Fairs in Birbhum
Encyclopedia
Fairs in Birbhum refers to the many fairs that take place in Birbhum district
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
.
The largest and most notable fair is the Poush Mela
held at Santiniketan
for three days from 7 Poush
. The baul
mela is held at Jaydev Kenduli
on the occasion of Poush Sankranti or Makar Sankranti. It starts on the last day of the Bengali calendar
month Poush
and continues up to 2 Magh
. On the occasion of Choitro Sankranti, a fair is organised on the last day of the Bengali calendar month of Choitro
and continues for three days at Kankalitala
.
Lakhs of pilgrims assemble at Patharchapuri
for the fair held on 10–12 Choitro commemorating the death anniversary of Data Saheb.
Apart from these major fairs, numerous other fairs are held across the district. A few of them are mentioned here.
and Shab e Baraat
near the mazar
of Shah Abdullah Kermani at Khustigiri
. The emphasis in these fairs is on catering to the needs of rural women. Urs
fair is organised on 15 Falgun
at Langulia village in Suri police station and on 23 Falgun at Rajnagar
.
A fair is organised on Buddha Purnima
day on the occasion of Dharmaraj
Puja in Kaddang village. Dharmaraj puja fairs are held at several other places – in Banashanka village on Buddha Purnima day, in Kandapur village on Shravan
i Purnima day, and in Kurmitha village on the occasion of Asarhi
Purnima. Lebrashwar celebrates Shiva Gajan with a three-day fair. Villages such as Parui, Katna, Rongaipur etc. celebrate Brahmadaitya Puja with fairs spread across several days in the early part of Magh
. Khosnagar has a fair for Saraswati Puja
.
Tarapith
sports a festive look round the year, but a special fair is held on the occasion of Shukla chaturdashi in the month of Ashvin
. Birchandrapur, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Tarapith and a centre of Vaishnava
pilgrimage, organises fairs for Rath Yatra
and Goshtaastami. The birth anniversary of Nityananda
is celebrated with Aradhanar mela in the month of Magh. The area is also known as Ekachakra
, the place where the Pandava
s spent some time in anonymity.
Shivaratri
mela is organised at Dabuk, which boasts of the tallest Shiva
temple in Birbhum. Shibgram in Mayureswar
police station organises a fair for Makar Sankranti. A Brahmadaitya Mela is organised on 1 Magh on the banks of Ramsagar at Dheka. A week long fair is organised at Kaleswar on the occasion of Shivaratri in Falgun. The fair organised on the banks of the Mayurakshi River
at Suganpur on the occasion of Buddha Purnima in Boisakh continues for three months. The Urs fair of Malang Zakaria Pir is held on 22–23 Poush at Tildanga. Lohajang Saheb Pirer Mela is held at Bara village near Lohapur on 2–20 Magh.
A fair is organised on the first three days of Poush in honour of Sasan Kali at Bumkotala, at the western end of Rampurhat
. The fair comes alive with the singing and dancing of Santals. Choitro Sankranti fair is held in precincts of Dhamri Kali, on the banks of Brahmani River, in Nalhati
police station. Traditionally large numbers of goats were offered to the goddess. Sri Gopaler Mela is held at Kaluha village on the occasion of Dol
. Banbater Mela is held for seven days starting from a day after Saraswati Puja at Kurugram. A month-long fair at Rudranagar near Chatra, organised on the occasion of Basanti Puja, has on display the work of local craftsmen. A fair is organised on the occasion of Kali Puja
for 10–15 days at Jajigram.
Chandidas Mela is organised on the banks of Denta Pukur in Nanoor
. The week–long Radhamadhab Mela is organised from 14 Choitro at Charkalgram near Nonoor. A three–day fair is organised on the occasion of Saraswati Puja at Hetampur
.
is basically a fair displaying rural crafts. Sri Sri Ramakrishna Ashram organises Abhedananda Mela at Dubrajpur
in December. Netaji Subhas Mela is held for 10 days from 1 Magh around Raksha Kali temple in the outskirts of Sainthia
. The once famous Barabaganer Mela in Suri closed down long ago. Similarly, Vivekananda Mela and Sarada Mela also closed down.
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
.
Backdrop
Birbhum is a large but primarily rural district dotted with small towns. Many of the small towns had markets that were held on specific days in the week, where agricultural produce and products of cottage industry found a wide range of customers, many of whom travelled long distances to attend the markets. The fairs (mela in Bengali) spread right across the district are thought of as an extension of the concept of markets, a place of not only trade and business but also a meeting place of people and an arena for cultural exchange.The largest and most notable fair is the Poush Mela
Poush Mela
Poush Mela is an annual fair and festival that takes place in Santiniketan, in Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal, marking the harvest season. Commencing on the 7th day of the month of Poush, the fair officially lasts for three days, although vendors may stay up until the month-end...
held at Santiniketan
Santiniketan
Santiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata . It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town that attracts thousands of visitors each year...
for three days from 7 Poush
Poush
Poush is the 9th month of both the Bangla calendar and the Nepali Calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season....
. The baul
Baul
Baul .Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.-Etymology:The origin of the word...
mela is held at Jaydev Kenduli
Jaydev Kenduli
Jaydev Kenduli is a village and gram panchayat in Ilambazar community development block in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal...
on the occasion of Poush Sankranti or Makar Sankranti. It starts on the last day of the Bengali calendar
Bengali calendar
The Bengali calendar or Bangla calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used by the Bengali people. It is used in the eastern Indian states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura and in Bangladesh...
month Poush
Poush
Poush is the 9th month of both the Bangla calendar and the Nepali Calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season....
and continues up to 2 Magh
Magh (Bengali calendar)
Magh is the 10th month in the Bangla Calendar. This is the last month of the winter season.-Festivals:* Maghi Purnima , a Buddhist festival* Suryavrata, a festival observed by Hindu women, on the first day of Magh....
. On the occasion of Choitro Sankranti, a fair is organised on the last day of the Bengali calendar month of Choitro
Choitro
Choitro is the last of the twelve months of the Bangla Calendar. It falls from mid-March to mid-April and is the last month of Spring.Choitro is also known as:*Chait in the Nepali Bikram Sambat calendar....
and continues for three days at Kankalitala
Kankalitala
Kankalitala is a temple town in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:It is located about from Bolpur on the Bolpur–Labhpur road. It is situated on the bank of the Kopai River...
.
Lakhs of pilgrims assemble at Patharchapuri
Patharchapuri
Patharchapuri is a village under Suri police station in Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal...
for the fair held on 10–12 Choitro commemorating the death anniversary of Data Saheb.
Apart from these major fairs, numerous other fairs are held across the district. A few of them are mentioned here.
Traditional fairs
Medini mela is organised around the time of MuharramMuharram
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited...
and Shab e Baraat
Mid-Sha'ban
Mid-Sha'ban is thereceding night is known as Laylatul Bara’ah or Laylatun Nisfe min Sha’ban in the Arab world, and as Shab-e-barat in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Afghanistan...
near the mazar
Mazar
A Mazār is a tomb or mausoleum ; the word deriving from the Arabic verb zāra , 'to visit', whence also comes the noun ziyārah , 'a visit', or 'visiting the tomb of a saint for blessings.'. Though the word is Arabic in origin, it has been borrowed by a number of eastern languages, including Persian...
of Shah Abdullah Kermani at Khustigiri
Khustigiri
Khustigiri is a village in Suri Sadar subdivision in Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is from Suri.-About:Khustigiri is famous for the Khustigiri Dargah Sharif which is believed to be a place of learning, getting peace of mind, and becoming free from diseases and mental...
. The emphasis in these fairs is on catering to the needs of rural women. Urs
Urs
Urs is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint in South Asia, usually held at the saint's dargah . South Asian Sufis being mainly Chishtiyya, refer to their saints as lovers and God as beloved...
fair is organised on 15 Falgun
Falgun
Falgun is the eleventh month in the नेपाली Nepali calendar বঙ্গাব্দ Bangla Calendar and the Bikram Sambat. This also marks the arrival of spring,the sixth and final season in Nepal and Bangladesh...
at Langulia village in Suri police station and on 23 Falgun at Rajnagar
Rajnagar, Birbhum
Rajnagar is a town in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was formerly the capital of Royal Kingdoms in the area. With the fading away of the kingdoms, the town lost much of its importance....
.
A fair is organised on Buddha Purnima
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
day on the occasion of Dharmaraj
Dharmathakur
Dharmathakur is a Hindu god worshipped by villagers in the traditional Rarh region in the present day Indian state of West Bengal as one of their special village gods...
Puja in Kaddang village. Dharmaraj puja fairs are held at several other places – in Banashanka village on Buddha Purnima day, in Kandapur village on Shravan
Shravan
Shravan is a Sanskrit word, which literally means listening.* Shravanam is one of the nine most important angas of bhakti.Shravan Kumar belonged to the time when King Dashratha ruled Ayodhya. He was born of poor and blind parents, but they had brought him up remarkably well. He was strong healthy...
i Purnima day, and in Kurmitha village on the occasion of Asarhi
Asharh
Ashaŗh is the third month of the Bangla Calendar. It is the first of the two months that comprise the monsoon season....
Purnima. Lebrashwar celebrates Shiva Gajan with a three-day fair. Villages such as Parui, Katna, Rongaipur etc. celebrate Brahmadaitya Puja with fairs spread across several days in the early part of Magh
Magh (Bengali calendar)
Magh is the 10th month in the Bangla Calendar. This is the last month of the winter season.-Festivals:* Maghi Purnima , a Buddhist festival* Suryavrata, a festival observed by Hindu women, on the first day of Magh....
. Khosnagar has a fair for Saraswati Puja
Saraswati
In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....
.
Tarapith
Tarapith
Tarapith is a small temple town near Rampurhat in Birbhum district of the Indian state of West Bengal, known for its Tantric temple and its adjoining cremation grounds where Tantric rites are performed...
sports a festive look round the year, but a special fair is held on the occasion of Shukla chaturdashi in the month of Ashvin
Ashvin
Ashvin , also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the Tamil solar calendar where it is known as Aipassi and the solar India's national civil calendar. It is the sixth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It falls in the season of Shôrot, or Autumn...
. Birchandrapur, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Tarapith and a centre of Vaishnava
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
pilgrimage, organises fairs for Rath Yatra
Rath Yatra
Ratha Yatra is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July. Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area...
and Goshtaastami. The birth anniversary of Nityananda
Nityananda
Image:Panca-tattva Altar.jpg|thumb|This is interactive image-map. Click! on lotus feet. Sri Krishna Chaitanya , Sri Nityananda Prabhu , Sri Advaita Acharya , Sri Gadadhara Pandit , Sri Srivas Pandit...
is celebrated with Aradhanar mela in the month of Magh. The area is also known as Ekachakra
Ekachakra
Ekachakra is a small village, located 20 km away from the town of Rampurhat in the Birbhum District of West Bengal. Within Hindu tradition, the five Pandavas from the epic, Mahabharata are described as staying in Ekachakra during their years in exile...
, the place where the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s spent some time in anonymity.
Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
mela is organised at Dabuk, which boasts of the tallest Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple in Birbhum. Shibgram in Mayureswar
Mayureswar
Mayureswar II is an administrative division in Rampurhat subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Mayureswar police station serves this block...
police station organises a fair for Makar Sankranti. A Brahmadaitya Mela is organised on 1 Magh on the banks of Ramsagar at Dheka. A week long fair is organised at Kaleswar on the occasion of Shivaratri in Falgun. The fair organised on the banks of the Mayurakshi River
Mayurakshi River
Mayurakshi River is a major river in West Bengal, India, with a long history of devastating floods.It has its source on Trikut hill, about 16 km from Deoghar in Jharkhand state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through the districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad in West Bengal before flowing...
at Suganpur on the occasion of Buddha Purnima in Boisakh continues for three months. The Urs fair of Malang Zakaria Pir is held on 22–23 Poush at Tildanga. Lohajang Saheb Pirer Mela is held at Bara village near Lohapur on 2–20 Magh.
A fair is organised on the first three days of Poush in honour of Sasan Kali at Bumkotala, at the western end of Rampurhat
Rampurhat
Rampurhat is a city and a municipality in Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a small and peaceful town near the West Bengal / Jharkhand border...
. The fair comes alive with the singing and dancing of Santals. Choitro Sankranti fair is held in precincts of Dhamri Kali, on the banks of Brahmani River, in Nalhati
Nalhati
Nalhati is a town, municipality in Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal near the West Bengal / Jharkhand border. This town is named after the Shakti peetha Nalhateshwari temple, which according to the mythologies is the situated where the "nala" i.e. throat of goddess Shakti had...
police station. Traditionally large numbers of goats were offered to the goddess. Sri Gopaler Mela is held at Kaluha village on the occasion of Dol
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
. Banbater Mela is held for seven days starting from a day after Saraswati Puja at Kurugram. A month-long fair at Rudranagar near Chatra, organised on the occasion of Basanti Puja, has on display the work of local craftsmen. A fair is organised on the occasion of Kali Puja
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
for 10–15 days at Jajigram.
Chandidas Mela is organised on the banks of Denta Pukur in Nanoor
Nanoor
Nanoor , is a town with a police station in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Nanoor is the birthplace of 14th century lyric poet Chandidas of Vaishnava Padavali fame. It is developing as a craft centre with NGO support...
. The week–long Radhamadhab Mela is organised from 14 Choitro at Charkalgram near Nonoor. A three–day fair is organised on the occasion of Saraswati Puja at Hetampur
Hetampur
Hetampur is a town in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated near Dubrajpur . It is famous for the Rajbari, which has historical value.-Geography:Hetampur is located at .-History:...
.
Modern fairs
Magh Mela at SriniketanSriniketan
Sriniketan is a town in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Sriniketan is located at . It has an average elevation of .-History:...
is basically a fair displaying rural crafts. Sri Sri Ramakrishna Ashram organises Abhedananda Mela at Dubrajpur
Dubrajpur
Dubrajpur is a town and a municipality in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Dubrajpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 77 metres .-Demographics:...
in December. Netaji Subhas Mela is held for 10 days from 1 Magh around Raksha Kali temple in the outskirts of Sainthia
Sainthia
Sainthia is a town and a municipality in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town is famous for Nandikeshwari Temple, one of the Shakti Peethas in India.-Geography:...
. The once famous Barabaganer Mela in Suri closed down long ago. Similarly, Vivekananda Mela and Sarada Mela also closed down.