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Fair and festivals have always been considered as an integral part of the cultural life of any region. Seasonal events like the dawn of spring, first monsoon showers, harvest time and more such events do determine their dates. This cycle of fairs and festivals calls for a systematic account region wise. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, an attempt was made to account various kinds of goods manufactured in each district and the manner of conducting sales, especially at fair and festival. The term 'Mela' or Fair is quite connected with the festival. The word comes from the Sanskrit route 'mil' meaning, meeting and mixing. In a fair the mixing and meeting occur on a truly grand scale, it is a meeting place for people from different villages, town, and regions. Pushkar is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Pusp' meaning flower and 'Kar' meaning hand. The name has its own methodological significance. Pushkar Lake has its manifestation. Reference of this lake is made in Ramayana the oldest epic poem in the world. Pushkar is endowed with interesting ancient history. This region was habituated by "Med" tribe after which the whole region was named as Merwar. Lord Brahma (The Lord of Creation) decided to perform the Yagna (A Devotional Offering/Sacrifice in front of Fire) at Pushkar on Kartika Purnima (or the full moon during the Kartika month as per the Hindu Calendar which starts when the Sun begins southward transit.) The Pushkar fair is actually a combination of two fairs happening at the same venue, one is the highest exaltation of the Lord of Creation Brahma and the other is the largest cattle fair. The Pushkar Lake which forms the center of this small town said to take on magical powers during the Kartik Purnima. The present paper includes historical and natural settings of Pushkar, Temples of Pushkar, Rituals of Parikrma, The Fair Activities like Cattle Fair and sale of livestock and Social & Cultural aspect of Pushkar fair and Conclusion.
Keywords: Pushkar, Fair and festivals, Cultural life.
Introduction
Fairs and festivals have always been considered as an integral part of the cultural life of any region. Seasonal events such as the dawn of spring, first monsoon showers, harvest time and other such events,...