Hundreds of decorated donkeys up for sale at ‘Gardhabh Mela’

Hundreds of decorated donkeys were put up for sale at a donkey fair in Uttar Pradesh. It is held annually at the Sheetla Devi Dham in Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh. The fair witnesses the convergence of traders and customers who come to buy donkeys, horses, and mules. The fair, known as 'Gardhabh Mela', is also crowded with people who come to feed the donkeys as it is believed that the animals grant people's wishes. The donkeys sold at the fair carry the pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir state, which adds to the religious importance of the fair. People from the washermen community also take part in this historic fair in huge numbers for buying donkeys used in their trade and also for fixing marriages of their children as they believe the fair to be blessed.