Tarnetar Fair History, Mythology, Features, Rural Olympics at Tarnetar Mahadev Temple

Gujarat Tarnetar Fair (Mela) Festival History, Mythology, Carnival, Features, Rural Olympics, Swayamwar at Tarnetar Mahadev Temple

Tarnetar is a village in the Surendranagar District of the state of Gujrat in India. It is situated near the city of Thangandh. The nearest national airport is 90 kilometres (56 mi) away at Rajkot, and the nearest international airport is at Ahmedabad, 200 kilometres (120 mi) away.

Tarnetar is widely known for Trinetreshwar Temple, and the fair held here. It is believed that the temple belongs to the Solanki Era. The Tarnetar temple is surrounded by three Kunds: the Vishnu Kund, the Bhrahma Kund and the Shiv Kund - south of which a cellar is built. It is popularly believed that a dip in its waters is as holy as a dip in the sacred River Ganges.

Tarnetar is known for its annual fair, the Trinetreshwar Mahadev Mela, which is held near the Trinetreshwar Mahadev temple. It attracts villagers from all over the region as well as tourists. It has an attendance figure of around 100,000 people.

The fair is organised in Tarnetar village some 39 kilometres from Chotila in Surendranagar District in Gujarat. It is popularly known as the Trinetreshwar Mahadev Mela and revolves around the sacred temple of Trinetreshwar.

It is held during the first week of Bhadrapad (September-October). This fair is primarily a 'marriage mart' or 'Swayamvar' for the tribal youth who visit Tarnetar to Men stand under exquisitely embroidered umbrellas signifying their marital status while women go around the umbrella hunting for their grooms.

Cattle exhibition is an attraction for the tourists with other programmes like Rural Olympics, bullock cart race and the horse race is held A mixed blend of culture, tradition and social extravaganza, the Tarnetar Fair has gained popularity with more foreign tourists visiting the place.