contests and play a game of cricket watched by a bustling crowd.

Hindu devotees visiting fair can take a dip in holy Pushkar Lake, situated about 2 kilometers (1¼ miles) from site of fair and visit a number of old temples dotting city of Pushkar.

(This story is not edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed)