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India’s famous Pushkar Camel Fair returns after COVID break | New Galleries

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Hundreds of shepherds and their animals have gathered in the desert city of Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan for the largest camel trade fair in the country.

The city typically attracts thousands of pilgrims, cattle traders and Hindu shepherds for the annual event, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

At the gathering the camel-breeding community sometimes travels hundreds of miles from distant villages to exchange animals.

The 13-day fair, which opened on Monday, coincides with several suitable days on the Hindu calendar, adding to the crowds gathered in the city on the shores of the lake.

“Pushkar is all about cattle trading and religious rites,” Prafull Mathur of Rajasthan’s livestock department told AFP news agency.

“The situation at COVID-19 has not been fully normalized, but we expect good attendance,” Mathur added.

Organizers typically hold competitions for camel shepherds, the main attractions for national and international tourists, but the government has not yet clarified whether the competitions will be allowed this year.

The fair is the only time of year that camel breeders – most of whom live in remote remote nomadic communities in the desert – can earn money to help sustain their livelihoods.

Camels are mostly bought by people in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for use on their farms or as transportation. Other animals, including horses, are also bought and sold at the event.

Indian security forces deployed on the international border with Pakistan are also widely used to guard camels at remote intervals.

To help diversify remote camel breeding communities, the government has tried to promote camel milk, camel skin and camel bone products.

The prominent camel grazing community in the region, Raikas, believes that the Hindu god Shiva gave them the responsibility to raise camels.



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