Uttar Pradesh: Ballia's Dadri fair comes alive after a gap of almost two 2 years

Ballia (UP): The historic fair of Ballia, more popularly known as Dadri fair, has come alive again after a gap of almost two years, with scores of people from the district and nearby areas visiting it every day. Even though the cattle market - one of the biggest attractions of the fair in the agrarian doab region -- is not being held because of the Lumpy breakout, visitors are trickling in each day to enjoy the popular annual attraction. Dadri fair, which is held to celebrate the union of Ganga and Saryu in Ballia, begins during Kartik Purnima every year which coincides with the onset of winter.

The fair holds religious and spiritual importance for the people of the district and nearby areas and is organised on the banks of the Ganga in the district. A large number of people especially from rural backgrounds from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar visit the fair every year, to buy various items, primarily related to animal husbandry and agriculture.

Historian Shiv Kumar Singh Kaushikey, who has written several books on Dadri Mela, told PTI that Maharishi Bhrigu, through his disciple Dardar saint, had brought the Sarayu river from Ayodhya to Ballia, and brought about the confluence of Ganga and Sarayu on the day of Kartik Purnima.

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According to the legend, it was here that Maharishi Bhrigu had composed Bhrigu Samhita, the famous book of astrology. Singh said that, according to the book, a yajna was performed by Dardar saint which lasted for a month and was attended by 88,000 sages. 

The tradition of Panchkosh parikrama was started after the Yagya, and with this, the foundation of the Dadri fair was laid in 5000 BC, Singh claimed. He said that Mughal Emperor Akbar too established a Meena Bazaar in the fair during his reign.

Singh said that the tradition of taking a holy dip on Kartik Purnima, which coincides with the fair - a practice which is confirmed in the word Baliyag, a vulgarisation of word Ballia.

Akhilesh Singha, the Principal of Town Inter College, told PTI that the historicity of Dadri Fair can be gauged from the fact that Chinese traveller Faxian too spoke about the fair in his book. 

He said that Bhartendu Harishchandra, the author of the essay 'How can India be promoted' about the plight of slave India, had presented it for the first time in 1884 on the stage of the Dadri fair.  Kaushikey said that since 1889, the fair has been organised by the district administration and municipal council. 

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According to Satya Prakash Singh, Executive Officer of Ballia Nagar Palika, the cattle fair was given a pass this year due to the ravages of lumpy outbreak in animals. The absence of the cattle fair has cut into the income of the municipal department by 30 percent, he said.

Additional Superintendent of Police Durga Prasad Tiwari said that on the day of Kartik Purnima, which fell on November 8 this year, about 3 lakh devotees took baths and worshipped at Bhrigu temple and Baleshwar Nath temple.

Satya Prakash Singh said that the fair has more than 500 different types of shops and many cultural programmes are organised here. Braj Bhushan Singh, a resident of Uchraon village of Sikandarpur tehsil area of the district, said he comes with his family to the fair. In the same breath, he said that the nature of the fair has changed over the years. 

Every year changing times and technology are taking a toll on the fair, he rued. This is the reason that the Dadri fair of Ballia, once famous for its vastness, is continuously shrinking, he said.

Aditya Verma, a resident of Rasda town, who came to see the fair, too said that such spectacles as magician shows, circuses, wall of death, and snake charmers, etc are no longer as captivating as they used to be. Despite the crowd, the enthusiasm among the people is not the same, Verma said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Jayant Kumar said that the health department is taking precautions to avoid Covid and dengue breakouts in the fair. A camp has been set up in the fair and people coming to the fair are being made aware to wear masks and maintain social distance.

The state government has decided to declare Dadri Mela as a government fair from next year. Besides this, the government announced that it will form a Dadri Mela Authority. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during his recent visit to Ballia, sought an immediate proposal from the district administration for a Maharishi Bhrigu Corridor as he promised a bigger fair.