Tarnetar Fair - Saurasthra, Gujarat

While traveling to Gujarat last year, I also visited the picturesque area of Saurashtra. Luckily, I got to visit the Tarnetar fair, which coincided with my visit to Saurashtra. Visiting the traditional fair was a truly awe-inspiring experience, which I will remember all through my life. The Tarnetar mela is an popular festival for the natives of Gujarat, which is organized in the month of August or September every year. The site of the fair is the Trineshwara temple and its inception dates back to thousands of years. During my visit, I also got to know about the historic significance of the fair. The mela takes place every year to celebrate the wedding of the two important character in the epic of Mahabharata, namely Draupadi with Arjuna. Before the legendary wedding, Draupadi's father had organized a "Swayamwar", which was won by Arjuna, and culminated in the marriage of the two. Listening to this story from one of the locals brought tears to my eyes, as I was instantly reminded of my childhood times, when my grand mother used to relate stories from the epics of the Mahabharata to us.

During my visit, I saw a lot of local women and men folk, who come in to the place dressed up in their ethnic attire, looking for prospective grooms and brides in the area. The men folk who were looking for brides carry Tarnetra Chhatirs or embroidered umbrellas as an indication of their bachelorhood. The maidens, on the other hand, were decked up in very colorful Gujarati clothes and ethnic jewelery. I also noticed that if a girl would stop by a suitor, this would indicate that she is interested in tying the knot with him. This whole atmosphere of matchmaking was heightened by some commendable performances of folk dances of garba, ras and hudo, songs, devotional music and other cultural aspects. Apart from this, the place was full of exhibitions of handicrafts of all types from different local artisans.

During my visit, I also saw a lot of enthusiastic foreigners who had come to visit the place in large numbers. In this way, the fair also proves to be a great platform to promote the country's rich heritage and culture. It is also a source of occupation to many and at the same time, the mela promotes the Indian tourism across different country. Even this year, I am looking forward to visit the place again and have a blast in the most colorful fair all across India!