Markets and Melas of India #4 Appam Market, Thrissur

A market that sells only ‘Appams’ -  Vellappangady, Thrissur 

Thrissur or ‘Thirushivaperur’ of the God’s own country is known for the magnificent ‘Vadakkunathar’ temple that depicts the ‘Chera’ architecture of the integrated Thamizhagam and its vibrant ‘Pooram’ festival. The cultural capital of Kerala is also known for its 24/7 market that sells delicious ‘Appams’. ‘Appams’ are household names in the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and in the island nation of Sri Lanka. Appam is a not a new World delicacy, ‘Perumpannatrupadai’ (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை, (Tamil)) of Sangam literature that belongs to 100 BCE – 100 CE has a mention about ‘Appams’. Appam is a type of pancake made with fermented rice, batter, and coconut milk. Irrespective of their religious practices and subculture, Tamils, Malayalis, and Sinhalese patronize these rice pancakes for breakfast and dinner.

On a narrow street by the ancient Puthanpalli church in Thrissur is Vellappangady, a market that only sells appams. Yes, you read it right; this 200-year-old market sells only appams. Vellappangady straightly translates to ‘the market which sells white appams’. However, this market dotted with 12 to 15 shops near the busiest ‘Swaraj Round’ of Thrissur, sells a variety of appams like vellappam, paalappam, unniappam, achappam, kuzhalappam, kallappam along with delicious savories of Central Kerala.  The street is marked by white mists of steam mounting from the velleppam pans on clay hearths, which are fueled by coconut shell ember and charcoal. A delightful aroma of the fluffy, moon-faced appam puffs through the air around the ‘Swaraj Round’ all the time.

An appam shop in Vellappangady sells 500 to 1000 appams on a weekday.  Mornings and evenings being the peak hours, the vendors seldom remember the customer count as few place bulk orders and few lodge the shop-front in big batches. One vellappam cost Rs.5 and all the shops in this pancake market decide the rates, unanimously.  

Business here in Vellappangady reaches its bloom during the festive seasons of Thiruvonam (Onam), Pooram, Easter, Christmas and New Year. Bulk orders for marriages, church masses, and restaurants from nearby towns and districts of Central Kerala also assure their livelihood. It is noteworthy to know that, this pancake business has also been taken up by few of the immigrants from the regions of Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Your next visit to Kerala might be to the sunny beaches of Kumarakom or to the lagoons of Alleppey, but do not forget to have a stop at Thrissur’s Vellappangady, for tasting these soft and lacy white pancakes.  

Thrissur is 472 Kms from Bengaluru and 617 Kms from Chennai.

Markets and Melas of India #3 Patuli Floating Market, Kolkata

Floating Market of Patuli, Kolkata

                West Bengal, is blessed with umpteen number of distributaries of the holy Ganga. The Ganga splits itself into Padma and Hoogly, near Giria, Murshidabad. The former takes an eastern course and the latter flows southwards approaching the Bay of Bengal through the city of Kolkata. The Hoogly river system is an essential lifeline of the economy of the South Bengal districts. It is noteworthy to remember that it was through this river, that the East India Company sailed into the subcontinent and established their trade and commerce, in the city of Calcutta. The riverine bed of Bengal is the reason why the region is having a number of perennial lakes. One such lake at Patuli in South Kolkata has been transformed into a floating market. The much eminent floating market of Thailand is 400 meters long and 60 meters wide. 

            The floating market of Patuli, first of its kind in Kolkata, was setup to accommodate the shop owners who have lost their business due to the widening of the bypass road here. Two adjoining water bodies have been merged and two aerators have also been installed to take care of the oxygen level in the water, which will, in turn, help the aquatic animals and aerobic bacteria to survive. 

              The floating market of Patuli is having 280 shops housed on 114 boats. The shoppers and shopkeepers can approach the boats, through the wooden walkways. The buyers coming to the market are having a unique experience. They can stand along the walkways and can shop for a range of vegetables, fruits, flowers, meat and of course, the all-time favourite of any city dweller, the Machli. The boats are having gates which will allow the buyers to make an entry and exit. About 300 shoppers are getting benefited and an amount of ten crore rupees has been spent for setting up this market, for making customized boats and to build an underground sewer network, for the adjoining area.

          A recent press release from KMDA (Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority) states that Patuli will also host a night market. However, the night market will not function in the floating market complex. It will find a place opposite the floating market complex. The night market is said to have 100 stalls stretching over few 100 meters off the EM bypass road. This night market will be open only during on Friday and Saturday nights. Along with vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish, one would be able to buy stupendously designed Bengali handicrafts and taste an assortment of delicacies from Ghugni Chat to Jhal Muri.

Timings: 6 AM to 9 PM.

 How to reach: Patuli floating market is approximately 27 Kms far away from the Howrah Railway Station and 14 Kms further from the Sealdah Railway Station.

 

Markets and Melas of India #2 Basavanagudi Groundnut Fair

Basavanagudi Groundnut Fair, Bengaluru

 The Kadalekai Parishe is the annual two-day carnival of groundnuts which is celebrated in the Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru. It is noteworthy to mention that, the dynamic city of Bengaluru is also possessing its old day charm in some of its nuclear localities like Basavanagudi, Malleshwaram, Chikkapette and Sheshadripuram.

According to legends, the celebration has been acclaimed from the year 1537 CE when Kempegowda, the founder of the city constructed a sanctum sanctorum built exclusively for the bull God, Basava or Nandi on a hillock of this Deccan Plateau’s Southern City. The temple is known and recollected as Dodda Basavanna Gudi which in elucidation implies Big Bull Temple. The locality where this temple is situated is also called as Basavanagudi, literally the bull temple. The groundnut festival attracts a large number of visitors from the various localities of Bengaluru. The farmers, traders and visitors also come from the various other parts of Karnataka like Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Chikkaballapura, Chamarajanagara, Tumakuru. Like any other festival of Bengaluru, the groundnut fair also paves a way for a livelihood for people from the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of farmers from the districts of Chittoor, Vellore and Krishnagiri visit Basavanagudi during the Karthiga month to celebrate the week long Kadlekai Parishe. 

To Tame The Rampaging Bull!

Basavangudi is geographically bound by various other localities like Sunkenahalli, Guttahalli, Mavalli, Dasarahalli and a few others where groundnut was cultivated in plenty. The farmers unswervingly met issues with a rampaging bull which would venture into their fields on each full moon day. With no other choice left, the farmers appealed to the bull God, Nandi or Basava to deliver a conclusion to the maceration and promised that they would offer their first harvest to the God, as a token of gratitude. It is said that the farmers found an idol of Nandi in a farmland and started offering prayers to it; the villagers have also noticed that the idol began to grow rapidly and had to nail an iron peg on its head to control its growth, which still can be seen in the form a trident. 

Holding fast to their statement, the farmers offered their first respect the divinity in an extremely great way which soon advanced into a tremendous fair. It is trusted that Nandi would restore the day after the festival, as a bull and eat the groundnuts bought in to the fair. Along these lines the carnival took its introduction to the world which features the genuine soul and culture of the city. The Karthika month of South Indian lunar calendar, invites umpteen number of farmers, traders and individuals who come in huge numbers to sell and buy groundnuts and the other value added products of groundnuts like Chikkis, Assorted peanuts etc. 

One can discover groundnuts here in every conceivable shape and sizes; while some are sold raw, there are different forms too by which groundnuts are sold to the buyers. The whole area encompassing the temple adores a celebration look amid the two day fair and is thronged by a substantial number of individuals from varying backgrounds. What began as only a ceremonial offering of groundnuts to Nandi has now changed into an immense celebration which offers groundnuts as well as numerous different items that one would go over in a typical temple festival of Karnataka or any other State of the plateau.

Dodda Ganapathi Temple 

Located adjacent to the Bull temple, is the Dodda Ganapathi temple. The sacred place houses a monolithic statue of Ganapathi, which is said to have developed to its present size and which measures 18 ft in stature and 16 ft in width. Amid the Kadalekai Parishe, the idol of the God, is enriched with butter which invites a large number of devotees to the fair grounds.

Markets and Melas of India #1 Pushkar

 Pushkar, The City of Camel Fair

To the east of the mighty Aravalli range, lies the historical temple town of Pushkar. The great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha have a vivid mention about this town. Some historians claim that the town of Pushkar has even existed in the first millennium, however the earlier available mentions about the town is found only in the Islamic texts. This little town of the Indian State, Rajasthan is known for its grand camel fair that attracts more than 2 lakh visitors every year.

The Hindu month of Karthik marks the beginning of this largest ever livestock fair of India. The month of Karthik or Karthigai generally overlaps with the October and November months of the Gregarion calendar. The Pushkar Fair, otherwise called the Pushkar Camel Fair, or Pushkar Mela, is a rich and lively show of exceptional exhibitions, energizing competitions and intriguing occasions. Stretching out to seven days, this yearly camel and domesticated animal fair, held in the town of Pushkar during the months of October and November, draws a wide range of visitors. Also, this fair is eminent for being one of the world's biggest livestock fairs.

Apart from its festive slant, this great occasion in addition has its own religious connotation. Throughout the years, the fair has discovered a fair specify in the tourism industry of Rajasthan and in the tourism industry of South Asia, at large.

A Brief History of Pushkar Mela

As per the Puranas, all the 330 divine beings gathered at the mighty lake of Pushkar upon the arrival of Purnima/Pournami (Full Moon) to sanctify and consecrate the lake. This is the means by which the lake came to be considered as holy. This is the reason  for a titanic immigration at the Pushkar Lake for the holy bath to wash away their wrongdoings and offer their prayers at the Brahma Temple. It is noteworthy to mention that only a handful of temples in India are dedicated to the God of Creation, Brahma. Furthermore, the waters of this mighty lake are believed to possess the properties of healing and rejuvenating. Pushkar has also got a mention in the great Indian epic of Mahabharata. Other than this, it has also been alluded to in the Hindu sacred texts as one of the five holy towns.

When and Where?

As the name suggests, Pushkar Camel Fair, or Pushkar Mela, as it's usually known, is held over a time of seven days in the town of Pushkar, which lies in the Ajmer region of Rajasthan. The Pushkar Mela is praised between the long stretches of October and November on the event of the blessed Kartik Purnima. This year it will be begin from fifteenth November - 23 Novermber 2018 on the propitious day of full moon in Kartik month.

In spite of the fact that the Pushkar Mela is essentially held to exhibit the livestock of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains, there are different events and highlights which are the outlandish features of this fair. These events exalt the whole experience of the fair by blessing the tourists with some dazzling nodes in their memory. 

Highlights of the Mela

There is the elevated sitting arrangement, which enables the people to be situated in an extraordinarily outlined gallery view furnished with all the advanced amenities. The inaugural function, of the mela is itself a great occasion. It's set apart by many camels decorated brightly and stallions mounted by riders clad in dynamic customary Rajasthani sartorial.

The camps of the Pushkar mela join the delights of outdoors in the midst of extravagance. A case of this is the risen convenience at the Sky Waltz Camp which offers a choice of AC and cooled and non-AC options of glamping stay in Pushkar Fair. The other momentous allure is the dazzling exhibitions by famous combination maestros from around the globe. 

One can likewise enjoy the hot air ballons at the Pushkar Fair. Watching the buzzing movements from the sky gives a memorable experience. This exhilarating and thrilling activity is one of the top most priorities to most of the visitors of Pushkar Fair. Further, combined with this amazing experience, one can likewise enjoy various adventurous activities like paramotors, quad biking and horse riding, among others.

Camel and Livestock Fair

 
Obviously, there is the camel and cattle fair, which is one of the major highlights of Pushkar Festival, Rajasthan. The visitors will be able to witness the owners of camels, cows, oxen, bulls and other livestock adored with vibrant clothing to be sold and bought.

Religious Gatherings 

 
In any case, it must be recollected that this mela has a concrete religious affiliation with it as well. This is too the time when a large number of devotees visit the lake to commemorate the religious and the spiritual importance of this might little town of Rajasthan.

Delightful Handicrafts

One should also try to visit the acclaimed Pushkar Mela for bringing home with some of the delightful handicrafts of Rajasthan and Northern India. Amid the occasion, various stalls and pushcarts are established to offer an assortment of goods from saddle straps, saddles and beads to strings of cowries. The fair is also attended by a large number of women who culminate their yatra with purchases of traditional silver ornaments, bead necklaces from Nagpur, garments of patchwork, printed textiles from Ajmer and traditional footwear, besides others. 

Pushkar is surrounded by enormous number of tourist destinations like Jaipur, Ajmer, Khimsar and is dotted with the marvelous fort of Taregarh and the mighty lakes of Savitri and Anasagar. Visiting Pushkar during the months of October-November will be blessing one with abundant memories of this mela, which attracts more than lakh of visitors every year.

Reaching Pushkar

 
By Air: Sanganer airport in Jaipur is the nearest airport to Pushkar, at a distance of 146km. From there, one can hire taxis or private vehicles to reach Pushkar.

By Train: Pushkar Terminus Railway Station, which has been in operation since 2012, is connected to Ajmer railway station, located at a distance of 11km.

By Road: Pushkar is well connected to the national highways of Rajasthan. Regular buses ply from Pushkar to the major cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer from the Ajmer bus stand.