• Jan 25 2016
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Shree Trinetreshwar Mahadev Temple

Tarnetar is known for its annual fair, the Trinetreshwar Mahadev Mela, which is held near the Trinetreshwar Mahadev temple. It attracts villagers from all over the region as well as tourists. It has an attendance figure of around 100,000 people

The fair is organised in Tarnetar village some 39 kilometres from Chotila in Surendranagar District in Gujarat. It is popularly known as the Trinetreshwar Mahadev Mela and revolves around the sacred temple of Trinetreshwar.

It is held during the first week of Bhadrapad (September-October). This fair is primarily a 'marriage mart' or 'Swayamvar' for the tribal youth who visit Tarnetar to find a suitable bride for themselves.

The fair is held around the Trinetreshwar Temple dedicated to the three-eyed Lord Shiva, built at the beginning of the century. There is a kund (reservoir) here and it is popularly believed that a dip in its waters is as holy as a dip in the sacred River Ganges. The reservoir is also known as papanshu (the destroyer of sins).

The region is also of mythological significance. It is known as the Panchal region, the native place of Draupadi. According to folklore, it was here that Arjuna accomplished the difficult task of piercing the eye of a fish, rotating at the end of a pole, by looking at its reflection in the pond water. The swayamvar was also held around the pond in Tarnetar.