Thousands of traders, breeders and tourists have begun gathering in Rajasthan’s Pushkar for one of India’s largest livestock fairs, where animals worth crores change hands and rare breeds take centre stage.
The week-long Pushkar Cattle Fair, beginning on 30 October, is drawing attention for its record valuations, from a stallion reportedly priced at Rs 15 crore to a buffalo tagged at Rs 23 crore.
More than 4,000 animals, including horses, camels and cows, have been registered this year.
The fair, steeped in tradition, is also adapting to modernity with the state’s animal husbandry department digitising animal records to improve traceability and transparency in trade.
DSP (Ajmer Rural) Ramchandra Chaudhary said that this year, the Pushkar Fair will see a larger police deployment compared to previous years.
"More than 2,000 police personnel will be deployed during the fair. All officers have been briefed properly to ensure that visitors face no inconvenience," he said.
Rajasthan's Animal Husbandry Department has intensified monitoring to ensure the health and safety of the livestock arriving for trade at the fair, an official said.