The historic state fair to be held on both sides of Tigrigarh Ganga, which flows between Amroha and Hapur districts of western Uttar Pradesh, has started on Monday. This time more than 40 lakh devotees are estimated to reach the fair site. The police administration has made strict security arrangements in the fair. A large number of police forces have been deployed for security. The devotees who reach the fair site stay in camp for about a week and do various kinds of pranks on the sands of Mother Ganga.
This fair, which has been held on the sandy land of Mother Ganga since Tretayug, is known as Ardh Kumbh in western Uttar Pradesh. The identity of the fair is associated with Shravan Kumar of Tretayuga and Pandavas during Mahabharata period. In Tretayug, when Shravan Kumar had set out for a pilgrimage carrying his blind parents on his shoulders, Shravan Kumar stayed at this place on the banks of Ganga on the Ekadashi of Kartik Shukla Paksha and stayed here for about four nights.
Since when has the tradition of donating lamps been going on?
During this time, thousands of people had gathered here to see the service spirit of Shravan Kumar’s parents. Fairs started being held here from that period. The history of the fair is also linked to the Mahabharata period. During the Mahabharata period, Lord Shri Krishna had donated this lamp to the Pandavas for the peace of the souls of the soldiers killed in the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The tradition of donating lamps has been going on since that time.
Shri Krishna had brought Pandavas to the fort
When any person in someone’s family passes away, a lamp is donated for him. It is mentioned in religious texts that the Pandavas were distraught over the innumerable relatives and brave warriors killed in the Mahabharata war. A situation of alienation had arisen among them towards Rajpath. Seeing this, Lord Shri Krishna started getting worried, then Lord Shri Krishna brought the Pandavas to the fort in the month of Kartik and camped on the banks of Ganga for several days and made the Pandavas perform various religious rituals including bathing, since then this fair has great importance.
