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The famous Pushkar Fair is a great
tourist attraction. People from around the globe come
to the ancient religious town of Pushkar, which is transformed
into a spectacular fair ground in the month of Kartik.
People bathe, worship and delight in the dazzling wares
of roadside stalls. Camels are bought, sold, beautified,
raced and parade. Most unusual are the small groups
of men and women seen busy tattooing their hands and
other parts of the body.
The fair is predominantly a rural gathering.
Villagers come from different parts of the state and
bring their cattle with them. On spectacular sand dunes
camel, horse and bullock races are great crowd pullers.
All roads lead to the lake, which is flooded with pilgrims.
The movement of the crowd is like a tide of colour with
currents of crimson, yellow and turquoise.
Evenings at the Pushkar Fair have their
own charm. The silent night is pierced by calls of camels.
Ballads are sung by actors in passionate tones. Folk
dramas, skits and folk dance are organised for the entertainment
of the tourists.
The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation
(RTDC) puts up a tourist village during the fair. The
tourist village is self sufficient and specially designed
to complement the natural beauty of the site. It has
a Coffee Shop and Dining Hall which can cater to 1 500
guests at a time.
The village is arranged in blocks of
tents, each with its own identity, being named after
the famous dances of Rajasthan. The village also has
huts with attached western style toilets and running
water.
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