Sonepur Mela in Bihar is Celebrated on Gujarati month Kartik Purnima(Day of Fifteen) and English month November.
About Sonepur Mela
Sonepur situated on the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Gandak, has the reverence of a blessed ground and lasts for a fortnight.In ancient times the Royal Rajahs and Nawabs used to camp here. The Sonepue Fair has unique and historical importance.
A bath at the confluence and a visit to the Hariharnath temple here is the aim for thousands of devotees on the Kartika Purnima day.
The sprawling mela ground here with the pulsating market has the widest possible range of cattle and commodities. The array of shops sells all sorts of merchandise. Sonepur Fair is the only one of its kind where a large number of elephants are sold.
These are purchased mainly by forest departments and people involved with logging operations. Apart from elephants, a large number of cattle and horses are also brought to the fair for sale. Various folk shows, games and jugglers can be seen in the fair.
The Sonepur Fair is of great antiquity because it has its origins during ancient times. History reveals that Chandragupta Maurya used to buy elephants and horses across the river Ganges. Then it attracted traders from several places as distant as Central Asia. The site of the present fair was originally at Hajipur but shifted to Sonepur during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. One of the purposes of the people visiting the Sonepur Cattle Fair, apart from the fair, is to take a holy dip and offer puja at the Hariharnath MahadeoTemple. From local folklore it is believed that the Hariharnath temple have been originally built by Lord Rama, on his way to the court of King Janak to win the hand of his daughter princess Sita.
Sonepur Mela History
There are many historical events associated with Sonepur Mela like the first meeting of the “Indian Association of Cow Protection” held at this place in 1888. Different meetings during Sonepur Fair lead to the launch of the struggle movement against the British imperialism in Bihar.
The fair was also used as a recruitment ground by The Provincial Congress Committee of Bihar and the Bihar Kisan Sabha (Farmers union), these all events made this fair as the breeding ground of politics.
One of the interesting histories associated with the fair is that the original site for this popular fair was Hajipur instead of Sonepur. Previously only the ceremony of puja used to be held at Harihar Nath temple of Sonepur but later the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb decided to shift the site of the fair to Sonepur..
It is believed that the temple of Harihar Nath was built by Lord Rama on his way to court of King Janak to win the hand of Mata Sita and later repaired by Raja Man Singh. Finally Raja Ram Narain further modified the temple during the late Mughal period.
These days, Sonepur fair also called Harihar Kshetra Mela is administered by District of Chapra with support from Bihar Govt. and promoted by the Tourism Ministry of Bihar. The administration also arranges health and welfare camps, sanitation, drinking water facilities for the visitors.
Sonepur Mela Legends
Sonepur also has its legend. It involves two kings both of whom were turned into animals – a crocodile and an elephant – by the curse of sages who were offended by them.
Once, while bathing in the lake with a party of women, a Gandharva chief named Huhu made fun of Dewala Muni by playfully pulling his leg. The ire of the sage took the form of a curse that turned Huhu into a crocodile.
The other accursed person was Indradyumna, a king of the Pandyas who was of a very pious nature but had offended the powerful sage, Agastya. The king had failed to notice the sage as he was in meditation when the sage visited him. The curse of the enraged Agastya turned Indradyumna into an elephant who took refuge in the woods surrounding the lake.
One day while the elephant came with a herd to the lake to bathe, the gandharva-turned-crocodile caught his leg in its powerful jaws. Not to be taken lightly, the king of elephants tried to pull the crocodile up on the bank in an effort to crush him under his feet. A mighty battle ensued which was joined by other crocodiles and elephants.
The contest went on for thousands of years without any one being able to overpower the other. But ultimately the King Elephant weakened and prayed to the supreme god Vishnu (Hari) to save him. His prayer was answered and Vishnu cut down the crocodile with his chakra (disc).
The touch of the chakra, however, released Huhu from the curse and he went to heaven. Vishnu also released Indradyumna from his curse by touching his forehead and took the king to His abode, Vaikuntha.
How to Rich Sonepur Mela Bihar
By Air
There are very less number of flights which is sheduled to Patna (Capital city of Bihar). You could opt for one of these flights to Patna from Delhi and other major Metro Cities.
By Train
Numerous trains are available from Delhi to Patna which is most economical way of traveling. We suggest you to Opt for 2nd AC Seats for your trip to Bihar
Sonepur Mela Images
