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| SITABARI
FAIR |
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| Celebrated In
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Kelwara, Baran District, Rajasthan. |
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| Legend :
Sita Spend Her Banishment
Here. |
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| The Sitabari Fair is held near
village Kelwara in Baran District. Sitabari is considered to be the place where
Sita, the wife of Lord Ram, was left by Lakshman to serve the period of her
banishment. Legend has it that a stream sprouted from the ground where Lakshman
shot an arrow to fetch water for Sita. This stream is called 'Lakshman
Babhuka'. People from all communities visit Sitabari to bathe in the tanks
(kunds), which are always filled with clean, fresh water. The water of the
'kunds' is considered to be sacred and is believed to possess curative
properties. |
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| KUNDS |
| People visit the 'kunds' to take a
holy dip for the purification of the body and soul and to perform oblations
dedicated to the various deities whose images are installed here. |
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| The biggest water tank is the
Lakshman Kund with one of its gates called 'Lakshman Darwaza' where an idol of
Hanuman is installed. People bathe here and pay homage to the idol of Lakshman,
erected beside the 'kund'. The pilgrims also pay respects to the wooden
platform called 'Lakshman-Ka-Takhat' and the Tulsi plant in the shrine. |
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| The Suraj Kund is surrounded by
verandahs on all sides. Ashes of cremated people are immersed in the water
flowing out of the 'kund' by those who cannot go to the Ganges for this ritual.
Washing clothes or using soap is not allowed in it. This kund is named after
the Sun God - Suraj Narain whose idol can be seen here. In one corner of the
kund, the 'Linga' of Mahadevji is placed. The other two kunds are the Sita Kund
and the Bharat Kund. |
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| People offer cash, grain,
'batashas', jaggery, coconut etc. to the deities as a token of their devotion.
Pilgrims also visit the Valmiki Ashram where, according to the Ramayana, the
twin sons of Ram and Sita, Luv and Kush were born. It is a simple structure of
one horizontal stone resting on two vertical stones. |
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| TRADING |
| Apart from being a religious
gathering, traders from nearby districts as well as neighbouring states come to
the fair to sell a variety of goods. Cattle breeders are also present at the
fair selling popular breeds of cattle from Jhalawar, Aklera, Bundi, Kota,
Bhilwara and Nagaur. |
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