Railway
The world's largest camel fair in India is held at:
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Answer: Option C — Pushkar
Detailed Solution
The Pushkar Mela (Pushkar Camel Fair) is held every year at Pushkar in Ajmer district, Rajasthan. It takes place in the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November) and reaches its peak on Kartik Purnima (the full moon day). It is often described as the largest camel fair in the world.
During the fair, thousands of camels, along with horses and cattle, are brought by herders from across Rajasthan and neighbouring states to be traded. The camels are decorated, and there are camel races, camel beauty contests, cattle shows, the "longest moustache" competition, folk dances, music and a hot air balloon show. The fair attracts large numbers of foreign tourists.
Pushkar is also a major pilgrimage centre:
It has the famous Brahma temple, one of the very few temples in the world dedicated to Lord Brahma.
The sacred Pushkar lake is surrounded by 52 ghats. According to legend, the lake was formed where a lotus fell from Brahma's hand. Pilgrims bathe in the lake on Kartik Purnima.
The Savitri temple on a nearby hill is dedicated to Brahma's consort.
Pushkar lies on the edge of the Thar desert, separated from Ajmer by the Nag Pahar (Snake Mountain) of the Aravalli range.
Other cattle and camel fairs of Rajasthan:
- Nagaur fair (Ramdev Pashu Mela), known for its trade in bullocks and camels.
- Bikaner Camel Festival in January.
- Chandrabhaga fair at Jhalrapatan in Kartik.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Nagaur hosts a large cattle fair in January-February.
- ✗Bikaner hosts the Camel Festival and has the National Research Centre on Camel.
- ✗Jaisalmer hosts the Desert Festival.
Quick tip
Remember: Pushkar = world's largest camel fair, Ajmer, Kartik Purnima, Brahma temple, lake with 52 ghats; Nagaur = cattle fair; Bikaner = Camel Festival.
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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.