Narsingh ji Fair - Ahmedabad

    
    The Narsinghji Fair is celebrated in Gomitpur in the Ahmedabad district of Gujarat. This fair is celebrated in the months of January/February and is spread over for a period of almost 4 days.

      This fair is both religious and secular in nature. It provides secular entertainment in the form of shops, rides and cultural events and it is religious, as its history suggests. This fair is a complete entertainment package for anyone who decides to drop by. Apart from the cattle trading that goes on there are various small shops selling food stuff, sweet delicacies of the state, handicrafts and many other curios.

    Apart from the usual stuff, there are a whole lot of other activities that take place at the fair. Music performances, Dance programs and many other artistic performances are displayed by the artists who come from across the country. You will also find a large number of stalls and shops which are temporarily erected selling utensils, pottery, handicrafts, garments etc. The entrance to the fair is very cheap and hence allows the common man to come and enjoy the fair and its spirit along with their loved ones.

       People go from all over Gomitpur, Ahmedabad and thoroughly enjoy this fair. This fair is for all ages and for all types of people. The fair offers something for everybody. It is very popular amongst the general people and all they wait anxiously for this day.

     The Narsinghji Fair is a very vibrant atmosphere to be in and that is what the people want, to keep them going.

Vautha Fair - Ahmedabad

     The magnificent Vautha Fair is held every year at Vautha, where two rivers, the Sabarmati and the Vatrak meet. Like most fair sites in India, this also has both mythological and contemporary religious associations.

       The Vautha Mela site is 3 square miles in area. Legends hold that Kartik Swami or Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva, visited the site. This is why the fair is held during Kartika Purnima, the full moon night of the month of Kartik, corresponding with November. The site, also known as Saptasangam, is at the confluence of seven rivers. The most important Shiva temple here is the temple of Siddhanath.

     The magnificent Vautha Fair is held every year at Vautha, where two rivers, the Sabarmati and the Vatrak meet. Like most fair sites in India, this also has both mythological and contemporary religious associations.

       The Vautha Mela site is 3 square miles in area. Legends hold that Kartik Swami or Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva, visited the site. This is why the fair is held during Kartika Purnima, the full moon night of the month of Kartik, corresponding with November. The site, also known as Saptasangam, is at the confluence of seven rivers. The most important Shiva temple here is the temple of Siddhanath.
What is most significant about this fair is that it is the only major animal trading fair in Gujarat and is on par with the famous camel fair at Pushkar , Rajasthan . Donkey, cattle and herds of camel are brought to the site to be traded, at the confluence of seven tributaries of the river Sabarmati. However, most of the times, the only animals traded here are donkeys. About 4,000 donkeys are brought every year for sale, usually by 'Banjara' (gypsy) traders.

     The donkeys are painted in an array of colours, and decorated to suit the occasion. Camels are also well decked up and sold on the sand dunes by the river shores.

     On the day of the full moon night, pilgrims take dips in the holy river confluence give offerings and pray. Handicraft and food stalls with tented pastoral settlements come up during the fair. Kartika Poornima is also celebrated with a camel fair at Sidhpur, a religious fair at Somnath and a tribal fair at the historic temple of Shamlaji.

      The pilgrims who visit Vautha during the fair are from several communities and include farmers, labourers and people belonging to several castes.