It’s that time of the year again when our favourite local mela or carnival is in town. The Buddhaki Mela or as it is more casually known, the Ganga Snan Mela is up and running on the river bank in Lucknow. The mela is also called the Katki Mela and is the oldest recurring annual fair in Lucknow.
What’s the big deal about Katki Mela?
Though the fair is nothing fancy, it’s been a fixture on the Lucknow event calendar for, what people say, over 400 years. Each year, the mela is set up on the occasion of Karthik Purnima and continues till Ganga Snan. Since years, rather decades, many indigenous merchants and craftsmen from neighbouring towns come and set shop in this mela, selling artefacts and handcrafted products, making the mela the most versatile desi flea-market ever!
What to expect
🛍 Shopping for…
Crockery & Utensils: Variety of crockery items like tea sets of all kinds, mugs, cups, plates, pickle jars, serving platters, glasses and tumblers, cutlery, dinner sets, mortar & pestle sets, etc. Again, nothing fancy but nice, cheap buys.
Household items: The mela has some of the most interesting collection of knick-knacks and trinkets. Small figurines for your home corner, or perhaps a small lamp for your bedside table, maybe a beautifully painted flowerpot for your porch or wooden frames, clocks etc.
Food: Lots of options for food too – halwa paratha, kachori, all types of chaat items, fresh fruits, juices, candy floss etc.
Apparel: There are many stalls which sell apparel as well. Visit the stalls selling winter wear for children like caps, socks, and ear warmers!
Trinkets: But the maximum number of shops are dedicated to fashion jewellery and hair accessories for as cheap as ₹10 to ₹50 ! From oxidised jewellery to Hyderabadi design jhumkis, hair clips, scrunchies and hairbands, and pop theme danglers – there’s plenty of choice!
🎡 Entertainment
From giant wheels for adults to smaller merry-go-rounds for the children, balloon shooting, toss the ring and car rides among many others.
Dates: November 25th, 2021 to January 15th, 2022
Timings: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm
Location: Jhulela Vatika, Hanuman Setu, Lucknow
