Tarnetar Mela

A legendary matchmaking and folk dance fair centred around the Trinetreshwar Mahadev Temple, famous for embroidered umbrellas.

Associated with the Mahabharata legend where Arjun performed the difficult Matsyavedha (piercing the eye of a rotating fish) to win the hand of Draupadi in marriage at this exact location.

Young tribal men stand under elaborately embroidered umbrellas seeking brides, while women perform the energetic Raas and Garba dances in massive concentric circles. Traditional attire includes heavily embroidered kediya jackets for men and mirror-work chaniya cholis for women.

The fair opens with the hoisting of a massive, sacred flag on the spire of the ancient 10th-century Trinetreshwar Mahadev Temple. Pilgrims perform three parikramas (circumambulations) of the shrine and take a holy bath in the sacred temple tanks (Kunds).

Taking a dip in the Papnashu Kund on this day is believed to be as meritorious as a bath in the Ganges. Finding a partner under the sacred embroidered umbrellas is thought to ensure an auspicious, long-lasting marital bond blessed by Lord Shiva.

The current temple was rebuilt by the royal family of Lakhtar in the 19th century, replacing a 10th-century Solanki dynasty structure. The fair evolved from a local temple gathering into a globally recognised tribal cultural festival supported heavily by Gujarat Tourism.

The fairgrounds are a dazzling explosion of neon colors and flashing mirrors under the bright Saurashtra sun. Dozens of tribal men, wearing white pleated jackets and spinning umbrellas covered in complex embroidery and lace, smile as hundreds of women, arms covered in ivory bangles, move in a massive, hypnotic circle dance that beats to the thunderous crack of local drums.