The Jambheswar Fair is held in the village Mukam of tehsil Nokha,
Bikaner District, twice a year on Phalgun Budi Amavasya and Ashvin
Budi Amavasya, in memory of the founder of the Bishnoi sect -Jambheswarji.
His teachings are condensed into 120 sayings, which propagate
the cardinal virtues of self-control, truth and non-violence.
He taught 29 articles of religion and hence the term Bishnoi from
Bees (twenty) and Nau (nine). The Bishnois consider him to be
an incarnation of Vishnu. Near the Nokha Town, there are two temples
of Jambheswarji, one in the village Mukam (mukam literally means
abode) and the other on the sand dune of Samarthal.
The temple at Mukam has the samadhi of Jambheswarji
and a life-size portrait adorns the central hall. On the ground
floor, there are five rooms, one of which is used to store grain
offered by the visitors and the rest serve as a guest house. The
grain, which is offered at the temple, is used to feed pigeons,
peacocks and birds throughout the year beside the temple.
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A large fair is held in February-March on Phagun
Budi Amavasya every year. People attend it from Punjab, Delhi,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, apart from the local visitors. The
second fair, which is a smaller, localised affair, is attended
by people coming in from neighbouring villages on camels, bullock
carts and even on foot. The number of shops is lesser and comprises
mostly of sellers from Nokha, Himmatsar and Bikaner. The visitors
go to the temple at Mukam and the sand dune at Samarthal (where
Jambhaji used to preach) and take part in the worship and rituals.
It is customary to take some sand from the tank called Talai at
Mukam and deposit it at the foot of the dune at Samarthal.
How to Reach
Mukam is 15 Kms from Nokha, which in turn is 60 Kms south of Bikaner.
50 Kms north of Nagaur