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Surajkund International Crafts Mela: India's crafts village for a fortnight
Weavers, potters and carvers from every state under thatch by an ancient reservoir
The Surajkund International Crafts Mela is a crafts fair held every year at Surajkund in Faridabad district, Haryana, about 8 km from south Delhi. For about two weeks, usually from late January or early February, weavers, potters, painters and carvers from every Indian state and a partner country sell their own work from a permanent village of brick-and-thatch huts beside an old reservoir. Haryana Tourism calls it the largest crafts fair in the world and counts more than a million visitors each fortnight.
Haryana Tourism and the Surajkund Mela Authority set the dates each year, usually by November or December, and name the theme states and the partner nation in January.
The legend
In legend, in the 10th century King Surajpal of the Tomara dynasty builds a reservoir by the Aravalli hills in the shape of the rising sun.
A sun temple stood beside it, its ruins still visible, and the name Surajkund means "lake of the Sun".
In 1987 Haryana's tourism department holds a modest crafts fair on three acres beside the reservoir.
In 2012 Thailand becomes the first partner nation and the fair is renamed international. In 2020 it draws 1.3 million visitors.
Today it covers 40 acres with about a thousand work huts, where craftspeople and weavers from every state sell their work with no middlemen.
Meaning
Theme state
Each year has a theme state: its architecture and colours greet you at the entrance, and its crafts fill the stalls.
Partner nation
Alongside the theme state there is always a partner nation. In 2009 makers came from the SAARC countries, Thailand and Egypt.
Customs
Makers at work
Painters, weavers and sculptors from across India work and sell in their own huts: wood, metal, bamboo, glass, textiles and stone.
Folk stages
By day folk artists from India and abroad perform on the two open-air Chaupals, and each evening the main one hosts a cultural show.
Food of the states
The fair's food festival serves popular cooking from different parts of the country.
Words of the festival
सूरजकुण्ड
Surajkund
"lake of the Sun", the reservoir the fair surrounds
कुंड
kund
a pool or basin; a man-made tank with stepped sides
मेला
mela
a fair, a festive gathering
चौपाल
chaupal
a village meeting place; the fair's stages bear the name
True or myth
✅ True. The stepped embankment curves in a semicircle, its arc facing east.
❌ Myth. In 1987 it fitted onto three acres; it became international only in 2012, with its first partner nation.
✅ True. It fills up in the monsoon and dries out in summer, before the rains return.
Where to celebrate
Faridabad
For about a fortnight from late January a permanent craft village beside the tenth-century Surajkund reservoir fills with makers from every state and a partner country, 8 km from south Delhi.
What you find at the fair
The fair ground covers about 40 acres and holds around a thousand work huts (Haryana Tourism gives 1,010). Craftspeople and weavers sit in them and sell directly, without middlemen: that was the point of the fair from the start. Expect handloom textiles, paintings, woodwork, pottery and terracotta, stonework, lacquerware, and cane and grass products. A separate section is kept for heritage crafts that machine-made copies are pushing out.
Each year one state, sometimes two or a whole region, is the theme state. Their artisans get their own work huts, they decorate their area in their own style, and they build a replica of one of their monuments as the year's gate. These commemorative structures stay on the ground afterwards, so walking in you pass gates left by Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha, Karnataka and many others. The theme state also builds an Apna Ghar, "our home", where a family from the state lives for the whole fortnight. A partner nation brings its own craftspeople, musicians and cooks.
Folk troupes from India and abroad perform through the day on the two open-air stages, the Chaupals, and the main Chaupal has a cultural programme every evening. The food court serves regional cooking from across India and dishes from the partner countries.
From a three-acre fair to an international one
Haryana's tourism department held the first fair in 1987 on about three acres beside the reservoir, to give artisans a place to sell. The theme state arrived in 1989, with Rajasthan and its Shekhawati Gate. Foreign makers first came in 2009, and in 2012, with Thailand as the first partner nation, the fair was renamed the Surajkund International Crafts Mela. It is organised by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism with the Union ministries of tourism, textiles, culture and external affairs.
The reservoir itself is much older. Surajkund means "lake of the Sun": by tradition it was built in the 10th century by Surajpal, a king of the Tomara dynasty, as a stepped embankment curving in a semicircle towards the east, with a sun temple beside it whose ruins can still be seen. It fills in the monsoon and is often dry by summer.
Tickets, hours and the best day
The fair is open from 10 am to 8:30 pm, according to Haryana Tourism.
- Ticket price — Entry is paid: approximately ₹120 on weekdays and ₹180 at weekends. Differently-abled visitors, senior citizens, serving defence personnel and ex-servicemen get 50% off.
- Buy ahead — Besides the gate counters, tickets have been sold online through the Delhi Metro's DMRC Momentum 2.0 app and at metro stations; buying ahead skips the queue at the gate.
- Go on a weekday — Weekends are extremely crowded. On a weekday the lanes between the huts are easier to walk.
- Half a day or more — The fair works as a half-day trip from Delhi. Come back in the evening if you want the main Chaupal programme.
How to get to Surajkund
Surajkund is on the Delhi–Faridabad border, about 8 km from the south Delhi ridge.
- By metro
The nearest station is Badarpur Border on the Violet Line. From there take a taxi or an auto-rickshaw, or the shuttle bus in years when one runs.
- By bus
Buses run to Surajkund from the Delhi ISBT, Shivaji Stadium, Gurugram and Faridabad.
- By car or cab
Hired cars and tourist coaches leave from Delhi. The fair has car parks at its three gates: Shekhawati Gate and the Danteshwari Gate for traffic from Delhi and Gurugram, the Jharkhand and Kerala gates for Faridabad and Gurugram.
- Where to stay
Stay in south Delhi or Gurugram and drive out. The fair runs for a fortnight and Delhi has plenty of rooms, so a week's notice is usually enough.
Crowds and safety
With more than a million visitors over the fortnight, the fair has CCTV, women guards, fire and medical teams, and a central block with a bank, a dispensary and the fair's police control room. The UK Foreign Office notes that stampedes have occurred at events with large crowds in India, so on a weekend afternoon agree a meeting point, for example at the theme state's gate, and keep your phone in a front pocket. If you are planning a longer February trip, Taj Mahotsav in Agra runs in the second half of the month and in some years overlaps with the fair; see Taj Mahotsav and the Delhi guide.
FAQ
When is the Surajkund Mela held?
Every year for about two weeks from late January or early February. Haryana Tourism and the Surajkund Mela Authority set the dates, usually by November or December.
Where is Surajkund?
In Faridabad district, Haryana, on the edge of Delhi, about 8 km from south Delhi. The nearest metro station is Badarpur Border on the Violet Line.
Which state hosts the Surajkund Mela?
Haryana hosts the fair. Each year one or two other states are invited as the theme state, along with a partner nation; they are named in January.
How much is the Surajkund Mela ticket?
Approximately ₹120 on weekdays and ₹180 at weekends, with 50% off for senior citizens, differently-abled visitors and defence personnel.
What are the Surajkund Mela timings?
During the fair it is open from 10 am to 8:30 pm.
Is the Surajkund Mela crowded?
Yes, especially at weekends: the fair draws more than a million visitors over its fortnight. Weekdays are calmer.
Sources (5)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.