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| LAVI FAIR |
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| Celebrated In
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Rampur, Himachal Pradesh |
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| Time of the
festivity :
Month of November. |
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| With winter just a hop and skip
away, the age-old Lavi fair fills Rampur with a burst of activity. The town was
once a major entering spot on the old trade routes to Kinnaur, Tibet, Ladakh
and Afghanistan. |
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| Even today, the tradition is as
vibrant as ever. By the churning waters of the river Satluj, a variety of goods
including wool, dry fruits and horses are bartered and sold.
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| The fair is famous for the wide
range of native handicrafts, 'Pashmina' wool, agricultural produce and dry
fruits. The surefooted 'Chaumkhi' horses are also brought here from the tribal
areas for sale. |
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| Hundreds of tribals camps here during the fair
to sell their woollen 'pattoos', dry fruits, 'kala zira' since the restoration
of trade links with China via Tibet. Few years' back, many Chinese articles
were also brought here for sale. These included Chinese jackets, track suits,
crockery etc. Mention of the Lavi fair is found in the records of the erstwhile
Bushair State.
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| During the regime of Raja Kesar
Singh of Bushair, a trade treaty was signed between Bushair State and Tibet.
Horses and swords were exchanged between the two states as a token of
friendship. It was also decided that friendship between them would continue
till the time the Satluj went dry or crows became white. Traders from Tibet and
Kinnaur used to throng the fair in large numbers, but after the Chinese
occupation of Tibet, trade came to standstill. |
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| Efforts have been made to restore
the old glory of the fair, which recently has been given a modern touch. Large
number of traders came to the fair to sell quilts, utensils and other consumer
goods. The fair has already been recognised as an International fair. |
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