Poradaha Mela Bogra

A traditional folk fair is organized every year at a place called Poradah on the bank of Ichamati river in Gabtali upazila of Bogra district. This ancient fair which has been organized continuously for about 400 years is known as Poradaha Mela. The distance from Bogra city to Poradah Mela premises is only 11 km.

Although exact information is not known about the year in which Poradah Mela started, the 16th century is considered as the origin of this fair. It is known that about four hundred years ago, a monk suddenly appeared under the banyan tree at the fair. Gradually other monks started coming there and an ashram was established here. As a result, the place became a place of pilgrimage for the local Hindu community. Since then people of Hindu community started organizing sannyasi puja on the coming Wednesday in the last three days of Magha month.

Devotees from different parts of the country began to gather for Sannyasi Puja. Gradually, the day of worship took the form of a village fair. Later the monks left this place, but the local Hindus continue to organize the Sannyasi Puja.

Initially the cremation fair was called Sannyasi Mela. But due to organizing a fair at a place called Poradah, the name of the place started to spread among the people. Once the name Poradah Mela became permanent. In addition to the name Poradah Mela, local people refer to this fair as 'Jaai Mela' and 'Fish Mela'.

Every year this fair is organized on the first Wednesday of the last three days of Magh month of Bengali Sun or on the first Wednesday of Falgun month. However, although Wednesday is the main day of the fair, the burnt fair lasts until the 3 days before Wednesday and the next 2 days. The day after Wednesday i.e. Thursday is known as Baumela. On this day, village brides and daughters from husband's house to father's house come with their husbands to shop in the fair. Even if it is Baumela, there is no ban on single people coming to the fair on that day.

Fish: Bahari fish is one of the main attractions of the Poradah Mela. On the occasion of the fair, all the big fishes come and accumulate in the temporary ponds. Sometimes the weight of each fish exceeds two maunds.

Sweets : Along with fish, there are various types of sweet flavors throughout the life of the Poradah Mela. Apart from Sandesh, Rasgolla, Jilapi, sweets weighing one and a half to two kg are not left out of the fair.

Furniture : Various designs of furniture made of wood, steel and iron are available at very affordable prices.

Cosmetics and gift items : The fair premises are full of various cosmetics, toys, gift items shops. Children and women flock to buy toys and cosmetics from these shops.

Food stalls : Numerous makeshift hotels, fuchka-chotopti shops, Puri-singara shops, pickles and ice-cream shops have sprung up all over the fair premises.

Entertainment Arrangements : The space allotted for entertainment in the fair is always the center of attraction. For the entertainment of the young and old, the fair features floats, mini trains, horse carriages, magic, circus, motorcycle rides, yatrapalas and various cultural events.

Apart from this, everyday items such as various types of vegetables (raw market), meat, spices and household items can be bought at Poradah Mela.

The cremation fair can be reached by CNG or autorickshaw from Golabari CNG stand in Chelopara, Bogra district headquarters.

Dhaka to Bogra by Bus: Buses to Bogra are available from Gabtali, Mohakhali, Shyamoli, Abdullahpur, Kalyanpur in capital Dhaka. Shyamoli Paribahan, SR Travels, Hanif Enterprise, Ekta Paribahan, Babul Enterprise, SA Paribahan, Shah Fateh Ali Paribahan are notable among the bus services to Bogra. AC and non-AC bus fare to Bogura is Tk 550 to Tk 1300.

Dhaka to Bogra by Train: Dhaka to Lalmoni and Rangpur Express trains travel via Bogra so you can go to Bogra by these trains. Dhaka to Rangpur Express train departs daily at 9:10 AM and Lalmoni Express departs at 9:45 PM. Rangpur and Lalmoni Express trains are closed on Mondays and Fridays respectively. The price of the train ticket is Tk 475-1093 depending on the seat.

Tourist Motel, Naz Garden, Northway Motel, Safeway Motel, Motel Castle MH, Century Motel, Hotel Sista, Hotel Akbaria, Redchilies Chinese Restaurant and Residential Hotel are among the Valman residential hotels located in Bogra. Among the standard hotels are Hotel Al Amin, Hotel Royal Palace, Hotel Sun View, Hotel Rajmoney, Hotel Honey Day, Hotel Aziz etc.

Feature Image: Md. Atiqur Rahman Ranju