Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district is making it to the headlines as the traditional ‘Donkey Fair’ has been organised on the banks of Shipra river. This is an annual fair which is organised from Ekadshi to Purnima in the Karthik month of the Hindu Calendar.
Traders across the nation have gathered here to buy animals from the fair as donkeys and mules from across the nation have been brought here for sale. The fair is organised in the Karthik Mela ground. The cost of the animals is based on their age which is predicted looking at their teeth.
Apart from donkeys and mules, horses are also traded in the fair. An interesting fact about the fare is that the donkeys and mules are colured before they participate in the fair and they are given a name which is written on their bodies.
“It is my traditional business. We buy donkeys and mules from different places and sale them here in Ujjain. A few donkeys have been sold out and a few are left whose deal is in process,” a local trader told the media.
“I have come here to buy donkeys. This fair is being organised for years. Our father and grandfather used to come here to buy the donkey,” a buyer said.
The donkeys are named after famous celebrities like bollywood stars and famous politicians.
Notably, it is said that such a big donkey fair is organised only at two places in the country. One is held in Pushkar, Rajasthan and the other in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.