Sonepur, Bihar
Sonepur well known place in India for its largest cattle fair and famous Hariharnath temple.
In this Fair You can see animals of all kind and breed. Along with that varieties of other fun activities takes place. Just 25 Km from Bihar Capital Patna , it is well Connected with Railways and Road.
The
Sonepur Cattle Fair is held on
Karthik Poornima(the full moon day) in the month of November in Sonepur, Bihar on the confluence of river Ganga and Gandak.
It is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela and it attracts visitors from
all over Asia. Till date, it is the biggest cattle fair of Asia and
stretches on from fifteen days to one month. It has its origins during
ancient times. The Sonepur
Cattle Fair once used to attract traders from places as distant as
Central Asia.
A Bit Of History :
Originally,
the venue of the fair was Hajipur
and only the performance of the puja used to take place at the Harihar
Nath temple of Sonepur. However, under the rule of the Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb, the venue of the fair got shifted to Sonepur. The temple of
Harihar Nath is believed to have been originally built by Lord Rama, on
his way to the court of King Janak to win the hand of Mata Sita.
It is further said that Raja Man Singh later got the temple repaired.
The Harihar Nath temple, as it stands today, was built by Raja Ram
Narain, an influential person during the late Mughal period.
Gajendhra
Moksha legend is associated with the temple in Sonepur. It involves the
story of king Indrayamuna and the Gandarva chief Huhu, who were turned
into an elephant and a crocodile respectively by the curse of great
sages Agasthya and Dewala muni. One day the elephant's leg was caught by
the crocodile.It
is said that the location was in Nepal. It is said that both of them
fought hard for many years with their herds and while fighting,they came
to the place near this temple. But ultimately the King Elephant
weakened and took the lotus flower from river in its trunk and prayed to
the supreme god Vishnu (Hari) to save him. Vishnu heard his prayer
and cut down the crocodile with his Chakra. But the touch of the chakra
released Huhu from the curse. Vishnu also released Indrayamuna from his
curse and took him to his abode
Vaykuntha.
Since Sonepur is situated at the convergence of the sacred rivers Ganga and Gandak, the Hindus
regard it as a holy site. One of the purposes of the people visiting
the Sonepur Cattle Fair, apart from the fair, is to take a holy dip at
the convergence and pay respects at the Hariharnath Temple.a
.
Since Sonepur is situated at the convergence of the sacred rivers Ganga and Gandak, the Hindus
regard it as a holy site. One of the purposes of the people visiting
the Sonepur Cattle Fair, apart from the fair, is to take a holy dip at
the convergence and pay respects at the Hariharnath Temple.
Hariharnath Mandir:
Hariharnath Mandir in Sonpur is
also known for the famous temple of shree Hariharnath and the site of
the battle of Gaj-Grah and rescue of the former by Hari
During Kartik Purnima Ganga Snan or ceremonial bathing in the Ganges is
held by Hindus to be unusually efficacious. On the day of full moon
immense crowd assembles and take bath. The Mela commences on that day
and lasts for more than a fortnight. The Shiva temple, Kali temple and
other temples and historical religious monuments are situated here and
social and economical activities are at the highest peak during the Mela
period. People come here to pay their oblation to the lords and thus
its importance is not within Sonpur of Bihar rather it is of India and
world fame.
