Government Of Bihar

Shri Nitish Kumar Hon'ble Chief Minister

Government of Bihar | Official Website

Fairs

Bihar is located in the eastern part of India and it shares the passion and zeal of celebrating the established and spiritual fairs and festivals of India with the rest of the country. Fairs and festivals have always been an essential part of life in Bihar.

These fairs are relevant in the way that they narrow the gaps between different communities by bringing them closer and give them a reason to enjoy and celebrate. These fairs may last from one single afternoon to several weeks. There exist different variations of fairs, including street fairs, agricultural fairs, state fairs, trade fairs, and so on. Each of these fairs denotes vivacity, color, high spirit, dedication, ebullience, peace, power, humanity, artistic performances, prayers, and rituals. Some of the fairs most prevalent in Bihar are described in the following.

Sonepur Mela:

Sonepur Mela plays host to a variety of animals, ranging from all breeds of dogs, buffaloes, monkeys, donkeys, ponies, rabbits, birds, poultry to occasionally camels. The spot that attracts most of the attention, however, is the “Haathi Bazaar” where elephants are lined up, all beautifully decorated for sale. This fair is the only place where such a large number of elephants can be traded legally. Other than animals, a large number of stalls are set up at the Sonepur cattle fair such as garments, furniture and toys, utensils and agricultural implements, jewellery, handicrafts, and the like.

Sonepur Cattle Fair:

Sonepur Cattle Fair is held on Kartik Poornima (the full moon day) in the month of November in Sonepur, Bihar. Sonepur is situated at the confluence of the sacred rivers Ganga and Gandak. Hindus regard it as a holy site. One of the purposes of the people visiting the Sonepur Cattle Fair, apart from the fair, is to take a holy dip at the confluence and offer prayer at the Hariharnath Temple. It is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela and it attracts visitors from all over world. Till date, it is the biggest cattle fair of Asia and stretches on from fifteen days to one month.It has its origins during ancient times. This is where Chandragupta Maurya (340 - 297 BCE) used to buy elephants and horses across the river Ganges. The Sonepur Cattle Fair once used to attract traders from places as distant as Central Asia.

Malmas Mela:

As per the Indian calendar is the third year to 13 months which is also called Adhimas as Malmas. It is believed that is considered very sacred month. And all the Gods of the Hindus dwell in Rajgir in this Adhimas. To Please 33 millions for a month. A big fair is held here on this occasion. lakhe of devotees visits in this fair and enjoys after prayers. Concerned to Hindu religion of all saint-Monk strong hold remains in Malmas fair. Arrangements of a char by religious organization also here for 24 hours. This city is full of sermon and worship far one month with devotees. On this occasion there is also the gathering of foreign tourist. Previous Malmas fair was held on 2010.

Makar Sankranti Mela:

Makar Sankranti, also known as Makara Sankranti or Maghi, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, in reference to deity Surya. It is observed each year in January. It marks the first day of sun's transit into the Makara (Capricorn), marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. On 14 January, it is celebrated as Makar Sankranti or Sakraat or Khichdi (in local dialects). As in other parts of country, people take bath in rivers and ponds and feast upon seasonal delicacies as a celebration of good harvest. The delicacies include chura, gur (jaggery), sweets made of til (sesame seeds) such as tilkut, tilwa, maska, etc., curd, milk and seasonal vegetables. Kite flying festivals are organised. On 15 January, it is celebrated as Makraat (in some parts of the state) when people relish special khichdi (dal-rice replete with cauliflower, peas and potatoes). People start their day by worshiping and putting til (sesame seeds) into fire followed by eating "dahi-chuda", a dish made of beaten rice (chuda or poha, in Hindi, or avalakki, in Kannada) served with a larger serving of dahi (curd), with cooked kohada (red pumpkin) that is prepared specially with sugar and salt but no water. The meal is generally accompanied by tilkut and lai (laddu made of til, chuda and rice). The festive meal is traditionally made by women in groups.People spend their days on socializing and participating in kite flying festivals. For dinner a special khichdi is made and served with its four traditional companions, "char yaar" (four friends) — chokha (roasted vegetable), papad, ghee and achaar. Since such a rich khichdi is generally made on this festival, the festival is often colloquially referred to as "Khichdi".

Pitrapaksha Mela:

Historically, Gaya has been considered as one of the holiest cities for Hindus. Its religious importance becomes more important during the occasion of Pitrapaksha. During Pitrapaksha Hindus worship their ancestors, and perform Shraddha ritual and do Pinda Daan. This is believed to bring salvation to the departed soul. History of the Pinda Daan ceremony goes back to the times of Lord Buddha. It is believed that he had performed first Pinda Daan at Gaya. Some Brahmin Purans too tell us about the origin of Pinda Daan in Gaya. According to one Puran, Gaya - a demon had become so strong that even Gods started feeling insecure from him. Now Gods wanted to kill him but he wished to die in the holy city of Gaya. The Pitrapaksha Mela in Gaya is held in the month of September when people from all over, flock to this place to offer Pinda Daan to their ancestors. The last day of this period, the new moon day is most important day in the year for performing obsequies and rites. A Hindu performs Pitra Paksha from the 1st day / tithi of the Ashwin month to the following New Moon (Amavasya) day. Each of these 15 days is dedicated to the Shraddha of those ancestors who had met eternity on that particular day/tithi. Pitrapaksha is the occasion to repay debt to our departed ancestors by satisfying their souls by performing rites. Hindus believe that in Pitrpaksha, Yamaraja, the God of death allows the souls to come down to the earth and receive offerings from their descendants.

Shrawani Mela:

Shrawani Mela is held in Deoghar (Jharkhand) where millions of devotees from all over the country gather at the Baba Baidyanath Temple. This mela falls mostly in the months of July and August. It lasts for 30 days and is considered as the biggest and longest religious fair in the world. In the month of shravan, lakhs of kanwariyas collect holy water from the Ganga at Sultanganj, carry it in pots on a kanwar (sling) and walk 105km across hills and rivers to offer libations on the jyotirlinga at Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar (Jharkhand). Saffron-clothed devotees traverse the path from Bihar to Jharkhand, which becomes an unending sea of orange with chants of ‘Bol bam’. On Mondays, a day dedicated traditionally to Shiva, traffic rises up to 4 lakh pilgrims. Some do it on foot, some measure the length with their bodies, while another class of devotees called dak bams complete the spiritual marathon in 15-17 hours, without stopping for a single moment.

Saurath Sabha:

Saurath is a village situated six Kilometers north east of Madhubani town in Madhubani District of Bihar, India. It is famous for being the place where thousands of Maithil Brahaman converge to fix marriage during marriage season. This gathering is an annual event held in the Hindu calendar months of Jyestha-Aasadh. This was an important social congregation where the marriages of Maithil boys and girls are fixed up after matching the horoscope by the Panjikars ( Registrars ). The gathering is organised in an orchard covering 22 bighas of land that was donated by the Maharaja of Darbhanga.