Pushkar Camel and Cattle Fair

Cattle at Pushkar Camel and Cattle Fair

Every autumn the small temple town of Pushkar, near Ajmer, holds one of the largest livestock fairs in India in the days before Kartik Purnima. Camels are the best known part of it, but herders from across Rajasthan also bring cattle, horses and goats to sell and to show. Bullocks are judged and traded beside the camels on the sand, often after days of walking from the villages. At the full moon pilgrims bathe in the lake, which is linked in tradition to the god Brahma. The fair has grown into a large tourist event with races and contests, while the trading in the early days remains the reason the herders come.

The breeds

RathiThe dairy breed of the Bikaner desert.TharparkarThe white Thar breed, at home on the dunes.KankrejThe powerful grey cattle of the Rajasthan and Gujarat border.GirBought by dairy farmers from across the state.