There are endless festivals in Bengal. And a festival means gathering of people. Mela or fair means the festival of meeting together. In the culture of Bengal, there is a fair organized in any festival or puja. And some fairs have such historical importance and are organized on such a grand scale that the fairs themselves have become festivals. Here we are going to discuss some of those grand Melas of Bengal.
Poush Mela: Shantiniketan
The history of Poush Mela is connected with the history of Shantiniketan. It is a fest of celebrating new harvests and the winter special Bengali foods. This mela was started by Rabindranath Tagore himself, and hence has a historic resemblance. In this mela, people from all over the world come to see the rural culture, sculptures, handicrafts, and also to enjoy the chilling atmosphere of Winter here.
But, from the last few years, the Visva-bharati authority has brought restrictions on this fair and people are not really happy with it. A huge number of local people are financially dependent on this fair and they have been suffering since that time. Though, there has been an alternative arrangement outside the university premises.
Gangasagar Mela: Sagardwip
It is a kind of religious fair which takes place in Gangasagar, Sagardwip, in the South 24 Parganas of Bengal, during the early spring season. Pilgrims, not only from Bengal, but also from the different corners of the whole country, come here every year to worship lord Surya, Devi Ganga and their late ancestors. For this purpose, thousands of people come here every year and a Mela is organised every year to make it more recreational. This mela has such sentimental value that the government couldn’t stop it even during the Covid period.
Rash Mela: Cooch Behar and Nabadwip
Rash mela is organised during the early winter. The mela starts from the day of Makar Sankranti. It is a festival of worshipping lord Radha-Krishna together. Rash means the loving relation between Radha and Krishna, and in this mela, people do celebrate love. The largest Rash mela is organised in Cooch Behar district. It is said that the mela used to be organised by the King of Cooch Behar from a very long period, at least 200 years before the British invasion.
Another impactful Rash mela gets organised at Mayapur-Nabadwip, but it is not as old as the other one.
Jalpesh Mela: Jalpaiguri
It is a mela where people celebrate the worship of lord Shiva. This mela takes place at Maynaguri, in Jalpaiguri district of Bengal.
