Sonepur Mela and Hariharnath Templeसोनपुर मेला और हरिहरनाथ मंदिर
Asia's great cattle fair at the Gandak confluence, a month from Kartik Purnima; the temple all year.
See what is open on your dateOpen in Google MapsWhereSaran, Bihar
Champaran & Saran
Champaran & Saran
Best time to visit15 October to 15 March and 5 November to 10 December
Good seasonsPost-monsoon (October to November), Winter (December to February)
DifficultyEasy
Time neededFull day
Base and nearbySonepur, Sonpur Jn / Hajipur
EntryFree · tourist village huts at the mela are ticketed
About Sonepur Mela and Hariharnath Temple
The Hariharnath temple, where Vishnu and Shiva share one shrine, stands at the Gandak-Ganga confluence and is open all year. For about a month from Kartik Purnima in November the fields around it become the Sonepur Mela, long called the largest cattle fair in Asia: horses, cattle, birds, theatre tents, ferris wheels and a great deal of noise. The elephants that made it famous are no longer traded, but the mela is still enormous.
What to see and do
- Hariharnath temple, open all year
- The month-long mela from Kartik Purnima
- Horse and cattle markets
- Kartik Purnima bathing at the confluence
- The tourist village and theatre tents
Opening status, best time and closures here are estimates from usual seasons and past patterns, not live information. Confirm with the local authority before you go. Terms of use
More places in Saran
- Ambika Bhawani, AmiSaran, Bihar · Temples & ShrinesA Shakti shrine with no idol, only an earthen pindi, on the Ganga between Chhapra and Sonepur.
- Dhorh AshramSaran, Bihar · Pilgrimage RoutesA rural rishi's ashram near Parsa that Saran people visit; quiet and unsigned.
- Gautam Sthan, RevelganjSaran, Bihar · Temples & ShrinesGautam rishi's ashram at the Ghaghra confluence; Saran's Kartik Purnima bathing fair.
- Bhikhari Thakur's KutubpurSaran, Bihar · Villages & Hidden GemsThe Ganga diyara village of Bhikhari Thakur, the father of Bhojpuri theatre. Little to see, much to know.
- ChirandSaran, Bihar · Monuments & HeritageA Neolithic village mound at the Ghaghra confluence, occupied for three thousand years. Nothing built.
All places in Saran · All places in Bihar
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Jagah Pedia is a free travel guide by Santosh Pandey. Status, timings and closures are estimates from usual patterns, so confirm locally before you travel.