Hindu religion has a glorious history and its culture runs deep into the lives of its followers. Pilgrimage is a part of Hindu life, ancient scriptures like Rig Veda speaks about the importance of going for pilgrimage to holy places in a life time. It is believed that Pilgrimage washes away the sins of present life and blesses with a good life during the next births.

Fairs in India

Some of the popular Fairs in India which takes place at periodic intervals

Kumbh Mela: Kumbh Mela which is held once in twelve years in Allahabad is considered as the largest peaceful gathering of devotees. A record 100 million people attended the Maha Kumbh Mela in the year 2013. People from all over the world visit Allahabad to take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam.

Pushkar Fair: A popular camel fair held in the Pushkar town of Rajasthan is considered as the biggest of its kind in the country. The varieties of competition held in the fair attract millions of tourists.

Sonepur Cattle Fair or Malegaon Mela: This fair is held in the Sonepur town of Bihar state. It is considered as the largest cattle fair in whole of the Asian continent attracting people from different places. This fair has an ancient link to the Chandragupta Maurya's reign.

Gwalior Trade Fair: This trade fair has numerous stalls exhibiting normal household items to big machines and vehicles. The tourists are entertained by the native musical and cultural programmes.

Sammakka Saralamma Jatara or Medaram Jatara: This fair is held in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh to honor the Goddesses. It is the largest fair after Kumbh Mela in terms of people's attendance. The fair involves some mythological stories and plays of Sammakka and Saralamma lives.

Mandi Shivaratri Fair: This fair is held in the Mandi town of Himachal Pradesh during the Hindu Festival of Shivaratri. The town bears a festive look and numerous cultural programs are organized as part of the fair.

Hindu pilgrimage places in India

Some of the popular Hindu pilgrimage places in India are located at:

Allahabad: It is popular for Triveni Sangam and is the venue for Kumbh Mela. It is a city which has numerous Hindu mythological connections.

Amarnath: A Holy cave dedicated to Lord Shiva located at an altitude of 13, 000 feet and opened for public only in the July-August months.

Ayodhya: It was the capital of Lord Rama's place and the place where Ramayana was written. It is regarded as the €Jerusalem€ for Hindus.

Badrinath: It is located in Uttarakhand state and is one of the Char Dham.

Mathura: This holy place in Uttar Pradesh is regarded as the birth place of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This ancient city has many temples.

Haridwar: Popular as one of the sites of Char Dham and origin of river Ganges streams.

Rishikesh: Popular as one of the sites of Char Dham.

Vaishno Devi: It is one of the most popular Hindu temple attracting millions of devotees across the world located in Jammu.

Varanasi or Kashi: Popular city where Ganges flows and place where €Ramacharitamanas€ was written by Tulsidas.

Dwarka: Hindu Pilgrimage centre and kingdom of Lord Krishna.

Konark: Located in the state of Orissa. Popular for the Sun temple also known as €Black Pagodas€.

Puri: Popular Jaganadh Temple is located in this city. Rath Yatra is popular festival of the temple held in the July month attracting millions of devotees.

Shirdi: Shirdi is popular with the Guru Sai Baba's shrine who preached for Hindu Muslim Unity.

Rameswaram: It is the southernmost tip of the country popular with its association with Lord Rama during his battle with demon king Ravan.

Sabarimalai: A popular Hill Shrine in Kerala state dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.

Tirupati: One of the richest temples in the world dedicated to Lord Balaji and located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.