16–20 February 2027

Baneshwar Fair: the Bhil gathering where the Som meets the Mahi

Bonfire songs all night on a sandbank where two rivers meet

Baneshwar Fair is a tribal fair at the confluence of the Som and Mahi rivers near Dungarpur in southern Rajasthan, often called the Kumbh of the tribes. It runs for five days, from Ekadashi, the eleventh lunar day of the bright half of Magha, to the full moon. Dates: 16–20 February 2027, with the main bath on the full moon, 20 February 2027. Rajasthan Tourism publishes the dates years ahead, and on Magh Purnima Bhil families from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh bathe at the confluence.

Countdown16–20 February 2027

When16–20 February 2027

Rajasthan Tourism publishes the dates years ahead (its current list gives 2026–2028) and can revise them; check its calendar a few months before.

The legend

The fair is held where the Som and Mahi meet near Dungarpur. It is called the Kumbh of the tribes: more than half the gathering are Bhils.

Today's fair is two in one: the old fair of Baneshwar Mahadev, and one that began after a Vishnu temple was built by the daughter-in-law of the saint Mavji.

Mavji is revered as an incarnation of Vishnu. The Bhils honour both him and Shiva, and every shrine on the island receives equal reverence.

Customs

Bath with the Mahant

The Mahant arrives from Sabla in a great procession with a silver image of Mavji, and people bathe with him: the river is held to be holier then.

Bonfire songs

Every night the Bhils sit round bonfires singing folk songs in high voices, and Raslila is performed in the Lakshmi-Narayan temple.

Swings and stalls

By day the fair is swings, merry-go-rounds, magic shows, acrobats and stalls selling everything a household needs.

Where to celebrate

Dungarpur

For five days up to the Magh full moon, Bhil families from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh camp where the Som meets the Mahi below Baneshwar temple, then bathe at the confluence with the Mahant.

What happens at the fair

The fair is held on Baneshwar Dham, the land at the meeting of the two rivers, around the Baneshwar Mahadev temple of Shiva and the Lakshmi-Narayan and Brahma temples. More than half the gathering are Bhils, and most visitors come from the Dungarpur, Udaipur and Banswara districts. Families camp for the five days.

The main day is Magh Purnima. The Mahant (head of the order) comes from Sabla, the village of the saint Mavji about 5 km away, in a great procession with a silver image of Mavji. At the confluence people bathe with him, since the river is held to be holier at that moment. The confluence is also where many Bhil families consign the ashes of their dead, so part of the riverbank is a place of mourning as well as of festival.

Through the fair, prayers are held five times a day at the Lakshmi-Narayan and Brahma temples, and Raslila, the dance-drama of Krishna, is performed at night in the Lakshmi-Narayan temple. By day there are swings, merry-go-rounds, magic shows, acrobats and long lanes of stalls. At night the Bhils sit round bonfires in their camps and sing folk songs in high voices: for many visitors this is the part they remember.

Two fairs in one

Today's fair joined two older ones. The first belongs to the temple of Shiva as Baneshwar Mahadev. The second grew up around the saint Mavji, revered as an incarnation of Vishnu: it began after his daughter-in-law built a temple of Vishnu, and his disciples built the Lakshmi-Narayan temple near the confluence, whose images were consecrated on Magh Shukla Ekadashi, the day the fair now begins. The Bhils honour both Mavji and Shiva, and every shrine on the island is visited with the same reverence.

Where to be

The fair is free. These are the places that matter.

Baneshwar Mahadev temple

Open about 05:00–23:00 during the fair, with the Lakshmi-Narayan and Brahma temples close by.

Abudara ghat at the confluence

Where the Mahant and the pilgrims bathe on Magh Purnima. Watch from the banks.

The road from Sabla

The Mahant's palanquin procession on the full-moon day.

The camps at night

The bonfire singing, from the edge of the camps.

Visiting as a guest

Nothing at Baneshwar is staged for an audience. Come as a guest of the fair, not as a photographer.

Keep back from the ash rites — Families consigning ashes at the confluence are mourning. Keep well away and do not photograph them.
Ask before photos — Ask before photographing anyone, in the camps above all.
Crowds on the full moon — Police are posted along the approach roads from Sabla and Banswara. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) notes that stampedes have occurred at large religious gatherings in India: keep out of the densest press at the ghat.

How to plan the trip

There is no accommodation at the fair site, so the trip is built around a base town.

Stay in Dungarpur
Dungarpur town is about 65 km from the site, an hour or more by road; Banswara is the other approach. Udaipur, about 110 km from Dungarpur, works as a base if you leave before dawn.
Book the room a month ahead
Dungarpur has few hotels, and the fair's crowd comes by road from the surrounding districts, so rooms, not trains, are the constraint. Trains to Dungarpur and flights to Udaipur need no more than the usual month.
Arrive the day before the full moon
One night is enough for the bath; a second lets you stay for the bonfire singing.
Combine it
On a wider Rajasthan and Gujarat trip it pairs with the Nagaur Fair, the Jaisalmer Desert Festival and, across the border in Gujarat, the Chitra Vichitra Fair; check each one's dates.

FAQ

When is the Baneshwar Fair?

Next: 16–20 February 2027, five days from Magh Shukla Ekadashi to Magh Purnima, with the main bath on 20 February 2027. It usually falls between late January and late February.

In which state is the Baneshwar Fair held?

In Rajasthan, in Dungarpur district, at the confluence of the Som and Mahi rivers close to the borders with Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Which tribe celebrates the Baneshwar Fair?

Above all the Bhils, who make up more than half the gathering and come from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

What is the main day of the Baneshwar Fair?

Magh Purnima, the full moon, when the Mahant arrives from Sabla and pilgrims bathe with him at the confluence.

How far is Baneshwar from Udaipur?

Dungarpur, the nearest base, is about 110 km from Udaipur, and the fair site is about 65 km from Dungarpur town.

Sources (3)

Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.

Festival calendar in the app Open

2026 · Dungarpur	28 January – 1 February 2026
2027 · Dungarpur	16–20 February 2027
2028 · Dungarpur	6–10 February 2028
2029 · Dungarpur	26–30 January 2029