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The tribal festival celebrated at the confluence of the Mahi and Som rivers in Rajasthan is the:
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Answer: Option C — Baneshwar festival
Detailed Solution
The Baneshwar festival (Baneshwar Mela) is held every year at Baneshwar, in the Dungarpur district of southern Rajasthan, at the confluence of the Mahi and Som rivers (and the Jakham, a tributary of the Som). It is held from about Magha Shukla Ekadashi to Magha Purnima, in January-February, and lasts for about five days.
The Baneshwar fair is one of the largest tribal fairs in India. It is attended by lakhs of people, mostly from the Bhil tribe, from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and it is often called the "Kumbh of the tribals". The name Baneshwar comes from the Baneshwar Mahadev temple, which has a famous Shiva lingam. "Baneshwar" is often explained as "the master of the delta" in the local Vagdi dialect, referring to the land where the rivers meet.
The fair has both religious and cultural importance. Devotees take a holy dip at the confluence on the full moon day, and many perform rituals for their dead relatives, immersing their ashes in the river, as at the Ganga. The fair is also linked with the saint Mavji, a 18th century saint and poet of the region, who is believed to have been an incarnation of Lord Krishna, and whose prophecies are collected in a book called "Chopda". A temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Lakshmi-Narayan) was built by his followers. The Mahant (chief priest) of the Mavji tradition takes part in the rituals.
The fair includes folk dances and songs of the Bhils, magic shows, acrobatics, animal sales, and the sale of handicrafts and goods. In the evenings, the Bhils sing traditional songs around fires.
Other famous fairs of Rajasthan include the Pushkar fair (Ajmer district), the Gogaji fair (Goga Medi, Hanumangarh), the Nagaur cattle fair, the Kolayat fair (Bikaner) and the Desert Festival (Jaisalmer).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Pushkar fair is the famous camel fair of Ajmer district, held in Kartika.
- ✗Gogaji fair is held at Goga Medi in Hanumangarh.
- ✗Nagaur fair is a famous cattle fair of Rajasthan.
Quick tip
Remember: The Baneshwar fair = Dungarpur (Rajasthan), the confluence of the Mahi and Som rivers, Magha Purnima and the Bhil tribe ("Kumbh of the tribals").
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.