Surajkund Mela
The Surajkund Crafts Mela is organized each year by the Tourism Department in Haryana in February. This is a very colorful and exotic handicrafts and handloom fair that is planned each year to popularize the traditional handicrafts in India made by the rural folks in Surajkund. This was first organized in the year 1981 and it continues to be a major platform for Indian artisans to showcase the skills in the art work and crafts.
This is a weeklong fair, which is celebrated annually. Scores of skilled artisans from all over India come here to participate and promote their crafts. Some of the work that is displayed here is age old and has been passed down since ages. Surajkund mela provides its visitors the skilful and exquisite textiles, paintings, ivory work, wood stock, terracotta, pottery, lac work, grass work and stone work. The visitors can also shop here extensively for some of the world’s treasured wares.
This fair is not just limited to artworks and exhibitions but also showcases a visual delight to the visitors in the form of performances from the special Natyashala folk dances and music filled evenings at an open air theatre present in the venue.
A diverse range of delicious savories, which is prepared by exponents, is also offered to the visitors. The cuisine is generally rural, which is kept so to match the theme of the festival.
Each year the Surajkund crafts festival has a theme, inspired by the artworks from a particular Indian state and the entire ambience of the fair is designed accordingly. Many states showcase their finest handlooms, delicious rural cuisines and handicrafts in this fair.
Some of the most deligtful crafts collections of the Mela arrive from practically all over the country. In wood and cane come inlay work, rose wood carving, sandal wood from Punjab and South India. Chiki wood craft of Kashmir and some very fine cane craft come from West Bengal and North Eastern States. Delcate sholapith and