Pochampally saris from Telangana, brass utensils from Madhya Pradesh, bamboo showpieces from Assam, salwar suits from Punjab, sofa sets from Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Bhagalpuri silk saris - all these and more at the same venue at the same time. Sounds too good to be true?
Just head to the 15-day Rajgir Mahotsav inaugurated by chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday.
A mind-boggling array of handicraft and garments at 156 stalls from across the country would leave visitors spoilt for choice.
The tourism department and Nalanda district administration have wooed traders from 10 states and around 14 districts in Bihar through various agencies, including self-help groups and district industrial centres, to set up stalls spread across four pavilions in Gram Shri Mandap at the fair at Quila Maidan.
Ashish Kumar, an employee in Nalanda District Rural Development Agency and one of the coordinators at Gram Shri Mandap, said: "We have sellers from Kashmir, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bengal among others. National and state awardees for handicraft items have been given counters. The inaugural day sales touched Rs 7.95 lakh. It had reached Rs 1.37 crore in the 17-day fair last year. This year, we expect it to touch Rs 1.75 crore."
Traders sounded optimistic about good business.
"We have brought woollen items made in the Valley, including shawls, suits, jackets and saris. The price range of our merchandise is between Rs 200 and 1 lakh for a Pashmina sari. We expect sales to pick up in the coming days," said Shabbir Ahmed Bhatt from Kashmir, taking part in the fair for the past seven years.
Bishwanath Das from Dum Dum in Calcutta, who sells decorative items and bags made of jute, claimed visitors' response has been good.
Buyers too expressed contentment at their acquisitions. "Stalls from other states are selling items here, which we would not be able to find elsewhere in Bihar. Prices are quite reasonable," said Sunita Devi, a homemaker from Aurangabad, who came to Rajgir Mahotsav with her husband.
Several others enjoyed shopping and amusement activities at the fair.
