From the archive record
Livestock, dogs, elephants, birds and more are sold in large numbers during the Sonepur mela in Bihar. The birds seen here include Cockatiel, Budgerigar / Budgerighar, Red Munia and Rose-ringed and Blossom-headed Parakeets. The Sonepur Cattle Fair or Malegaon Mela is held on Kartik Poornima (the full moon day) in the month of November in Sonepur, Bihar, on the confluence of river Ganges and Gandak. It is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela and it attracts visitors from all over Asia. Till date, it is the biggest cattle fair of Asia and stretches on from fifteen days to one month. It has its origins during ancient times. This is when Chandragupta Maurya used to buy elephants and horses across the river Ganges. The Sonepur Cattle Fair once used to attract traders from places as distant as Cen