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Tarnetar Fair started in Gujarat with great festivity

Tarnetar Fair started in Gujarat with great festivity

Tarnetar is a village in the Surendranagar district of the state of Gujarat in India. It is situated near the city of Thangadh. At the feet of lord Trinetreshwar, Tarnetar Mela (Tarnetar Fair) is held.
As per historians the temple was built in 10th century by Pratihar kings and in 19th Century king Karanvirsinhji in fond memory of his daughter Karanba renovated.

Also, its is belived that Swayamvar of Arjun and Draupadi was held in the village.

Tarnetar Mela is celebrated on Bhadarva month’s3th, 4th and 5th day. Day of Rushi Panchami out of 3 days is believed to be the best.
The Mela is very popular in Saurashtra. Lakhs of people from nearby places visit and enjoy the mela.

tgate
tgate

People take holi deep in Tarnetar Kund, after doing rituals. Taking deep in the kund is considered as pious as taking deep in Ganga river.

52 feet long flag is offered to to the lord Trinetreshwar.


During the festival traditional music, dance, costumes and arts of Gujarat form the major highlight.

Looking at way back to mythology and history, Based on the legend of Draupadi’s swayamvara, the fair is a celebration of ethnic Gujarat’s folk-dance, music, costumes and the arts, centered around young tribal men and women seeking marriage partners. But even for those not interested in finding a spouse, the romance and excitement in the air are captivating, and every year the fair seems only to grow in popularity, attracting visitors and tourists from Gujarat, elsewhere in India, and even abroad.

tarnetar fair
tarnetar fair

There are many colorful costumes, glittering ornaments and free-spirited movements of folk dances, all combine to create a memorable scene. As the dancers surge in waves of circular movement, the incessant throbbing of the drums keeps them moving in unison, and the drum beats continue throughout the day even as the dancers change from one group to the next. Many kinds of folk dances are performed; by far the most popular is the raas, in which dancers hold sticks to clack against those of other dancers. As many as one to two hundred women perform rasadas in a single circle, to the beats of four drums at a time and the tunes of jodia pavas (double flutes). You may also see people break out into a spontaneous hudo.

Rabari women of  Zalawad perform the famous circular folk dance called rahado. Their marital status is indicated clearly by their costumes; a black zimi (skirt) means she is married. But if a woman is wearing a red zimi, it means she has not yet tied the knot, probably seeking a husband. The potential husbands seeking brides are elegantly dressed in colorful dhotis, artistically designed waistcoats and a head-cloth twisted at an angle, moving about the fairground at Tarnetar with striking umbrellas, advertising the bachelorhood they are keen to relinquish.

Saints and bhajan mandlis (religious music groups) are busy singing continuously, accompanied by folk instruments.

The Tarnetar Mela covers a large part of the Tarnetar village with a huge number of stalls put up to sell beautiful local handicrafts unavailable elsewhere, along with ethnic jewelery, statues of deities and traditional attire with tiny mirrors embroidered into the clothing. There are also merry-go-round rides, photographers stalls, magic shows and tattoo artists who attract a large variety of visitors.