200 years old traditional sannyastali fair at Joypurhat

Jaipurhat District Correspondent:

Sannyasatli Fair is about 200 years old. Kites were the main attraction of the fair. When this fair comes, festival fountains flow throughout the upazila. This two-day fair is held every year in the monastery of Kshetlal upazila. This year too, the fair will start on Friday at the end of Madhu Mas Jaishtha and will continue till Saturday.

Centering on this traditional fair, the entire fair ground has become a meeting place for people of all religions. As the fair time approaches, this upazila becomes more festive. From Friday to Saturday evening, thousands of people gather in the fountain of joy flowing in the fair grounds.

Every year around the fair, relatives and friends arrive from house to house in half a hundred villages of the area. A day before, the shopkeepers have arranged their stalls around this huge fair.

This time too, there were various kinds of kites, various seasonal fruits and sweets spread over an area of about 4 km. And the main attraction was colorful dalakulas made of low-priced bamboo, changaris, hand fans and fishing khailshanis, in addition to various domestic instruments used for household purposes.

  The entire fairground turns into an estuary with the joyous and spontaneous presence of thousands of men and women of various ages, religions.

This sannyastali fair is located on the banks of Tulsi Ganga river in Mohabbatpur-Jiapur village of Mamudpur union of Kshetlal upazila, 8 km south of Jaipurhat city.

  On Saturday, the second and last day of the fair, the presence of girls for shopping was eye-catching. On Saturday morning, the daughters of Sanatan religions came to the fair and worshiped Sannyas-Taghore. And the kite flying festival of children, teenagers and old people around the vast area.

  Even though no prizes are organized, everyone participates in the kite flying festival with joy. It is a competition to see how high the kite can fly. And around this fair, people of different ages participate in various kite flying festivals.

  The competition of who can fly the highest kite and who can cut the string of the kite goes on throughout the day. Along with the son-in-law and daughter-in-law, the tradition of entertaining the relatives is coming in the area around this fair.

Shafiqul Islam of Mamudpur village of the upazila and Sumon Mia of Dasra village told Jago News, "Our fathers and grandfathers used to hold this fair, we also come to shop in this fair." Many people from the surrounding districts gather around the Sannyasi fair.

Ripon Kumar Mondal of Naogaon Badalgachi Upazila and Bhaben Roy of Hakimpur Upazila of Dinajpur who came to the fair told Jago News that every year we come to this sannyastali fair only to buy kites. But apart from kites, all kinds of things are available here. They say we have bought boats, we have bought fishing nets.

Sannyastali Mela Committee President Montu Chandra told Jago News that Sannyastali Mela has been held like every year. This sannyasthali fair is twenty years old. This fair is conducted by Hindus and Muslims together. Traders from different regions of the country come to this fair.

Chairman of Kshetlal Upazila Mostakim Mondal said the fair has been going on for ages as a meeting fair of all religions.

Moshiur Rahman, Chairman of Mamudpur Union Parishad of Kshetlal Upazila, said that kites are the main attraction of this sannyastali fair of Sanatan religious people. A large number of people gather around this fair from the surrounding districts. It has actually become a meeting place for people of all religions and castes.