Baneshwar Fair, a religious festival with simple and traditional rituals, is celebrated at a small delta formed by the river
Som and Mahi, in
Baneshwar,
Rajasthan.
Baneshwar Fair is mainly a tribal fair with Bhils as the main participants. In fact, the fair is a combination of two fairs. The first fair is celebrated in honor of Baneshwar Mahadev (Lord Shiva). Another has been started after the construction of the Vishnu temple by Jankunwar, daughter-in-law of Mavji, considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The tribes from the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat also join to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. On this occasion, the temple of Baneshwar Mahadev is open from 05:00 to 13:00 hrs. In the morning, saffron is applied to the
shivlinga after it is bathed and an aarti of burning incense is waved before it. Bhabhut (ash) is applied to the Linga and an aarti with a fine-wick lamp is waved in the evening. Devotees offer wheat flour, pulses, rice, jaggery, ghee, salt, chillies and coconut.
During the fair, traditional folk songs are sung by the Bhils sitting around a beacon every night. The fair is also made alive with folk dances, magic shows, animal shows and acrobatic feats.
The fair site is 7 km from Sabla, a village on the Udaipur-Banswara-Dungarpur bus route which is 123 km from Udaipur and 53 km from Banswara.
