Under the Spell of Horses
Proud elegance, silky-shiny coats and a graceful, powerful physique – the supreme Marwari horses have been worshipped in India as magical creatures for thousands of years. People say they descended directly from the Gods, that once when the Gods were sitting round the fire, there was so much soot that one of the Gods had to cry. One of the tears from his right eye changed into a stallion, and one of his tears from the left eye produced a mare. Ever since, the people in Rajasthan have believed that horses are Gods. Maharaja – palaces, temples and citadels, women in colourful saris and men with bright turbans – the land of the Rajas, the king's sons, arouse fantasies reminiscent of One Thousand and One Nights. Lively trading and war-related incidents from the past have led to the emergence of a unique horse culture in the region: Marwaris are the proud horses of the Indian Rajas. Each year in November, the small, barren desert oasis of Pushkar is transformed into a place of pilgrimage for millions of Indians. Everybody who is anybody on the horse scene in Rajasthan - Maharajas, breeders and horse masters - meets at the Pushkar Mela, the turbulent market for over 50,000 horses and camels. Pushkar is the place where the legendary Marwaris are bought and sold.