Kartik Poonam Mela pulls thousands to Siddhpur

PALANPUR : A week-long Kartik Poonam Mela that began on Tuesday gathered momentum on the full moon night of Thursday as thousands of people thronged Siddhpur in Patan district along with more than 7,000 camels and 200 horses.
This camel fair at Siddhpur is akin to Pushkar Mela of Rajasthan as participants come from faraway places like Barmer in Rajasthan, Suigam, Tharad and other places.However, there has been a decline in the enthusiasm among the camel sellers as the annual camel race and camel decoration competition have been scrapped by the organizers this year.
A camel merchant Mannaram Purohit from Jaisalmer said, "Several high breed camels are absent as the racing competition adds to the value of the animal."
A horse seller Sanjay Gami from Kharod village in Mehsana district who came with seven horses said, " The horse market was somewhat higher this time as my four-year-old Badal and two-year-old Toral got trade inquiries worth Rs 3.25 lakh and Rs 1.50 Lakh respectively."
Chief officer of the local civic body AR Pandya said, "There is no recession in the enthusiasm of buyers and sellers who have thronged this historical town in great numbers."
He said, "According to a legend, on 14th day of Kartik month Ganga and Yamuna come to meet Saraswati River at midnight making it an auspicious occasion. This is why lakhs of people come here to perform Matru Shradh (Tervnu) at the river bed."
An exhibition on the glory of the town has been organized at the venue. "This year we are expecting over 17 lakh people to participate in the Mela. This is the biggest animal fair of Gujarat," said civic body president Pragnya Thakar.