Programme of events

As part of the great gathering which takes place for the mela, an official programme of events is arranged by Pushkar Mela Vikas Samiti and Rajasthan Tourism over a period of about eight days. People arrive from all over Rajasthan to make the pilgrimage, visit the temples and attend the fair; it's the year's biggest festival for rural communities from the local villages, and everyone enjoys the fun.

Most official events take place at the Mela Ground, a large stadium. There are horse and camel races, Tug-of-War, traditional rural sports, wrestling, turban and moustache competitions and displays. Ladies create colourful traditional wall paintings in a mandana competition. In the evening there are cultural programmes.

It’s worth visiting the Mela Ground at different times of day; when there are no official events taking place, you'll see Marwari horses being exercised and put through their paces for potential purchasers. There is a grand finale at the Mela Ground on the last day. 

Agricultural events take place at the nearby Cattle Exhibition Ground. This is an important part of the mela, and towards the end of the week there are milking and Champion Cattle competitions in which the local farmers take a keen interest.

Around the Mela Ground and the fairground, it's a sea of colour with ladies in colourful saris shopping for household items and jewellery, street vendors and stalls selling local refreshments, milk, lassi, chaas, nimbu pani, paan and ice creams, and festive decorations, toys and colourful novelties for the children; the men gather at chai (tea) stalls which spring up along the roads. More and more people arrive during the week, and the fair is at its most crowded during the last three days.

As this is an important religious festival, the programme also includes spiritual events; Deep Dan is celebrated a few days before the full moon, with candle lanterns floated on the lake; there is a spiritual walk (parikrama) around the lake and an evening performance of devotional songs (Bhajan Sandhya) by a celebrated artist.

The official Programme of Events for 2010, published by Rajasthan Tourism, will be available throughout the period of the fair, either at Camp Bliss or at the fair.