Festivals of Gujarat > Vautha
Mela, the Grand Fair at Vautha
A magnificent fair is held every
year at Vautha, where two rivers, the Sabarmati and the Vatrak, meet. The village of
Vautha is small and has only 2000 inhabitants. Yet when this celebrated fair is on, the
number of visitors may increase to an incredible 200,000. It is, in fact considered one of
the largest of such fairs in Gujarat.
Like most fair sites in India, this
also has both pnythological and current religious associations.
The Vautha Mela site is 3 square miles in area. Legends
hold that Kartik Swami or Kartikeya, In the new temporary township at the fair site,
visitors have a choice or several pastimes to indulge in. However what is significant is
that this is the only major animal trading fair in Gujarat, and certainly on a par with
the famous camel fair at Pushkar in Rajasthan. Here, however, the animals traded are
donkeys. About 4000 donkeys are brought every year for sale, usually by Vanjara traders.
Excursion :
The largest town is of course Ahmedabad, which is only
50 kms away, but Dholka 26 kms away, is the nearest railway station. From Dholka, one may
travel by State Transoport bus to the site. During the fair, special buses ply between
Vautha and other towns nearby.
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