The Gotmar Mela, in which two villages pelt stones at each other, is held in which state?

The Gotmar Mela is held every year at Pandhurna in Madhya Pradesh. Pandhurna was part of Chhindwara district until 2023, when it was made a separate district, so older books describe the fair as being held in Chhindwara district. The fair takes place on the day after Pola, the bullock festival, which falls on the new moon (Amavasya) of Bhadrapada (August-September).

"Gotmar" means "stone pelting" in the local dialect. The fair is held on the banks of the Jam river, which separates Pandhurna from the village of Savargaon. A palash tree is cut and placed in the middle of the river, with a flag at the top. The people of Savargaon try to protect the flag, while the people of Pandhurna try to capture it. The two sides throw stones at each other across the river until the Pandhurna side succeeds in taking the flag.

According to a popular legend, the custom began when a young man from Pandhurna eloped with a girl from Savargaon. While they were crossing the river, villagers from both sides attacked each other with stones, and the couple died. The fair is held in their memory, and the flag is offered to the goddess Chandika at the end.

The fair is dangerous. Every year many people are injured, and some have been killed. The district administration and human rights bodies have repeatedly tried to stop or control the stone pelting, sometimes asking people to use rubber balls instead, but the tradition continues under heavy police and medical arrangements.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Maharashtra celebrates Pola too, but the Gotmar fair is in Madhya Pradesh.
• ✗Chhattisgarh has the Rajim and Shivrinarayan fairs.
• ✗Rajasthan has the Pushkar and Nagaur fairs.