Mela=Fair in Sonepur, 25 km off Patna, the capital of Bihar

Pilgrims take a ritual bath in Gandak river which is merging with the mighty Ganga

The Mela is also a sprawling fair ground with thousands of colourful stalls

One of the largest animal market in Asia

Elephants are put on sale, they are even bathed and made up

see also in this website::

Elephant Festival at the Ganges

die tageszeitung

March 11, 2006