Re: Bihar - A Bullet ride to Sonepur Mela and a Safari drive to Valmiki National Par Much less known to the more famous and now vastly commercialized Pushkar mela of Rajasthan, Sonepur still has its own rustic charm – an atmosphere that is a throwback to the days when the small towns were not affected with commercialisation. Also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela, it begins every year on Karthik Purnima (generally in the month of November) as devotees flock to offer prayers at the Harihar Nath temple after the holy dip at the confluence of Gandak and Ganges rivers.
Entering the mela after crossing the old bridge of Gandak from Hajipur/Patna side, immediately I am plunged into a pulsating market that has the widest possible range of cattle and commodities. The sights and sounds of this mela is something to behold. The rustic cacophony and the organised commotion of Sonepur mela enthrals and bewilders. The vast multitude of people has transformed this small town of Sonepur for a month into a cauldron of merriment and celebration.
Among the prime attraction among the fairgoers are the elephants. In fact, Sonepur mela has its origin from the ancient times when Emperor Chandragupta Maurya used to buy elephants and horses. It is the only place where elephants are traded; although as per current wildlife laws they cannot be legally sold. The spectacle of seeing elephants lined up or being taken to the river for a bath, their antics and how mahouts interact with them, and the owners displaying their elephants proudly can only be seen here.
The other attraction that is also a great crowd puller is horse racing, whereby owners prance and ride their horses to show their riding skill as well as the animal’s prowess, both to spectators and potential buyers. Prized stallions as well well-bred milch cows have their own tents for exclusivity.
Theatres or dance shows are also a part and parcel of this fair – starting late evening and continuing till daybreak, thus making this mela a 24-hour affair. Combining music, songs, dance routines and lighting effects, Sonepur theatre is unique in its own way but also absolutely professional in its conduct.
But again what overwhelms is the absolute carnival atmosphere at its maximum; the joy rides and the “maut ka kua” stuntmen and their screaming machines, the magic shows of all hues, colourful street food as well as the brilliantly coloured bangles and rural ornaments, the hawkers peddling all kinds of stuff, sadhus selling Ayurveda and local medicine, the cloth merchants from all over India, local jewellery and handicraft stalls, the noise and sound as each announcer tries to get the fairgoers attention, the robot “man” fortelling future – this is a mela that has not changed with time.
Those who had our youths in the 80s or even in the early 90s, would revel and recall how melas were in those days before commercialisation and fast paced development set in. These were the days when we saw "Mard" scribbeld on the culverts and "Kasam paida karle wale ki" blaring out from the impromptu cinema on a white canvas being organized by a local club or such. Stand and listen as simple hawkers to "gyani baids" from far and distant lands hard sell their wares - one liners that you will only hear in UP or Bihar.
Over the last few years, individual travel in Bihar has been greatly facilitated with its vastly law and order status thus mostly freeing itself from the shackles of negativity. Moreover, to give the mela a more professional outlook and to make this fair one of the State’s main calendar event, Bihar Tourism has taken up the responsibility for the first time to coordinate in a more organised and professional way yet maintaining the charisma of this ancient fair.
As I ride back with a whole lot of digital images as well as fantastic experiences and memories for 4 days, I leave a mela still revelling itself among throngs of amazing people within a brilliant atmosphere of fun and festivity. Sonepur mela in 2012 commenced on November 26 and will end after a month’s duration on December 27, 2012.
Overall this mela ride has been a huge success for me -
1. A fantastic solo Bullet ride - pure riding done with 250 km to Asansol covered in 3 hrs 15 mts with some jam at Panagarh, the Asansol to Barhi in absolute beautiful NH2 done of around 200 km in 2 hrs 15 mts and the rest Barhi to Patna of 200 km to Patna along NH31 done in 4.5 hrs with a short break in between.
2. Met my good friend and his family in Patna
3. Absolutely loved the Mela atmosphere and documented the Mela in its full for the next few days. This was my first serious photograph outing, so along with the mela travel, definitely concentrated on images and on what I shoot all through.
Anyway enough of talk, starting this photologue and brief description as needed from the next post.
Last edited by GTO : 18th December 2012 at 14:04.
Reason: PM coming up
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