Fairs in Birbhum
Fairs in Birbhum refers to the many fairs that take place in
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.[1]
The largest and most notable fair is the
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 Muharram 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.[1]
A fair is organised on
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.[1]
A fair is organised on the first three days of Poush in honour of Sasan Kali at Bumkotala, at the western end of
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.
Modern fairs
Magh Mela at Sriniketan 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.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Mukhopadhyay, Aditya, Birbhumer Mela, Paschim Banga, Birbhum Special Issue, pp. 203–214, (in Bengali), February 2006, Information and Culture Dept., Government of West Bengal
- ^ a b Mondal, Dipanwita, Ek Najore Birbhum Jela, Paschim Banga, Birbhum Special Issue, pp. 7–10
- ^ Sarkar, Joydeep, Paryatan Boichitre Birbhum Jela, Paschim Banga, Birbhum Special Issue, pp. 197–202
- ^ "Patharchapuri". Tourism in Birbhum. District administration. Retrieved 2009-03-01.