SSC
Which of the following is a cattle fair of Himachal Pradesh?
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Answer: Option D — Nalwari fair
Detailed Solution
The Nalwari Mela is one of the best-known cattle fairs of Himachal Pradesh. It is held every year in March (around the Hindu month of Chaitra) at the Luhnu ground in Bilaspur town, on the banks of the Gobind Sagar reservoir. A Nalwari fair is also held at Sundernagar in Mandi district.
The fair was started in 1889 by W. Goldstein, a British Deputy Commissioner, to encourage the trade in bullocks and other draught animals. Farmers from Himachal and neighbouring states such as Punjab bring oxen, cows, buffaloes and mules to buy and sell. Over time, the fair has added cultural programmes, sports such as wrestling (dangal), and sale of farm tools and household goods.
The name "Nalwari" is linked with the Nalwar region where these bullocks were traditionally bred. The fair is now recognised by the state government as a state-level fair.
Other important fairs and festivals of Himachal Pradesh:
- Kullu Dussehra, which begins on Vijayadashami and lasts a week, with a procession of local deities led by Lord Raghunath.
- Mandi Shivratri fair, a week-long fair on Maha Shivaratri.
- Minjar fair at Chamba, linked with the harvest of maize.
- Lavi fair at Rampur Bushahr, a trade fair in November.
- Renuka fair in Sirmaur district.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Pushkar fair is a camel and cattle fair in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
- ✗The Sonepur fair is a cattle fair at the Gandak-Ganga confluence in Bihar.
- ✗The Nagaur fair (Ramdev Pashu Mela) is a cattle fair in Rajasthan.
Quick tip
Remember: Nalwari Mela = Bilaspur (Luhnu ground), Himachal Pradesh, March, cattle fair started in 1889; Lavi = Rampur trade fair; Minjar = Chamba.
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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.