BIRGANJ — The traditional 150-year-old Dhemdhemia Kali fair has opened across Bairbari, Chapapara and Hiramani mouzas of Palashbari union in Dinajpur’s Birganj upazila, organized for the new-moon Shyama Puja in the Bengali month of Kartik.
The fair is no longer just a religious event. It has become a major gathering of rural society, folk culture and trade. Although the puja ceremonies last seven days, the fair’s bustle continues through the month.
The biggest draw is the horse market. Sellers from Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Rangpur have brought rare breeds including Tazi, Bhutani, Manipuri, Pankhiraj and Raja Bahadur.
Yusuf Ali, a seller from Chirirbandar, said he had brought four horses to the fair. He has asked 3 lakh taka for one Tazi horse but has so far received offers of up to 2 lakh taka.
Bargaining is also intense in the buffalo market. Sellers have brought rows of Para buffalo, gayal and indigenous breeds. Prices for a pair of buffalo range from 1.3 lakh to 6 lakh taka depending on size and weight.
Alam Hossain of Haripur in Thakurgaon said he had brought three pairs of Para-breed buffalo, of which he sold two pairs, one for 5.5 lakh taka and another for 5 lakh taka.
The fairground is not only about livestock trade. There is also the full atmosphere of a rural festival, with countless stalls of children’s toys, sweets, Ferris wheels, household goods, handicrafts and folk items drawing crowds. The Dhemdhemia Kali fair still preserves the colors, rhythms and excitement of fairs from earlier times.
Birganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tanvir Ahmed said police and Ansar personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order around the fair.
“The administration is monitoring at all times to ensure the safety of buyers, sellers and visitors,” he said. “All arrangements have been made in coordination with the local fair committee to preserve tradition and uniqueness.”
As a priceless symbol of northern Bangladesh’s rural tradition, social harmony and folk culture, the Dhemdhemia Kali fair has remained for generations not just a market but a gathering and a festival of memory for the people of rural Bengal.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report