Sonepur Mela

Sonepur fair, about 25 km from Patna and 3 km from Hajipur, held on the banks of the Gandak River in Sonpur, organised every year on Kartik Purnima, which falls in November - December.

This fair is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela or Chhatar Mela. This fair is the largest cattle fair in Asia. One can buy everything in Sonepur Mela, from a needle to an elephant. This fair starts after bathing on Kartik Purnima.

Once upon a time, traders from Central Asia used to come to this cattle fair. And till date, it is considered the largest cattle fest in Asia. The purchase of elephants and horses is always in the spotlight here. Elephants from the Maurya dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya, Mughal Emperor Akbar, and Kunwar Singh also purchased elephants from here.

From the stall of the Land Revenue Department at Sonpur Fair, a digital map of all revenue villages of Bihar can be obtained by a government fee of Rs 150, within three minutes of any citizen. This work has been done by the technical support of the National Information Science Center, Patna.

But due to the changing effect of time, the Harihar area Sonepur fair is moving away from cattle markets and is now taking the form of Auto Expo Fair.

An unusual attraction is seen in foreign tourists towards the Sonepur fair. Swiss cottages are built to attract Germany, America, France, and other foreign tourists.