Tarnetar Fair
¤ Season To Find A Soulmate
A Legendary Festival
The Tarnetar Fair is one of the most important fairs of Gujarat.
Various tribes like the Kolis, the Rabaris, the Bharwards, the Khants,
the Khanbis, the Charans and the Kathis, get together to celebrate the
famous legendary marriage of Draupadi with Arjuna, thereby retracing
its origin to the times of the Mahabharata. Arjuna was the third of
the five Pandavas of Hastinapur, who got married to Draupadi - the
princess of this region, in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata.
Tarnetar Fair - (Trinetreshwer Mahadev Fair)
This fair is held every year on the 4th, 5th
and 6th day of the Shukla Paksha (Aug-Sept) in
Tarnetar (a village near the industrial town of Thangadli) in
Surendranagar district in the region of Saurashtra. Also known as the
Trinetreshwer Mahadev Fair, this three-day festival is held at the 14th
century Temple of Shiva (Destroyer in the Hindu Holy Trinity of
Creator-Preserver-Destroyer), or Trinetreshwer (Three-Eyed God) who is
also popularly known as Tarnetar. Built in a traditional style on the
banks of a rivulet, this impressive marble temple has a kund
(reservoir) in which the temple is reflected.
'Historic Swayamvara' According to popular belief, this was the very
place where Draupadi had her swayamvara (a ceremony where an Indian
princess chooses a husband from amongst a number of eligible suitors
invited to her father's court).
Arjuna was the great archer who performed the 'Matsyavedh' and won
her hand. The matsyavedh required him to climb up on a pole erected in
the centre of the kund, balance himself on the two scales, and pierce
the eye of the rotating fish on the top of the pole with an arrow by
looking at its reflection in the water.
The Tarnetar fair in Saurashtra represents a unique synthesis of folk
music, folk art and colour. It highlights the true folk nature of the
fair with folk dances like the Rasada (a Gujarati folk dance),
performed by hundreds of women moving gracefully in a single circle to
the accompaniment of four drums and jodja pava (double flutes). People
are mesmerised by the number of bhajan mandalis (group of devotees
singing songs in praise of the Lord) singing bhajans and kirtans
(devotional songs) to the tune of folk instruments such as khartals,
pakhawaj, dhol and tabla (a range of Indian percussion instruments).
Ras Garba Style of Dance
Folk dances like the energetic and playful Ras Garba (where men and
women dance in two circles moving in the clockwise and
counter-clockwise directions with dandiyas, or sticks, in their hands)
and the Hudo Dance (performed by the shepherd community where the
dancers clap in a rhythmic manner while duplicating the movements of
two sheep ramming their heads) are key draws.
The fair has a total local flavour to it, with food stalls, a cattle
show, competitive sports and exhibitions of embroidery. The most
distinctive feature is the famous Tarnetar Chhatri (umbrella)
embroidered by the bachelors to attract the attention of unmarried
girls. These are surely a treat for the eyes with their extensive
mirror work, embroidery and delicate lacework. This fair, a major
tourist attraction in Gujarat, symbolises the rich heritage of
Saurashtra and draws thousands of visitors from various parts of the
country and abroad.
Gujarat Tourism makes arrangements from Ahmedabad and Rajkot to visit
Tarnetar during this fair. They also provide tented accommodation at
the fair site for the visitors.
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