Chandrabhaga Fair 2026, Jhalrapatan: Dates and Visitor Guide

The Chandrabhaga fair is the great annual gathering of the southern Hadoti region: pilgrims bathing in the Chandrabhaga river at Jhalrapatan on the full moon of Kartik, a sprawling livestock market on the plain beside it, and three evenings of lamps, processions and folk performances organised by the Rajasthan Tourism department. For 2026, Rajasthan Tourism’s fairs calendar lists the fair for 23 to 25 November, with Kartik Purnima falling on Tuesday 24 November.

Chandrabhaga fair 2026 at a glance

Detail	Information
Dates	23-25 November 2026, as listed in the Rajasthan Tourism calendar
Key day	Kartik Purnima, Tuesday 24 November 2026
Where	Banks of the Chandrabhaga river, Jhalrapatan, Jhalawar district
Distance	About 6 km from Jhalawar; about 88 km by road from Kota
Organisers	Traditional fair; tourism programme by the Department of Tourism, Rajasthan
Entry	Open public fair (no ticket has been announced)

Dates are taken from the official calendar as published in 2026. Programme details (times of the procession and cultural evenings) are usually confirmed by the district administration closer to the fair, so check locally before you travel.

What the fair is

Rajasthan Tourism describes the fair as being named after the Chandrabhaga river, which is considered very sacred in the region. Its religious heart is the Kartik Purnima bath. Kartik is one of the holiest months of the Hindu year, and bathing in a sacred river on its full moon is believed to purify; the same day brings pilgrims to the Chambal at Keshoraipatan and to the lakes of Pushkar.

Alongside the pilgrimage runs one of Rajasthan’s larger livestock fairs. Rajasthan Tourism lists cows, horses, buffaloes, camels and bullocks among the animals traded, with buyers coming from various parts of the state and beyond. Over the three days of the tourism programme the department organises a deepdan (lamps floated on the river), a shobha yatra (procession), competitions and cultural evenings.

The setting: Jhalrapatan’s temples

The fair ground lies beside the Chandrabhaga temples, a group of old shrines with carved pillars and arched gateways on the riverbank, including the Chandramouleshwar, Lakulish, Harihar and Devi temples. Jhalrapatan itself was founded by Zalim Singh Jhala in 1796 near the ruins of the older city of Chandravati, and the temples are survivors of that earlier settlement.

A short distance away in the town stand two landmarks worth seeing on the same visit:

• the Sun Temple (Padmanabha temple), a 10th-century temple about 97 feet high, known for its spire of clustered miniature towers;
• the Shantinath Jain temple, an 11th-century temple about 92 feet high.

Kartik in Hadoti

The fair is one of several events that make Kartik the busiest religious month of the year in the region. After Diwali, the month builds towards its full moon, when bathing in a sacred river is considered especially meritorious. In Hadoti that means three great bathing places: the Chandrabhaga at Jhalrapatan, the Chambal at Keshoraipatan, where many devotees bathe on Kartik Purnima beside the Keshav Rai temple built by Rao Raja Chattar Sal of Bundi in 1641, and the Chambal at Bundi, where Rajasthan Tourism describes people lighting lamps on the riverbank early on the morning after the full moon as part of Bundi Utsav.

Chandravati: the older city

Jhalrapatan stands close to the ruins of Chandravati, an older city on the Chandrabhaga that was destroyed in Aurangzeb’s time. The temples on the riverbank and many sculptures now in the Jhalawar museum are what remain of it. Walking from the fair ground among these old shrines is a reminder that the river has drawn pilgrims for far longer than the present town has existed.

How to visit

From Kota. Jhalawar is about 88 km south of Kota by road. There is a daily passenger train between Kota and Jhalawar; by car the drive takes roughly two hours, depending on traffic. Jhalrapatan is about 6 km beyond Jhalawar town. See how to reach Kota for connections to Kota itself.

Where to stay. Jhalawar has a modest range of hotels, and rooms may be harder to find during the fair; Kota has far more choice if you make it a day trip.

When to arrive. For the bathing, be at the ghats early on the morning of Kartik Purnima. For the deepdan and cultural programmes, plan to stay into the evening.

Tips for the fair

1. Expect crowds on the full moon. Keep valuables secure and agree a meeting point if you are in a group.
2. Respect the ritual. The ghats are a place of worship. Dress modestly, remove shoes where others do, and ask before photographing people bathing.
3. Mind the animals. The cattle fair is a working market; give animals and handlers space.
4. Carry cash and water. Card payments and shade are limited on the fair ground.
5. November nights are cool. Bring a warm layer for the evening programme.

Make a trip of it

The fair falls in the best season for travel in Hadoti. With a car you can add Gagron Fort, the Garh Palace and museum in Jhalawar and the Bhawani Natyashala theatre; our guide to Jhalawar tourist places has a day plan. In 2026, Bundi Utsav follows a few days later, on 27-29 November according to the same Rajasthan Tourism calendar, so you can combine the two in one trip from Kota.

For other events through the year, see the festivals in Kota and Hadoti calendar and the events page.