Let’s me take you to a cultural fair in the state of Rajasthan. This fair is called Gogamandi fair and ranks as one of the biggest fair in India.

Gogamedi Fair is a traditional Rajasthani cattle and handicraft fair (मेला – Mela) which is held in the Ganganagar, a district which is around 360 Km from Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan. It is held in the month of August and according to Indian Hindu calender (पंचांग – Panchaang), it starts from the ninth day of the dark half of Bhadrapada (Goga Navami) and end on the eleventh day of the dark half of the same month.

Traditionally, it is celebrated in commemoration of a regional hero and folk deity known as Gogaji. His kingdom reigned around 900 AD. It is believed that Gogaji went into samadhi (a higher level of concentrated meditation,) at Gogamandi. The place where he gone for samadhi still exist as a marble structure with two minarets and it’s fortified by a boundary wall. There an idol of Gogaji is seated on a blue horse (घोड़ा – Ghoda) could be seen. During this occasion, thousands of devotees gather to pay homage (श्रद्धांजलि – Shradhanjali) at this memorial (स्मारक – Smaarak).

One of the big attractions of the fair is the rustic singing and dancing. For the villagers, it is also a good opportunity (अवसर – Avasar) for match making for the young men and women. Every village in Rajasthan has a temple (मंदिर – Mandir) in his name.