From the archive record
A chance to ride in the skies of Rajasthan seems to raise the curtains from the Arabian Nights in front of you. The only difference is that Aladdin used to sail over the sandy terrain on a magic carpet while you are riding in a hot air balloon. The Pushkar Fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) or locally Pushkar ka Mela, is the annual five-day camel and livestock fair, held in the town of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is one of the world's largest camel fairs, and apart from buying and selling of livestock it has become an important tourist attraction and its highlights have become competitions such as the "matka phod", "longest moustache", and "bridal competition" are the main draws for this fair which attracts thousands of tourists. In recent years the fair has also included an exhibi